The ecclesiastical legislator grants religious institutes a just autonomy in the implementation of their mission, but this autonomy is not unlimited. This article explains the essence of the said autonomy of religious institutes – both under papal law and diocesan institutes – while at the same time indicating and discussing their dependence on the Holy See. This interconnectedness finds materialisation in such areas as the approval of religious authorities, changes to constitutions and statutes, issues concerning the management of goods or formation in the broadest sense. In the analysis of this research problem, it is necessary to take into account ecclesiological, juridical and teleological issues of the dependence of religious institutes on the Holy See.