If you are a student from the European Union (EU), your access to the NHS depends on the length of your studies:

Less than 6 months: 

You can use a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) + valid ID for medically necessary treatment. 

More than 6 months:

• You might be eligible for an S1 form from your home country's health authorities. The S1 form is issued by the competent authority in your country of origin and enables you to temporarily transfer your health coverage in Italy for the period of your stay: start and expiry date are indicated on the form. This way, you will be able to access the Italian Public Healthcare as any other Italian citizen. 

   

• You might voluntarily enroll into the NHS by paying an annual fee. This grants you the same benefits as Italian citizens, including a designed General Practitioner. Coverage is valid for the current calendar year only, regardless of your enrollment date (January 1st - December 31st). You will need to renew your registration and pay the fee annually. The annual fee for students without dependents is €700. 

Important note: The minimum annual contribution for others (Non-Students, Researchers, Students with Dependents) is 7.5% of previous year's income, with a minimum payment of €2,000. 

If you are a student from a non-EU country, you can access the National Healthcare System only by voluntarily enrolling into the NHS. Just like European students, once you pay the €700 fee (valid for one calendar year), you will be assigned a general practitioner (GP) and have access to all the same healthcare benefits as an Italian citizen. Each year, along with renewing your residence permit, you will also need to renew your registration with the national healthcare system. 

N.B. If you decide not to enroll voluntarily in the national health system, we recommend that you choose private insurance that offers more comprehensive care, such as hospitalization and specialist treatment as well as covers basic medical expenses. 

You can can use EHIC during your stay as mentioned above, but as a temporary travel coverage it is not accepted to register as permanent resident in Milano.

EHIC is accepted as proof of healthcare coverage only for the registration as temporary resident with the EHIC.

1. Residence permit card, also known as Permesso di Soggiorno (for non-European students).

    

• If you have it, then have the original and a copy.
• If you do not have it, use the receipt you were given and include your passport with your personal data page and your visa page. 

• If you do not have it at all, click here to have a step-by-step guide on how to get your residence permit card. 

   

2. Valid ID/Passport data page (scan and original).
3. Tax code (card or certificate)
4. Enrollment of university
5. Receipt of contribution payment: You will need to pay the national health system contribution via the F24 form before enrolling into the NHS. To understand how to pay, refer to our FAQ. To understand how to fill in the F24 form, refer to our FAQ.
6. Self-certification of home address in Milano: here is a template for you to use.

Pro-tip: Here is the website to see the general practitioner you can choose from: https://www.ats-milano.it/trova-medico  

We suggest creating a list of three general practitioners with the website. A red dot next to the doctor's name means they have too many patients and will not be able to have more. There is no official way of knowing if the doctors speak English, but usually, the younger they are, the higher the probability that they speak English. 

Disclaimer

• If you are a student with dependents, a Researcher or a PhD student, have a special case or you are an Italian student from abroad, you will have to do the process in-person. 
• If you are a student but want someone to help you fill in the form, you will want to do the process in-person or schedule a call with us to help you. 

Online process:

1. Go to the application platform.

    

2. When you open the platform, click on “PROSEGUI” on the bottom right. 

• If it is your first time enrolling, select “Iscrizione al Servizio Sanitario Regionale - Studenti Stranieri”. 
• If you wish to renew your subscription, select “Rinnovo al Servizio Sanitario Regionale - Studenti Stranieri”.

3. Once you selected the relevant option for you, click on “APRI RICHIESTA”. In this page, you will be asked if you already have a permit of stay/residence permit card.

    

• If you are a non-EU and you have your residence permit card OR a EU student, select "Sì, ho un nuovo permesso di soggiorno per motivi di studio o sono cittadino comunitario”. 
• If you are still waiting for your residence permit card and have your receipt from the post office, select the other option “No, il mio permesso di soggiorno per motivi di studio e scaduto ma ho le ricevute di richiesta rinnovo”.

   

4. Fill in the your personal information. 

    

5. Place your Italian phone number in “Cellulare” and click on “INVIAMI SMS CODICE DI CONFERMA”. You will receive a message on your phone with a code that you are going to put in the following field: “Inserisci Codice di Conferma ricevuto via SMS”.

    

6. In the following part of the form, you will be asked to upload these documents (make a good pdf scan of each, front and back if applicable):

    

• If you have your permit of stay /residence permit card already, please upload a scan of it. If not, you’ll be asked to upload a scan of your passport personal data page and visa.
• A scan of your Tax Code certificate or Tax Code card. 
• Certificate of enrollment into your university.
• The receipt of payment of your contribution.
• Self-certification of your domicile in Milano.

   

7. By clicking on “CLICCA QUI PER CONSULTARE L’ELENCO MEDICI DAL SITO ATS MILANO”, you will be able to see which doctors are available in your area. Choose 3 preferred doctors and place their name and last name in “Inserisci Nome e Cognome del Medico”.

    

8. Accept the privacy policy and click on “INVIA PRATICA” to submit your application.

    

9. You will get a reply via e-mail in days from the Scelta e Revoca office.

    

NB: For people that applied to the process without having their physical residence permit card, the voluntary registration is set as valid for 3 months and can be extended by providing the same documentation (via e-mail) to the Scelta e Revoca office, until obtaining the residence permit for study. Once in possession of the actual residence permit card, you may send to the Scelta e Revoca office a scan of the residence permit and the documentation and have it registered: the deadline for your coverage, then, will be set for 31 December of the current year.  

