Health insurance card for foreigners
Foreign nationals who wish to apply for a health-card must first register with the National Health Service (SSN).
Registration with the National Health Service
Registration with the National Health Service is normally valid for the same period as the residence permit. After the period of validity has expired, the citizen who has obtained an extension of his/her residence permit must contact the competent ASL.
In order to register the citizen in the National Health Service, the ASL can also use the provisional tax code assigned by the Agenzia delle Entrate (also following requests from the Ministry of the Interior (SUI/Questura, procedure for emersion from irregular work).
If two or more persons with the same personal data generate the same tax code, the ASL requests the foreign citizen to contact the offices of the Agenzia delle Entrate to be assigned the final tax code assigned.
The tax code requested by citizens and issued by the Agenzia delle Entrate within the first 90 days of their stay in Italy is valid even after this period, as it is no linked to the residence permit. This tax code can also be used for registration with the National Health Service.
Foreign citizens legally residing in Italy who do not belong to the categories mentioned in the box "Registering with the SSN", who have a residence permit for a period of more than three months (and who are not obliged to register with the National Health Service), can still register voluntarily with the National Health Service by paying an annual lump-sum contribution (for more information, see: How to do voluntary registration at SSN).
For more information, please visit “Health assistance for foreigners ” on the Ministry of Health website.
CITIZENS PENDING REGULARISATION
Citizens pending for regularisation can be enrolled in the National Health Service with a temporary numerical tax code (usually issued by the Sportello Unico dell'Immigrazione or the Questura), by presenting the ASL receipt for the regularisation application to the ASL.
In this case, the Health Card will not be sent automatically, but only a replacement certificate, containing the Health Card identification number, which can only be issued by the ASL.
If the foreign citizen for whom regularisation has been requested does not know the tax code assigned to him/her, the ASLs have a procedure to retrieve it by entering the citizen's complete personal data.
However, a foreign citizen who does not comply with the rules for entry and stay in Italy is entitled to urgent or necessary outpatient and inpatient treatment, even if it is ongoing, and to treatment for illness and accident in public or private affiliated institutions. For this purpose, he/she must apply to the ASL for a card called 'STP' (Straniero Temporaneamente Presente –Temporarily Present Foreigner), which is valid for six months and can be renewed.
For more information on health care for foreign citizens, see a section on the Ministry of Health website with answers to frequently asked questions.
Issuance and validity of the health card for everyone
Upon enrolment in the National Health Service, the ASL (local health authority) applies for the issuance of the health card and electronically transfers the citizen’s data to the health card system.
The card is valid for the same period as the residence permit and is sent to the applicant's tax domicile registered in the Agenzia delle Entrate database.
If the citizen has changed domicile, he/she must notify his/her new domicile before reporting to the ASL for registration with the National Health Service.
