The numbers
Hosting a non-EU guest: tell the police
OfficialWithin 48 hours
Always, whatever the length of the stay, and for relatives too. Hotels and B&Bs do it for their own guests.
How it goes
Find out whether they need a visa
It depends on their passport. The Italian foreign ministry's visa tool, Il visto per l'Italia, asks for nationality, residence and the reason for the trip and lists the visa and documents. For a family visit it is a short-stay Schengen visa for tourism or visiting family, applied for at the Italian consulate or its visa centre in their country.
Write the invitation the consulate asks for
Consulates usually ask for an invitation, a dichiarazione di garanzia e/o alloggio, from the person being visited: you declare that you will host them and, where asked, cover their stay. Each consulate publishes its own form, so use the one from the office where your family will apply, and attach a copy of your permit and your ID.
Book travel health insurance with the visa
A Schengen visa application needs travel medical insurance for the whole stay. The consulate's checklist gives the minimum cover it will accept.
If they sleep at your place, tell the police within 48 hours
Anyone who hosts a non-EU citizen must notify the local police in writing within 48 hours: always, whatever the length of the stay, and for relatives too. The form, the comunicazione di ospitalità, asks for your details, theirs, their passport and the address. Hand it in at the or a police station. Check your for rules on guests while you are at it.
Hosting a non-EU guest: tell the police:Within 48 hoursSay this at the counter
“Devo fare la comunicazione di ospitalità per un familiare.”
I need to file a hosting notification for a relative.
In a hotel or B&B, the host does it
Registered accommodation reports its own guests to the police. If your family stays in one, you have nothing to file.
What actually goes wrong
Collected from students who hit these. This section is the reason to read the page twice.
Forgetting the 48-hour notification
It is a legal obligation on the host, not the guest, and it applies to parents as much as anyone. Fill in the form on the day they arrive.
An invitation that promises what you cannot show
If you declare you will cover the stay, the consulate may ask for proof of your means. Promise only what your bank statements support.
Where this comes from
Reviewed every 180 days. Something changed? Tell us.