The insurance coverage for health services or hospitalization is required to get the VISA and for the residence permit application. You can subscribe to the Italian National Health System (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale - SSN).

According to Italian Law are also accepted:

• consular declaration which demonstrates the right for health care cover due to an Agreement between Italy and the Country of origin;
• foreign insurance policy, whose cover must be valid in Italy, and which should not include limitations or exceptions to the tariffs established for urgent hospital admittance for the length of the cover;
• insurance policy with Authorities or national companies accompanied by a declaration from the insuring entity that specifies the absence of limitations or exceptions to the tariffs established for urgent hospital admittance for the length of the cover.

National Health System 

The National Health System (SSN) provides:

• hospitalisation and treatment
• right to choose your General Practicioner - or Family Doctor
• basic and specialist medical care at a discounted price
• ambulance service and other free services provided by the local healthcare authority
• Italian Health Card

The Italian Law recognises the right to health as a fundamental human right. Legal foreign residents are fully entitled to the same treatment and civil rights as Italian citizens, if registered with the National Health Service.

How to register with the SSN

The registration cost for the current year is 700€ and is valid until the 31st of December of each year regardless of the registration date. Itmeansthatifyouregister in October, the service willexpire on December 31 of the sameyear. The registration fee must be payed with F24 form.

• 1st step: fill out the F24 form

Fill it out with your personal data (tax code, surname, name, Country of birth, date of birth, address in Italy and gender).

• CODICE TRIBUTO (type of payment): 8846
• CODICE REGIONE (Region number). 17
• ANNO DI RIFERIMENTO (reference year): 2024

Please, find the guide on how to fill out the Modello F24 at the bottom of this webpage.

• 2nd step: pay the F24 payment form

  at any bank, post office or at the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate).

• 3rd step: choose your general practitioner (family doctor)

Here you can find the list of doctors available in Pisa. Just select "Medici di medicina generale" and in the section "Comuni", choose Pisa. Fill out Modello 1 and Modello 6: you can download them at the bottom of this webpage.

• Last step: send an e-mail to Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. to complete the registration and to get the Health Card (Tessera Sanitaria).

The subject of the e-mail should be: “Your name and surname + Richiesta medico di base studente internazionale Unipi” attaching the following documents:

• Passport
• Visa
• Receipt of the payment of Modello F24 (year 2024)
• Italian tax code
• Receipts of the residence permit application 
• “Modello 1” and “Modello 6” filled out and signed. 

Please note: the registration to the Italian National Health Service ensures that foreigners receive an equal treatment and full equality regarding rights and duties compared to Italian citizens with regard to health care provided in Italy. Should you be in a situation in which you need health assistance or/and emergency care either provided by public or private health staff (contracted by the SSN) and you do not have the Italian health card (or its provisional replacement certificate), you will need to pay for all the medical expenses.

Guardia Medica

Your general practicioner has work hours. This means that you cannot see him/her everytime you want to but only during their working hours. What happens when you are not feeling well and your doctor is not available? For example, when one feels sick during the night or on weekends? At this point, you should call or visit the Guardia Medica. It is a doctor that substitutes your general practicioner when he/she is not working - during the night, on weekends and on national holidays. The Guardia Medica should be called for a medication or prescription that is urgent, but not serious enough to go to the emergency department (pronto soccorso). The Guardia Medica is free of charge for those who are registered with the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN).

When you need the Guardia Medica, you just call the phone number or go directly to their office. The Guardia Medica will see you at home if you are not well and cannot move.

Working hours

Monday to Friday: from 8 pm to 8am

National holidays, Saturday and Sunday: from 10am until 8 am of the following business day.

Where

The Guardia Medica is located in via Garibaldi, 198 Pisa, tel. 050 959866 - Web page

Private Health Insurance

As an alternative to registering with the SSN, you can apply/renew your Residence Permit with a private health insurance valid in Italy.

The insurance can be issued by foreign or Italian companies and it must:

• cover you without limitations or exceptions;
• Be registered to you;
• Be valid in Italy for the duration of the study program or mobility.

Please, note that private health policies:

• Do not allow the choice of a general practitioner or the registration with the Italian National Health Service (SSN);
• Usually require the student to pay the expenses in advance and then ask for reimbursement from the insurance company. 

We highly reccommend you to carefully check the conditions and terms before purchasing the policy. Remember that the health costs to be advanced could be very high, for example in the case of hospitalization. In the event of a claim, you should contact the insurance company as soon as possible. Please, note that failure to comply with one of the obligations may result in total or partial loss of insurance compensation.

You can purchase a health insurance from different private companies: compare multiple options to figure out which one is best suited to your needs. Here you can find an example of private insurance that have been recognized by the Police station to apply/renew the Residence Permit:

• WAI - Welcome Association Italy  https://www.waitaly.net/en/

For more information, please read carefully the conditions of the Insurance Policy available here: https://www.waitaly.net/en/pacchetti-welcome/cittadino-extra-ue-richiedente-permesso-di-soggiorno/#copertura.

Emergency number: 112

Call the single European emergency number if you require urgent assistance from:

• the police
• the fire brigade
• medical services

The 112 operator will forward the call to the relevant service depending on the type of emergency.

Calls to the single European emergency number, 112, are free of charge from landlines and mobile networks, even if the phone does not have a SIM card, is blocked or is out of credit.

Emergency Department (Pronto Soccorso) in Pisa

Hospital in Pisa: Ospedale di Cisanello

Address: Via Paradisa, 2 (Pronto Soccorso/Emergency room: Building 31)

Information provided by:

International Relations Office 
International Promotion Unit
Piazza Torricelli, 4 - 56126 Pisa
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