If you are an American planning to stay in Italy for an extended period of time, you are going to have to make it official. One of the ways to do this is to get either a permesso di soggiorno or a carta di soggiorno. Both of these documents allow you to move freely within Italy without having to worry about your tourist or other visa expiring. The only difference (that I have found) is that the permesso di soggiorno typically lasts one year before it has to be renewed, making it the typical choice for those who are in Italy for work reasons. The carta di soggiorno lasts five years, making it the better option for American citizens who are married to an Italian.
As you will know if you have read some of the other posts on this blog or the Facebook or Instagram pages that go with it, I married an Italian citizen. So, in order to stay in the country, I needed to get a “Carta Di Soggiorno Per I Familiari Del Cittadino Comunitario,” which is a carta di soggiorno for a family member of an Italian citizen.
So, since I knew what I needed, it was easy to find out how to get it, right? Wrong. Just like with the atto notorio I had to get before we could get our marriage license, there were seemingly thousands of articles on the internet that all said different things and listed different requirements. This resulted in weeks of confusion, until finally, at long last, I got it all figured out.
I want to save you all that searching and wasted time, so I am going to get right to it without any further introduction. It should be noted that these are the requirements in Milan, so you may want to double check the website for the questura (police station) of the town you reside in to make sure they are the same.
Documents Required for Carta di Soggiorno for a Family Member of an Italian Citizen (translated)
- Previous/expiring permesso di soggiorno or carta di soggiorno (if you have one, otherwise you don’t need it)
- Passport (make sure it’s not expired)
- Copy of the photo/signature page of that passport
- 4 photographs in ID card format – These are photos of a specific size, which you can get by visiting a photographer, or by stopping in at a phototessera machine. You can usually find the latter in grocery stores or at train stations. My photos cost me five euros at an Esselunga store.
- Modulo 210 (completed)
- Marca da bollo amministrativa – These are 16€ a piece at the local tabaccheria.
- Official documentation that proves your relationship to your Italian family member – If you’re married to them, this would consist of your marriage certificate. This should also have already been registered at the Comune (city hall) where you live so they can look it up.
- Copy of the ID card or passport of the Italian citizen you are related to.
- Certificate of residency of your spouse or family member – This is a document that proves that your spouse/relative lives in the zone you are in and provides a record of who lives with them, etc. They will have to get this at the Comune beforehand.
- Documentation attesting to the availability of funds – This should be a document proving your spouse’s employment, along with a photocopy of a past paycheck. My husband also provided a copy of the deed to our apartment. It can also consist of proof of funds in your bank account, etc.
- Certificate of residency (your own) or Declaration of Hospitality (which says that your spouse is “hosting” you) – You get this at the Comune as well.
- Proof of the date of your entry into Italy – IMPORTANT: If you entered the Schengen Area in Italy directly and got a stamp on your passport in an Italian airport, you should be good to go. If you entered the European Union at a different location with a connecting flight and got a stamp there instead of Italy, you have to go to the questura within 8 days of your arrival and make a “declaration of presence.” (I got into a bit of trouble for this, because I had a connecting flight to Milan from France and didn’t know I had to go to the questura when I arrived in Italy. So, as always, my mistakes are your lessons!)
Once you have all of these things, you can make an appointment for the carta di soggiorno, but be warned that you may have to wait months to go to said appointment. But, as long as you have a receipt that says you made an appointment, you are safe to stay in the country as long as you keep it with you.
If you live in Milan, you can make an appointment for the carta di soggiorno via this online portal. No matter what city you are living in, you will have to go to the questura for the appointment, and to pick up the completed document if you have to come back for it at a later date (I did because the printer was broken on the day of my appointment).
Do you have a carta di soggiorno? What was your experience like at the questura? Let us know in the comments section! (If you want to read about my personal experience, you can do so here.)
Edit: It was recently brought to my attention that I forgot to add something very important to this post! After you have applied for the carta di soggiorno, an officer may come to your residence to make sure that you live there. The policemen we spoke with didn’t seem to think this was a huge deal when I did it and no one ever came around to check if I was at my apartment, but it is a strong possibility!
