10 short answers to questions from relocation chats about Italy. Compiled from community experience and our own articles: figures and fees change, so verify the current details on official sites. This is not legal advice.
Updated: 2026-10-02
Per the community yes: for motives with mandatory SSN enrollment (including lavoro autonomo) the ricevuta is enough - many got coverage at the ASL the day after mailing the kit. If a clerk demands residenza or the plastic card, another counter, another ASL office or a reference to article 34 of the immigration law helps.
Per the community the temporary tessera (an A4 sheet) is issued at the ASL immediately on enrollment, while the plastic card is printed and mailed by the Agenzia delle Entrate - usually within two weeks, 15-20 days per some reports. The ASL does not print the plastic, so pushing them is pointless. If the card has not arrived in a month, check the delivery address.
For the D visa the community guideline is coverage of at least 30,000 euro valid across Italy, including outpatient care and hospitalization, for the whole requested period. Cheap policies at 150-350 euro cover practically only emergencies. After filing the kit many motives qualify for free SSN enrollment - then the private policy becomes a backup.
Under the law (art. 34 of the consolidated immigration law as amended by law 213/2023) the adult contribution is a percentage of the total income of the previous year, but no less than 2,000 euro per year. The minimum is 700 euro for students and 1,200 for au pairs. For motives with mandatory enrollment (employment, self-employment, family) the tessera is free. Verify current amounts with your ASL.
You pick a medico di base at the ASL desk or online in the regional portal - it is free; the doctor sees you, writes prescriptions and referrals to specialists. You can switch doctors at any moment via the scelta e revoca procedure, no explanation needed. Children are assigned to a separate pediatrician at the same ASL.
The medical ambulance (ambulanza) is 118; the single emergency number is 112, with 113 (police) and 115 (fire) also active. All numbers are free and 24/7, reachable even without an Italian SIM. Per the community, in a genuine emergency the pronto soccorso will treat you even without a tessera sanitaria.
Per the community, in a real emergency the pronto soccorso will admit and treat you free even without the card. For those without a permit yet there is the STP code (straniero temporaneamente presente) - a temporary medical document from the ASL or hospital, valid about six months and renewable. This is not legal advice.
Per the community a Russian brand name means nothing in an Italian pharmacy - search by the active ingredient (principio attivo), and the pharmacist will match a local equivalent. Some drugs are prescription-only (ricetta) from a doctor, and dosages and forms may differ - confirm the regimen with a doctor.
After regional reforms the single "ASL" did not survive everywhere: in Lazio, Piedmont, Campania, Liguria and Apulia it is the ASL, in Lombardy the ATS runs the territory and the ASST the hospitals, in Veneto it is the ULSS (now AULSS), in Emilia-Romagna the AUSL, in Tuscany the USL, and in Sicily and Calabria the ASP. The function is one: SSN enrolment and a family doctor. See the catalog for the region-by-region map.
Per the community the free obligatory enrolment (iscrizione obbligatoria) is due to employees, to people on lavoro autonomo and to their family members via reunification. Students and residenza-elettiva holders usually take the paid voluntary route (iscrizione volontaria, a yearly fee of around a couple of thousand euro) or private insurance. You can enrol on the ricevuta. The type is tied to the permesso motivo - verify current data.
This theme also has 3 community questions from the chats, answered by members: Community questions: Healthcare
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