European Commission - Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion: How to use the card (2024)

Emergency

• Call the freenational number118

Treatment, coverage & costs

Doctors

• You can use yourvalidEuropean Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if the doctor you are visiting belongs to theNational Health Service(Servizio Sanitario Nazionale – SSN) or has an agreement with it ('accreditamento').
• Private practictionersdo not have to acceptthe EHIC.
• General practitioner clinics are openMonday to Friday. Surgery hours vary, but are usually in the morning and the afternoon. Except in the case of emergencies, they are not open on weekends.
• Evenfor emergency and critical care, treatments received are partially paid by the patient(it is the individual share that is called ticket).
• Fees charged for medical services are not reimbursed in Italy. When you get home, you may be able to make a claim for reimbursem*nt with thehealth insurance fund/servicethat issued the EHIC.

Dentists

• Dentists in Italy are private practictioners who do not have to accept the EHIC, so you need topay the full amount billed.
• In exceptional and urgent circ*mstances, or in clinics inside SSN hospitals providing urgent dental treatment, you can have access to dental care with your EHIC. Nevertheless, you will need to cover some of the costs of treatment.

Hospital treatment

• Before leaving home, check with your health insurance fund/service that issued your EHIC if you are entitled to treatment during your stay in Italy. Ideally, you should get a written confirmation from them.
• Ask the local health authority ('Azienda sanitaria locale' or 'ASL') for a list of hospitals that belong to the SSN or have an agreement with it.
• Show a valid EHICat the hospital and determine before the end of your stay that they have accepted your EHIC

Prescriptions

• You can buy some medicineswithout a prescription- ask the pharmacist. In this case, the EHIC is not needed.
• For some prescriptions, you only need to pay part of the prescription charge, while others must be paid in full. In any case, you will have to pay upfront even if you show your EHIC. If in doubt, ask pharmacist.
• Always show your EHICwhen asking for aprescription from a doctorwho belongs to the SSN or who has an agreement with it. Also,show it to the pharmacistwhen buying prescription-only medicines.
• The full price should be paid for most prescribed medicines even if you show your EHIC. You may be reimbursed by your competent institution when you back to your country.
• Prescription charges are not reimbursed in Italy. Ask yourhealth insurance fund/serviceabout reimbursem*nt when you get home.
• Over-the-counter medicines – those sold without a prescription – arenot reimbursed.

Ambulance

• Freein an emergency if the ambulance belongs to the SSN or healthcare services that have an agreement with it.
• Fornon-emergencypatient transport, you may have topay some or all of the costs.
• Ambulance chargesare not reimbursedin Italy. When you get home, ask thehealth insurance fund/servicethat issued your EHIC about reimbursem*nt.

Air ambulance

• Freein an emergency if the ambulance belongs to SSN or healthcare services that have an agreement with it.
• Fornon-emergencypatient transport, you may have topay all costs.
• Ambulance chargesarenot reimbursedin Italy. When you get home, ask thehealth insurance fund/servicethat issued your EHIC about reimbursem*nt.

Reimbursem*nt

• No fees are reimbursed in Italy.
• Whenever you have to pay a fee (which is called theticket) you are not entitled to any reimbursem*nt of the ticket at all.
• If you have to payfor healthcare,ask your health insurance fund/servicewhen you get home about reimbursem*nt.

Patient contribution

• You may have to pay a contribution/individual share (calledticket) for medicine (ask the pharmacist).
• For non-emergency visits from a medical practitioner (calledvisita occasionale) a fee will be charged.
• Fees dependon thetype of treatmentand theregion where you are staying.
• You may be charged foremergency careif you arenot admitted to a hospital. Ask the nearest local health authority for more information.

Dialysis, oxygen & chemotherapy

Check availabilityseveral weeks before you travel in order to ensure you receive adequate treatment and know the costs.Contact the nearest local health authority in the area where you will be staying.

How do I apply for an EHIC?

• By ordinary the EHIC is not issued on demand but automatically provided that the person meets the legal requirement of registration. For those not (entitled to be) registered in the Italian healthcare system (SSN), the EHIC isnot issued.
• People staying temporarily in Italy should ask their competent institution for an EHIC before coming in temporary stay in Italy.
• It isautomatically issuedto those who are entitled to it (provided that they are entitled to and are really residing in Italy).
• You are entitled to an EHICif you have previously been registered in one of the local authorities (ASL) of the National Health System.

Doctors & hospitals accepting the EHIC

Please contact the local health authorities for more information.

Loss of card

In case of theft or loss of EHIC holders are advised to contact their competent institutions at home and are obliged to denounce these circ*mstances to the Police of the place of their stay in Italy in order to prevent that others may fraudulently make use of it.

• If your card islost or stolen, report it immediately to the police.
• You should also ask your competent institution that issued the EHIC atemporary replacement certificate that should be shown in Italy for access to the healthcare services indicated above.
• In an emergency, this certificate can be faxed or emailedto the nearest Italian local health authority or hospital.