Hi, thank you for the very informative post!
I am also a us citizen moving to Italy with my EU husband.
I have a question regarding the us marriage certificate, do we need to translate it to Italian and have it signed by apostille and noterion?
Also do you think my birth certificate is needed at any process?
Thank you,
Hadas
Hi Hadas!
I don’t think you need your birth certificate for the Permesso di Soggiorno, but it may be a good idea to have it and a translated version in case you need it for other documents. I don’t think you need the marriage certificate for the permesso either, but you do need a certificate of residency and/or a certificate of hospitality that basically says that your EU husband is “hosting” you. Which region are you moving to? You may try looking to see if your future comune has any requirements that are different from the list I compiled here, just to be totally sure!
Hi!
Does my Italian husband need to be with me to go to the questura?
Hi Gabriella!
No, if you are fluent in Italian and you have all your documents ready, I believe you can go by yourself. But you will need the “Declaration of Hospitality” that states that your husband is “hosting” you and his certificate of residency either way.
I’m an American now living with my Italian wife in Milan and got my carta di soggiorno in September. This article checks out.
Although I applied in June, the text or call to pickup the card never came and it was only after several periodic calls of reassurance that I needed to wait for the text that I took matters in my own hands and physically went to places to complain of the wait ( which was supposed to be only a few weeks) that I finally got my card in September. Allegedly the card had been there since July! Bureaucracy is a headache in this country.
Also, expect to wait for hours when you go to the office to pick it up. I brought my one year old and it was almost a torture waiting so long. I was unprepared for the long wait.
Ugh, that’s terrible! I would like to say otherwise, but the bureaucracy really is a pain here. I know it’s no walk in the park in the U.S. either, but I (and no one else I have heard from) have never had something like this go perfectly smoothly.
But on the bright side, at least you were able to get your carta di soggiorno! I know that, for me, it was after that that I finally felt more like I could relax because I had proof that I was 100% legally allowed to stay in the country.
I want to asked one thing.i am living italy i have carta di soggiorno illimitata now i applying for my wife i translate our merrage certificate from my embassy in italian language then went to prefetura to legalisation they stemp on my merrage certificate then i went to comuna and gave them my merrage certificate.i send all document via posta italia and got oppointment for my wife,a finger. I want to ask i need to registar my merrage in cmstato civile o its ok i dont need.
Hi Ali!
You may have to call the embassy to ask about this, because the rules can change depending on what region you are in and what country you are coming from. I don’t think you need to register the marriage, but I am not 100% sure, since I mostly speak with people who were married in Italy, so the marriage is already registered here. Sorry I couldn’t be more help! Please come back when you have everything sorted out and let us know how it went!
Hi. I am also an American married to an Italian residing in Italy. Thank you for your great website in English! Could you please clarify the differences and requirements of how to attain the permesso di soggiorno vs. carta di soggiorno? What I keep seeing is that the carta di soggiorno of 5 years is only for if you have children. I do not have children …. Do you have a link of the steps to get the carta di soggiorno without having children?
Thank you!!!!
Hi Heather!!
Thank you for reading the blog, I’m glad it was useful! And I agree — this stuff really is SO STRESSFUL!
The permesso di soggiorno and the carta di soggiorno basically serve the same purpose. But the permesso has to be renewed every year, and the carta has to be renewed every five years. You apply for them the same way (you might have to select a different appointment reason on the website where you sign up to get an appointment), but they usually give you the permesso if you’re in Italy to work and the carta if you’re married to an Italian, since a marriage is (hopefully!) more stable than a job could potentially be. You don’t have to have kids to get the carta di soggiorno, you just have to have residency and proof that you’re married to an Italian. I don’t have children either and they gave me the carta di soggiorno with no issues. There should be a link on the website of the Questura in your city to make an appointment, and you should be able to see all the instructions there. Let me know if you aren’t able to find it and I can take a look if you let me know what Comune you live in!
Hi Jessica!!!!
