I read that, for family reunification, a relative from Russia must confirm legal entry into the country no earlier than one year ago, based on a visa with a passport stamp or a declaration of presence. Do I understand this requirement correctly? And from which moment is that one-year period counted — from the entry date on the stamp?
The year is counted from the date of entry as stamped in the passport, yes. But there isn’t just one family-reunification procedure — there are “coesione familiare” (coesione familiare — family cohesion/reunification) and “al seguito” (al seguito — accompanying), and they work differently. Under coesione familiare you have to show Italian income; under al seguito, Russian income. In both cases you also need accommodation that meets the regulations; the questura (police headquarters) itself calculates the square metres per family member.
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Thanks — I didn’t know about the two options. Is the standard for square meters specified anywhere, or does the kvestura (квестура) decide at its own discretion?
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The questura doesn’t invent the rules itself — they’re taken from the sanitary housing requirements, and the certificate is issued by the comune (municipality). Here in Genoa the comune checked the floor area according to a fixed standard: 14 m² for the first occupant and 10 m² for each additional one. If you’re short by a couple of square meters, the comune can refuse the certificato di idoneità alloggiativa (housing suitability certificate), and without it you can’t obtain the nulla osta (no-objection certificate). The questura itself doesn’t calculate anything — it just checks that the certificate exists.
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By the way, the certificate isn’t indefinite — it has an expiry date. In Genoa they issued it for a year, so you shouldn’t request it too far in advance. Also: the comune (municipality) looks only at the registered contract — if there’s a contract but it’s not registered with the tax office, they may refuse the certificate.
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Under “al seguito” we also entered together on a tourist Schengen visa. About the certificate from the municipality (comune): it’s better to submit the application while still in Russia — our processing took three weeks. We miscalculated a bit and ended up worrying; the one-year validity had already started counting while we were waiting for the nulla osta (clearance).
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It depends on the situation - if you yourself are the main applicant, the certificate of housing suitability (certificato di idoneità alloggiativa) isn’t needed at all. It’s only required when you’re reuniting a spouse or children - without it the nulla osta (no‑objection certificate) won’t be issued. And the rental contract must be a long‑term one; short‑term rental won’t work for the certificate.
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I’ll add one more point about this certificato (certificate) — in some comuni (municipalities) you need a residenza (residence registration) to obtain it, and to register a residenza with lavoro autonomo (self-employment) you need to have the permesso (residence permit) in hand. The circle closes, and the whole procedure can drag on for a very long time. We didn’t have that, but that’s exactly why you should call your comune in advance and ask specifically what they’ll require.
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