The National Health Insurance (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale – SSN) allows you to access all the benefits of the public service, which include (some of them may require the payment of a fee, the so-called “ticket”):

• General Practitioner or paediatrician
• Hospital recovery at the public hospitals
• Pharmaceutical aid
• General medical examination in clinics
• Specialised medical examination

In case of emergency
Even if you do not have any insurance, be it public or private, you can go to the first aid station of the closest hospital, but please consider that you will have to pay yourself for the fees which are not covered by insurances. 
We strongly recommend applying for health insurance covering the whole duration of your stay in Italy.

In case of non-emergency health issues
If you are registered to the National Health Insurance you can refer to your personal general practitioner that you will choose after the application procedure.
If you are not registered to the National Health Insurance (i.e. you have private insurance) you should refer to the closest hospital or to a private health clinic and contact your private insurance for financial coverage.

Who can apply
If you are a NON-EU citizen studying in Italy, you can apply for Italian national insurance by paying a fixed yearly amount.
If you are an EU citizen, your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) is valid in Italy, but you can use it for emergencies only. If you want to be fully covered, please follow these indications. Please be informed that, if you are an EU citizen and you wish to enrol to the Italian national insurance, you must temporarily renounce the national insurance in your country and move your residency to Italy.
If you live in another Italian region (not Veneto) you must apply in another region.

Application procedure and duration
Students must apply for Voluntary Registration (iscrizione volontaria).
Please, notice that the registration is valid for a calendar year (from January to December) and the fee amount does not change.
Example: you arrive in Italy in September 2025, you can pay the yearly fixed amount (€700,00) and be covered until December 31st 2025. Before January 1st, 2026, you must renew the insurance by paying again the same yearly fixed amount (€700,00): you will thus be covered until December 31st 2026.