Banner-statico_2537x320.jpg

Health assistance

Information about healthcare and assistance for international students

Introduction

International students can choose among different options for health insurance. Please check the options listed below and choose the one that fits you best according to your nationality and needs.

In case you are in an emergency situation you can dial 118 to call an ambulance or directly go to the Pronto Soccorso (Emergency room) of the closest hospital.

Registering with the SSN is warmly suggested because it entitles you to the same treatment as Italian citizens. This includes: choice of a general practitioner, who can visit you free of charge, and who will refer you to specialists (dentists, orthopaedics, etc.); admission to public or certified private hospitals free of charge; doctor on duty-continuous assistance service (guardia medica) free of charge; lower fees for tests (blood tests, radiological tests, etc.); medical fees exemption for chronic diseases.

Please note that registration with the SSN is valid for one calendar year, from 1st January until 31st December. Under certain circumstances described below EU/EEA and Switzerland citizens can access to the SSN for free.

If you are a EU/EEA citizen

If you reside officially in Italy for at least 5 years

If you have resided officially in Italy for at least 5 years, submit your application to their Municipality of residence for an "Attestato di Soggiorno Permanente" (Certificate of Permanent Residence) which entitles you to register with the National Health Service (SSN) and with a General Practitioner (GP) for an indefinite period. Please read the specific paragraph within this page to learn how to register with the NHS and GP.

If you hold a E106/E109/S1 form 

If you hold a E106/E109 /S1 form issued in your home country, you can register with the SSN and with a GP for the length of time indicated in the form. Please read the specific paragraph within this page to learn how to register with the NHS and GP.

If you hold a TEAM card

If you are not entitled to register with a GP but you hold a validEuropean health insurance card (TEAM) issued in your home country, you are entitled to any necessary healthcare, such as occasional visits to a GP or Specialist Clinical services.

In any other cases

If you do not have the above-mentioned entitlements, you can subscribe a private health insurance for the duration of the study programme, covering all risks, which does not include registration with the SSN or with a GP. For information, read the following paragraphs.

Alternatively, students may apply for voluntary registration with the National Health Service, providing a self-certification of their student status. Please read the specific paragraph within this page to learn how to register with the NHS and GP.

If you are a non-EU citizen

The immigration law requires you to hold health insurance during your stay in Italy, which must be submitted to apply for the residence permit.
Below you can find a list of possible options.

Private insurance in your country

If you hold private insurance in your country, keep in mind that it satisfies the following requirements:

  • it must be linked to the holder’s name (in Western characters)
  • it must be written in Italian (or in English, French, Spanish)
  • it must be valid within the Schengen Area/Italy
  • it must state the exact coverage period (it must be not less than 6 months and a maximum of 1 year; notice that the duration of the residence permit will be connected to the duration of the insurance)
  • it must specify the type of coverage for the medical expenses and it must have a € 30.000 ceiling (expressed/converted in Euros) 

Moreover, the whole document has to be endorsed and stamped by the Italian Embassy/Consulate in your country.

Private insurance in Italy

Upon your arrival in Italy, you can subscribe a private insurance with any Italian insurance company. The insurance policy must cover urgent medical assistance (surgery and accidents) in the Emergency Room (Pronto Soccorso) of any hospital.

Among the private insurance solutions widely chosen by students, there are:

Important!
- The University of Macerata does not have any agreement with any insurance company, including the above mentioned.
- The insurance policy must cover urgent medical assistance (surgery and accidents) in the Emergency Room (Pronto Soccorso) of any hospital. 
- Private health insurance policies usually require the student first to pay for all the expenses and later to ask for reimbursement from the insurance company. When you purchase a policy, please read carefully the terms and conditions sheet, particularly, how to obtain the refund and the limits applied to reimbursement. Be aware that medical services cost to be paid may be high, in case you need hospitalisation for instance. 

Registering with the Italian National Health Service

Registering with the Italian National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale - S.S.N.) gives access to free visits at a general practitioner of choice, and reduced fees for prescription medicines and specialized visits. Non-EU students can register with NHS after applying for a residence permit in Italy. Registration with the NHS is not compulsory but strongly recommended. 

Upon your arrival, you can register with the Italian National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale - S.S.N.) by applying to the Local Health Authorities (Aziende Sanitarie Locali - ASL -, Distretto Sanitario Locale).

The public coverage provided by the National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale) provides full health assistance - including the possibility to choose a family doctor. In the Italian health system, the family doctor gives general or 1st level health assistance, i.e., health care outside the hospital, hence including medical treatment in case of ordinary diseases or no-emergency health problems, and prescribes medicines and tests. 

The registration with the NHS covers the calendar year – from January 1st to December 31st. Regardless of the registration date, the registration fee remains the same: starting from January 2024, the price for students is € 700,00 per year. The payment is valid for a calendar year, that is until the 31st of December of the year when the payment has been made; it is not possible to pay reduced quotas for shorter periods nor to ask for reimbursements.
Further information: AST MARCHE

How to register: 

  1. Make sure to have applied for the residence permit (for extra-EU citizens).
  2. Pay the registration fee at any Post office by filling in the F24 form (MODELLO F24). Be sure to type the following details when filling in the F24 form:
    Cod. Tributo: 8846
    Cod. Regione: 11
    Motivo del pagamento: ISCRIZIONE SSN – REGIONE MARCHE
    Payment alone does not imply activation of the coverage! You must complete the registration, please keep on reading below.
  3. Go to the A.S.T. office in the area where you live (A.S.T. are the local administrative and operative facilities of the National Health Service) and apply for the registration, bringing along: your passport, the residence permit receipt (extra-EU citizens), the slip receipt for MODELLO F24. In Macerata, the nearest office is the Distretto Sanitario, based in Padiglione Mingazzini, address: Belvedere Raffaello Sanzio, 1, opening hours here.
  4. Choose a General practitioner/family doctor (Medico di base/Medico di famiglia) from the list provided at the AUSL office to activate your health coverage and complete the registration with the SSN. Notice: it is advisable, when choosing a doctor, to consider the location of the clinic by checking the address within the given options. Also, finding an English-speaker doctor is not that easy and this detail is not given within the list as mentioned above. If you are unhappy with your choice, you can always change your doctor by going to the AUSL and requesting another one. 
  5. Keep the receipt you receive after completing the registration: it is the proof of registration with the SSN until you receive your Tessera Sanitaria, which will be delivered by mail to the address provided. 

  6. Bring your registration documents to the General Practitioner/Family Doctor you picked, so that he/she can register you as an official patient. Notice: each General Practitioner/Family Doctor is part of a small clinic with its business hours and way of doing business. Make sure to take note of the doctor’s office hours and phone number, in case you need to ask for a house call (when you are too sick to go to the clinic).

Note: if you hold a document proving the right to health assistance based on treaties and bilateral agreements signed by Italy and one’s own Country, which has been issued by the Italian Embassy/Consulate in your Country, show this document to make use of the health services stated in the agreement. For more information, it is necessary to apply to the A.S.L. in the area of residence.

If you need an ambulance or paramedic out of surgery hours (usually after 8 pm, in the early hours of the morning or at weekends), you can call the Guardia Medica on + 39 0733 231378 or go directly to the outpatients in Via Santa Lucia 2, a few metres away from Macerata hospital. For emergencies and to call an ambulance the free phone number is 118.

Useful sources

Ultimo aggiornamento  2025/03/19 11:41:31 GMT+2