EU Students
In order to benefit from the Italian National Health Service (SSN), students who are citizens of the European Union must hold the new European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), issued in their own country of origin. Registration with the SSN is not compulsory, but is highly recommended because it entitles you to the same treatment as Italian citizens including:
- choice of a general practitioner who can examine you free of charge and refer you to specialists such as dentists, orthopaedists, etc. (to find out the list of physicians affiliated with the SSN, contact the ATS in charge: ph. 02.85781)
- free admission to a certified public or private hospital
- free physician on duty - continuity of care service (medical on-call service)
If you already hold an EHIC, you can access SSN services without having to subscribe and you can choose a general practitioner at the Health Protection Agency (ATS) in your local area.
For details on the European Health Card visit the website of the European Commission.
Non-EU Students
Students from non-EU countriesmust be covered by a health insurance in order to obtain a residence permit. If legally resident in Italy, you can choose between two possible health insurance covers regardless of the length of your stay:
- Public coverage offered by the National Health Service (SSN): provides comprehensive health care - including the possibility of choosing a general practitioner - subject to payment of a fee of €149.77 per calendar year (i.e. until 31 December of the year of payment). In this case, you should contact the ATS (Health Protection Agency) in charge for your area for the necessary bureaucratic formalities. The following documents should be submitted:
- Certification of enrolment in the study programme undertaken at Politecnico di Milano.
- Residence permit.
- Tax code.
- Passport.
- Certificate of residence.
- Receipt of payment to postal account of the fee of €149.77, complete with reason for payment: ‘Iscrizione al S.S.N. anno..., C/C n. 379222’ made out to ‘P.T. REGIONE LOMBARDIA’.
- Private health insurance which, as an alternative to registration with the SSN, shall be in the student's name, cover the risk of illness, accident, maternity and be valid for the entire duration of the study programme or mobility.
In order to purchase health insurance from private companies, we recommend you compare several options to see which one might be best suited to your needs.
Attention! Private health insurance policies do not require registration with the SSN or the choice of a general practitioner and usually require the insured person to pay the costs and then claim reimbursement from the insurance company. We recommend you check in advance whether the type of service you need is reimbursable. Also check carefully the modalities and limits of reimbursements: the healthcare costs to be anticipated may be very high.
If you are covered by a private health insurance, you can go to any general practitioner, but you will have to pay for the examinations to both the general practitioner and the specialist physician, and you can later ask for reimbursement. If you need a specialist examination, you can choose which physician to see directly and, if necessary, seek advice from your general practitioner.
Continuity of Care Service
The task of the continuity of care service (formerly known as ‘medical on-call service’) is to provide assistance and services relating to non-urgent health problems.
The service is available during the hours when GPs' and paediatricians' offices are closed: from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on public holidays (and the day before that), Saturdays and Sundays, and from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. every night.
Telephone number for access to non-emergency medical care: 116117