Thanks so much! I really appreciate this information since I don’t know anyone personally in my situation and, as you know, understanding the system is beyond overwhelming My renewal is coming up shortly so if I could have the Italian immigration law facts in Italian to show the officers that would help me so much since my Italian is so poor. I got my initial soggiorno during the pandemic and everything was such a mess, plus communicating through plexiglass, possibly I selected the wrong option. Since my Italian is so poor, I’m having trouble finding/confirming the 5 year soggiorno info on my local Questura website. I am in Catanzaro, would you be able to take a look?
I can’t thank you enough for your help.
H
Hi!!
I totally get it — I did most of my Italian bureaucracy during the pandemic too! Those masks and plexiglass made everything hard to understand.
After looking through the Catanzaro Questura’s website, I mostly found information about the permesso di soggiorno only, so I can see why you weren’t getting anywhere. Some click-throughs got me to this page: https://www.poliziadistato.it/articolo/214, which is not from your comune itself, but has more details about what you’re looking for, so maybe you could use it to show them what you need (I couldn’t find an English translation, but Google Translate should get you most of the way there). I think you may have to send them an email (using the “Scrivici” option on the Questura website) to get some more/better information because their website isn’t really clear. Can your spouse help with that since he’s an Italian citizen? Otherwise I can help you via email.
I have heard (but can’t confirm) that your Italian language level might be a factor in getting the carta di soggiorno, though, so I’m not sure if maybe that’s why they just gave you the permesso? This stuff is definitely confusing!
I think speaking with someone on the phone or via email could really clear things up, but I know that’s tough when you’re not fluent in Italian yet!
Let me know how else I can help!
Jessica
Hi Jessica!
Is it possible that we communicate through email? Could I please have your email address or you email me?
Thank you so much!
Sure thing! You can email blog@anamericaninitaly.com with your questions (I got your email there before, but responded on the blog since I thought your question might be pertinent to others as well!).
Talk to you soon!
Hi Jessica,
Great blog post! This is very helpful. I am an Italian citizen, and my husband and I are planning our move for next year. I’m wondering about the “availability of funds.” How much money are they expecting to see? I was unaware of any income or financial requirements for citizens or their spouses. Thanks in advance!
Hi Valerie!
The amount of funds they expect to see varies from year to year (it’s another one of those questions no one seems to have a clear-cut answer to!). Most sources and offices will tell you that it has to be “enough money to support yourself and your spouse” without saying a real number. But according to Italian government websites, it needs to be more than the yearly social security check, which is “not less than €6.542,21 per year for one person, €9.813,77 per year for the applicant and one family member, and €13.085,02 for the applicant and two family members.”
I think the most important thing is to show that you and/or your spouse have a steady job and can support yourselves so the Italian government doesn’t have to, basically.
Hopefully that helps!
Hi Jessica,
This was immensely helpful! Thank you for putting it together. My husband is Italian by descent (though he has never lived in Italy) and I’m an American. We are in the process of moving to Italy and figuring out what we need to do to get my carta. Your blog post is incredibly helpful because there is so little info online. I do have one question. How did you register your marriage in Italy? Did you get married in Italy? We were married in the US and we’re trying to figure out how to register our relationship in Florence. Thank you for the help!
Hi Genevieve,
Thank you for the compliments, I’m so glad to hear that this site is helpful! 🙂
I actually got married in Italy, so our marriage was registered there right away. I think in your case you would need to contact the Comune (city hall) in the city you are going to live in and ask them how to register it there. They should be able to give you some more information (they will probably be busy, though, so you will have to have a bit of patience!).
Best of luck!
Hi! I’m an italian citizen who just married an american, and we are in the middle of the process for the carta di soggiorno. I saw your guide and it was very helpful in all the passages we have to get through to survive the Italian burocracy, so thanks a lot!
Sorry for disturb you, but I wanted to ask a specific question regarding the appointment to get the finger prints for the carta di soggiorno.
I’m in a similar situation of yours regarding the missing proof of entry in Italy of my wife. She was indeed previously working in Portugal, and she came here last February with a flight Lisbon-Rome, so of course she was not checked at the airport. We got married last May and we asked for the carta di soggiorno. They gave an appointment for this december (after 8 months of wait). I have all the documents beside the stamp on her passport or the proof of entry (we had no idea it was a thing at all). Since on your guide you say you were in a similar situation and you had a bit of trouble for this, can I ask you how you solved the issue?
