International students can choose among different options of 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 112 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, orthopedics, 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.
Upon arrival requirements for students domicilied in Milan and Lodi Provinces
Upon arrival in Italy, travellers resident/domiciled in Milano and Lodi provinces that come only from countries of the lists “D”,“E”, from United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are required to register themselves. Visit this page for further details.
EU/EEA and Switzerland citizens
You can directly access the Italian National Health Service (SSN) without paying any subscription only for the first three months. If you are staying in Italy for more than 3 months the European Health insurance card entitles you to benefit of medically necessary health treatments but for a complete health coverage you should obtain the S1 form in your country (see below). To find the general practitioner closest to your home check this link and follow the indication reported in this video.
More info about the European Health Insurance Card.
You can register with the SSN free of charge visiting one of the ATS (local health offices). If you are living in Milano city you can refer to one of the following offices: select “assistenza sanitaria”, then “assistenza sanitaria stranieri”; click on the office closest to your address and check the opening time.
To register, take the following documents with you:
- self-certificate of enrollment at Politecnico di Milano (downloadable from the Online Services)
- "codice fiscale"
- copy of your passport/ID card
- S1 form (issued by the health authority in the EU country where you are entitled to healthcare)
You should also communicate the name of the general practitioner of your choice. To find the general practitioner closest to your home, check this link and follow the indication reported in this video.
You can purchase a private health insurance of your choice or you can voluntarily register with the SSN upon payment of a subscription fee following the same procedure as Non EU citizens, as described below (please note that you don’t need to apply for the residence permit and therefore you don’t need to submit it when registering with the SSN).
If you transfer your residence to Italy you are entitled to access the SSN for free. Otherwise, you can benefit of the SSN services only for 90 days and have to choose another health insurance option (but you are not allowed to register with the SSN upon payment of a subscription).
Non-EU citizens
Please note that for non-EU students it is compulsory to hold a health insurance (or a health insurance payment receipt) in order to apply for the residence permit. The residence permit will have the same validity in time of the health insurance and viceversa (the residence permit has a maximum validity of 12 months). Non Eu students can choose among three alternatives to obtain a health coverage.
More info for non-EU citizens
You can decide to purchase a private health insurance in your own country before departure. It is always advisable that the insurance policy is validated by the Italian embassy and translated into Italian or English.
If there is a health assistance agreements between your country and Italy which entitles you to access the Italian National Health Service for free get the agreement documentation from the Italian embassy/consulate and once in Italy submit it to the ATS office closest to you. If you live in Milano city you can refer to one of the following offices: select “assistenza sanitaria”, then “assistenza sanitaria stranieri”; click on the office closest to your address and check the opening time.
This insurance is valid one calendar year (1st January - 31st December). Students enrolling in September should purchase first a private health insurance which is valid for the same length of time as the residence permit they need (maximum 12 months), they can subscribe to the SSN later on. In order to register with the SSN, go to any post office, fill in a blank payment form with the following data and pay the amount of 700,00 €:
c/c postale n.: 379222 - Intestato a: Amministrazione P.T. Regione Lombardia - Causale: iscrizione volontaria S.s.n
IMPORTANT: Piacenza campus students who live in Piacenza (Emilia Romagna region) must fill in the following information:
The payment of voluntary contribution can be made exclusively by payment notice “PagoPA”, issued only by territorial offices of Azienda USL di Piacenza.
Students who are willing to register with the National Healthcare Service for calendar year 2021 ( and following years)must contact Azienda USL Piacenza’s territorial offices (Sportello Unico) , and ask for the issue of a “PagoPA” payment notice.
Payments could be made directly at CUP Offices of AUSL Piacenza, Piazzale Milano 2 - using “PagoPA” as the only payment system.
If the payment will be made directly at our offices or at a pharmacy no additional amount will be charged, which instead could be due using other means of payment.
Amounts to be paid won’t changeas will not the validity period of the insurance, with expiry date confirmed at the end of the year (31stDecember). Hereby enclosed you can find an information sheet which indicates the payment methods and a fac-simile of the payment notice “PagoPA”.
Registration by National Health Service (SSN), although not compulsory, is warmly suggested because it entitles the student to the same treatment guaranteed to people officially resident in Italy, on all the national territory, including the direct choice of a doctor (general practitioner).
With the occasion, let us remind the students who will undergo renewal of their permit of stay, thatthey could pay the annual feewhich allows registration with National Health Service (SSN) for next year, only if they already had payed the annual fee for the current year. It won’t be possibleinsteadto pay in advance for those students who want to be covered only by their private health insurance policy during the year of payment. Who decides not to pay the fee for the current year must wait to make the payment the following year. Any undue payments, for this reason, will be refunded.
Therefore the student holding only a private policy insurance for the year “X” could get her/his SSN healthcare card for the year “X+1”, only and exclusively by paying the annual fee also for the previous year “X”.
Finally we would remind all students that, for any further information, they can get in touch with our International Mobility Office located in Piacenza - Piazzale Milano 2
Phone 0523-317518. E-mail address: ufficioestero@ausl.pc.it.
Once you have carried out the payment, you can use the payment receipt to apply for the residence permit.
After applying for the residence permit, you have to go to the ATS (local health office) of your city area. If you live in Milano city you can refer to one of the following offices: select “assistenza sanitaria”, then “assistenza sanitaria stranieri”; click on the office closest to your address and check the opening time.
What you need to take with you:
- self-certificate of enrolment at Politecnico di Milano (downloadable from the Online Services)
- residence permit application receipt
- "codice fiscale"
- copy of your passport
- receipt of the payment for the SSN subscription
You will receive at first a temporary health coverage lasting 6 months, once you get the residence permit card submit it to the ATS office to get the health coverage valid until 31st December.
You can also purchase a private health insurance upon arrival. At the time being, the most convenient private health insurance for international students is provided by W.A.I (Welcome Association Italy). It cost 120 € for 12 months' assistance and 71 € for 6 months' assistance (from the day of purchase) for non-EU citizens. EU citizens younger than 40 years old have to pay 202 € for 12 months and 142 € for 6 months. It covers emergencies (that means that expenses are covered only if you are admitted to hospital by ambulance or through the emergency room), but it also provides a few extra services for 3 times a year each. For detailed information about the policy services, conditions and payment check carefully the website www.waitaly.net. Please note that for non-EU citizens the policy will be valid only after applying for the residence permit.