In person process:  

1. Make an appointment with any Local Health Care Service Center also known as the Scelta e Revoca using this website: Zero Coda.   
    

• Click on “Cosa vuoi prenotare” and select “Scelta/Revoca/Cambio del medico”. 
• Click on “Dove” and write Milano. 
• Now you can choose the most convenient date for you. You can filter the results either by proximity or by earliest availability. 

• Finally, fill in your email, and your Italian phone number to receive your booking confirmation.  

   

2. Head to the Scelta e Revoca appointment with all the documents (see the above paragraph). An officer will assist you in choosing a local general practitioner in your area. 

    

3. As a result of the registration process, the officer will give you a paper document which must be shown as a health card at the time to request any health service.  

4. A plastic health card - not valid for outside Italy - will arrive via private ordinary mail one month later  

NB: For people that applied to the process without having their physical residence permit card, the voluntary registration is set as valid for 3 months and can be extended by providing the same documentation (via e-mail) to the Scelta e Revoca office, until obtaining the residence permit for study. Once in possession of the actual residence permit, you may send to the Scelta e Revoca office a scan of the residence permit and the documentation and have it registered: the deadline for your coverage, then, will be set for 31 December of the current year.  

1. What if I am an Italian from abroad, how can I enroll in the NHS?

    

If you are an Italian citizen and register your residency in Milano, you will be enrolled mandatorily (with full coverage and you do not have to pay contribution) to the NHS. Use the application platform and select Prima iscrizione al servizio sanitario regional, click on Apri richiesta, select Cittadinanza Italiana, Maggiorenne, Residente. Click on Apri richiesta, fill out your personal details, attach a clear pdf scan of your ID, Tax code, application receipt, certificate or self-certification of residence and a shortlist of 3 general practitioners. 

If you are an Italian citizen living abroad and if you do not wish to register your residence in Milano, you can enroll voluntarily.  

If you are Italian citizen living abroad in a state with a bilateral agreement and you do not wish to register your residence in Milano, you will make use of the bilateral agreement according to its regulations. 

If you are an Italian citizen living abroad in an EU country and if you do not wish to register your residence in Milano, but you have S1 form, you can register with Ufficio Estero. 

2. What happens after I graduate?

    

You will get free membership with in attesa occupazione + DID or voluntary membership based on income. 

If you graduate and apply for/get the residence permit in attesa occupazione with DID (Declaration of availability to work), you will be enrolled mandatorily (with full coverage and you do not have to pay contribution) to the NHS for one year. 

In all other cases, if you are no longer a student, e.g., you are in a research position which does not pay IRPEF contributions and it is not exempt by law, you are entitled to voluntary registration. In this case the contribution is calculated on the previous year's income (7.50% with minimum of 2000€). As for students, voluntary registration, regardless of when it is activated, lasts until 31/12 of the year. You will need to make an appointment in-person at the Ufficio Scelta e Revoca competent for your area closer to you. They will assess your situation and tell you how to proceed with your registration. 

3. How do I pay the fee for the NHS?

To pay for the fee to receive the National Health Service of Italy, you need to see where your case falls. If you are a student, your fee is 700.00 euros. If you are working as an au pair, your fee is 1200.00 euros and if you are in none of these cases, your fee is 2000.00 euros. Contribution to the NHS must be paid to Regione Lombardia using the universal tax payment form F24. You can pay F24 at the post office, at a bank counter or at tobacconist enabled to receive the payment, or at 'Agenzia delle Entrate Riscossione' counters or - if you have an Italian bank account - via online banking. 

4. How do I fill the F24 form?

Download and fill out the form.  

In the section "Contribuente", you fill in your personal data: 

• Tax code / codice fiscale 
• Surname / cognome, name/ nome 
• Date of birth / data di nascita (dd/mm/yyyy) sex/ sesso country of birth / Stato estero di nascita  
• Municipality of residence / comune (e.g.Milano) province /prov. (e.g. MI) street and number / via e numero civico 

Skip to “sezione regioni” and fill out: 

• Region code/ Codice regione: 10 
• Fee code/ Codice tributo: 8846 
• Year of reference/ Anno di riferimento:2024 
• Amount paid / Importi a debito versati: 700,00* 
• Total / Totale 700,00 To be paid / Saldo 700,00*  

Skip to Firma and sign - in the Saldo Finale section write Euro 700,00 if you are a student and pay 700,00 euros. 

Example of F24 form already filled out.

5. What countries are in the bilateral agreement?

    

Brazil, Australia are the main countries in the bilateral agreement.  

The following details are very specific to some situations; however, it is good to know: 

Additional protocol to the immigration agreement between Brazil and Italy.  Form IB-2 covers only emergencies (first aid) during a temporary stay of a Brazilian citizen in Italy. If a student wants full coverage, they must enroll voluntarily. 

There is a Bilateral Social Security Agreement between Italy and Australia that covers only for 6 months and only for urgent benefits assisted nationals in the respective State. If a student wants full coverage, they must enroll voluntarily. 
 

If you still have questions or doubts about this administrative procedure or anything else related to living in Milano, you can always contact our International Student Desk.  

Send us an email at welcomestudents@yesmilano.it.  

We will be happy to answer all your questions! 

Since 'Scelta e Revoca' officers pick up your domicile data (address) from the revenue office tax code database, many students, who have got their tax code from the Consular office or through their university, need to update this record.

It is fundamental that you update the address "tax domicile" on tax records and that the address you give on the enrollment form and the address on your tax records are the same.

You can do it by getting appointment at the revenue agency, see how here.