Like, what you mean with “a bit of trouble”?
Hi Davide!
Thank you for reading the blog, I’m glad you have found it helpful!
I didn’t know that that was a thing at all until my appointment either, so it is an honest mistake to make! What will happen will depend on the Questura. In theory, they could make you/your wife pay a fine for not getting that stamp or officially reporting that she was in Italy upon her arrival (I don’t remember the amount, but I believe it was something like 300 euros). When I had my appointment, however, the staff at the Questura was so impressed/relieved that we had all of our other documents in order that he ended up looking the other way, but just gave us a stern warning to make sure to read and understand all the rules completely next time.
So, unfortunately, I can’t really give you a firm answer about what will happen, and you can’t really know until you get to your appointment. But since you have everything else, they may be lenient with you as long as you are apologetic and respectful.
Best of luck! Let me know how it goes if you can!
Thanks a lot for your answer!
Thank you so much for this information, Jessica! A quick question – did you work with lawyers to go through this process, or did you do it yourself? I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth the cost…
Also, could you tell me a bit more about what was involved in getting the required documents at the Comune (e,g, Certificate of residency of your spouse and Declaration of Hospitality)? Did you have to make an appointment, or just go to the Comune and they print the documents?
Thank you so much for your help!
I’m glad you found this post helpful!
I would say it is not worth the cost to go through a lawyer, as this is something that you can do on your own with just a bit of effort.
I don’t believe an appointment was needed when we got those documents from the Comune, but it’s always a good idea to call them and check if you’re not sure, as every Comune has different rules and policies.
Hi ! And thank you so much for so many great info!
I will be marrying my Italian future husband in Italy but we live in the UK! And there’s where we will be living!
I wonder how the process goes then?
I wonder if I still can get the Carta ?
Thank you!
Hi Andrea! Thank you for checking out the blog!
As this is a site focused on the requirements for Americans living in Italy, I can’t really comment on what the procedure would be for a UK citizen living in the UK. But I would assume that, if you are not living in Italy, you won’t need a carta di soggiorno, as it is a permit to stay in Italy, specifically. If neither you nor your husband is an Italian resident, you don’t need the carta (and can’t get one). I think in your case, it would be your husband who needs to get a visa or permit to live in the UK if he doesn’t have one already, not the other way around.
Hi Jessica – thank you so much for this VERY, VERY helpful information.
My husband and I are US citizens, and I have had my Italian citizenship recognized through jure sanguinis. We want to live full-time in Italy and would like to get a Carta di Soggiorno for my husband so that he doesn’t need to worry about the 90-day rule. The two of us already jointly own a home in the comune in which I am registered as a resident (we also jointly own an apartment in Bologna), and we have all the backup documentation necessary for the Carta (including the registration of our apostilled marriage certificate in the comune in which I am a resident, and proof of availability of funds). That said, we are utterly confounded by Modulo 2 of Mod. 209. Does my husband need to actually compile Modulo 2? It doesn’t seem applicable to someone whose funds do not come from employment in Italy….
Hi Nikki,
Thanks for reaching out! I’m glad you have been finding the blog helpful.
I actually filled out Mod. 210 instead of Mod. 209 when I applied for my Carta di Soggiorno, so the process was a bit different for me. I would recommend contacting the comune where your husband will be applying to be 100% sure about what they need, especially since each comune/region seems to do things differently.
Hi Jessica,
Thanks again for your help. Two more quick questions:
1) What was the process of getting a Declaration of Hospitality? Do you know if my husband can get it for me at the Commune, or if I need to be there too?
2) While awaiting the Carta Di Soggiorno, do you know if I can leave the EU and re-enter?
Thank you!
Hi!
Your husband should be able to get the Declaration of Hospitality by going to the Comune. You shouldn’t need to be there (although every comune has their own rules). I didn’t need to be there when my husband got mine!
If you have the receipt of the carta di soggiorno appointment, you can go back and forth from Italy to your home country, but other than that you can’t travel outside of the EU without issues.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thank you so much, Jessica!