How can the NON-EU Spouse of an EU CITIZEN live in Italy? Carta di Soggiorno and its Benefits

Aug 01, 2022

A Non-EU national who is married to an EU citizen (or those who are in an attested Domestic Partnership) qualify for a permit of stay for family reasons, which is called Carta di Soggiorno.

1. How can I get a Carta di Soggiorno in Italy?

The preliminary requirements to support the application are:

• Being in possession of a Marriage certificate or a Domestic Partnership certificate, issued by the competent national authority
• Being in possession of an adequate house in Italy
• Being in possession of adequate financial means to support themselves
• The EU spouse must be registered as resident in Italy

Once in possession of the supporting documents dully notarized, legalized and/or apostilled, the EU spouse can register his/her Residency in Italy and procure a residency certificate while the non-EU spouse can proceed with filing his/her Permit of Stay (carta di soggiorno) at the local post office.

After filing the application, the non-EU spouse will be given:

• an application receipt allowing him/her to remain in Italy while waiting for the permit of stay card to be issued
• an invitation letter to attend the “fingerprints” appointment at the local police office

Within a couple of months of the fingerprints appointment the permit of stay shall be approved and the non-EU spouse must visit the local police office one last time to collect the permit of stay card.

As a very last step, the non-Eu spouse in possession of the permit of stay card can register his/her residency with the local Italian town hall.

2. Benefits of a Carta di Soggiorno

• It has longer validity (5 years) compared to other kind of Permit of Stay
• The holder of carta di soggiorno is allowed to work in Italy
• Compared to other types of permit of stay, the costs are less.
• It allows the foreigner to stay out of Italy for up to 6 months per year
• It can be converted into a Permanent Permit of Stay (if complied with other requirements)

The information provided on this article (i) does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; (ii) are for general informational purposes only.

With our Multilingual Service Desks with native English, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese speaking associates serving as a contact point, we offer a dense network of lawyers specialized in Italian Immigration and Citizenship law.

Marco Sarracino

Marco Sarracino has over 10 years of experience assisting companies and private clients with their relocation to Italy. He is an experienced Immigration Consultant with professional skills in Immigration Law, Global Mobility, Corporate Law, and Visas. He is fluent in Italian and English.

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