Healthcare in Italy for Americans: how to register with the ASL and get your health card

How it fits together

• SSN: the national health service, Italy's public system.
• ASL: the local health authority, where you usually enrol.
• Tessera sanitaria: the health card linked to the service, once you are registered.
• Family doctor (medico di base): your first contact for most care once you are enrolled.

Public enrolment and private insurance

Whether you can enrol in public healthcare, and when, depends on your status. Until you are enrolled, private health insurance is commonly required, and non-EU nationals generally need a valid policy for visa and permit purposes. Ask the ASL what applies to your situation instead of relying on general advice.

What you usually need first

• A Codice Fiscale.
• Often your residenza, although it depends on your case.
• Your passport and permit paperwork.
• Your private insurance policy, to bridge the gap.

Step by step

1. Find the ASL that covers your address and check how it takes appointments.
2. Ask what your status allows and which documents you must bring.
3. Enrol, then ask how to choose or change a family doctor.
4. Ask when your tessera sanitaria will arrive and where it will be sent. It is usually mailed to your address of record.
5. Keep using your private insurance until you are confirmed as enrolled.

Organise your medical records

• A short medical summary, especially for chronic conditions.
• Records of major treatments and key test results or scans.
• Dental records and recent X-rays; dentistry is often private in Italy.
• Prescriptions: bring copies, the generic names, a letter from your doctor and a few months' supply.
• Vaccination records, particularly for children.

Emergencies

In an emergency, 112 is the general emergency number in Italy. Save it, and the address of your nearest hospital, in your phone.

Questions to ask the ASL

• Am I eligible to enrol with my status?
• What do I use for care until I am enrolled?
• Which documents do you need to enrol me?
• When will the card arrive, and to which address?
• How do I choose or change a family doctor?

What comes next

Healthcare enrolment often follows residenza. See the full order in our first 30 days.