Teresa Giudice Helping Husband Joe Get Italian Passport to See Kids

Teresa Giudice is telling the Italian government she trusts her husband, Joe, is not gonna run off with their kids outside of the homeland -- his or hers -- and that's why she's vouching for him as he tries to get a passport.

The 'Real Housewives' star hit up the Italian Consulate in NYC Tuesday to sign off on some paperwork that would allow Joe to get an Italian passport. Joe wants to get the passport so he can travel to countries closer to the U.S. where his kids can more easily visit him. The one place Joe can't come -- the U.S. of A.

Of course ... Joe was deported from America back to his native country of Italy -- and he's not allowed back for the time being.

Joe has applied for a passport in Italy and Teresa has to agree before he gets one. The reason -- the Italian government wants to make sure Teresa has no issues that Joe might take the kids to Cuba or some other place and not return the children. She has no fear of that.

We're told Teresa is planning to take the brood to see Joe in Italy in the next week. She's working hard to make sure her kids have a relationship with their dad, even if he can't come back to America.