Italians living abroad welcome the law: €2,000 a year to receive medical treatment in Italy

Just over 3 million Italians living abroad, but not in a European country, will be able to keep their GP or access healthcare services in Italia – including hospital admission and prescriptions – by paying €2,000 a year. This means they will have an Italian health card in their pocket, which they can use during their stay in Italia to receive the care they need: think, for example, of the many pensioners living in countries such as Albania or Tunisia who often return to Italia for several months a year, or even younger people who work, study or conduct research abroad but may return to Italia for certain periods.

The Senate has finally passed the bill allowing Italian citizens living abroad to access healthcare in Italia upon payment of an annual premium of €2,000 (the average cost of healthcare in Italia, according to calculations by the State General Accounting Office), with minors being exempt provided that at least one parent or guardian holds a health card.

The law is aimed in particular at citizens residing abroad in countries that are not members of the European Union or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), but who are registered with AIRE, the Register of Italians Resident Abroad. Those in this group who wish to do so may register with the National Health Service at the local health authority (ASL) that holds their personal records, or, alternatively, at the ASL responsible for their place of residence, thereby receiving a health card. Currently, upon registration with AIRE, citizens are removed from the National Health Service (SSN), retaining cover limited solely to emergency care, but remaining entirely excluded from GP services and all other healthcare provisions. In particular, pensioners living abroad are entitled to cover limited to 90 days for urgent hospital and A&E treatment only As mentioned, the non-divisible contribution for the issue and renewal of the card’s validity is set at €2,000 per year. By decree of the Minister of Health, in consultation with the Minister of the Economy, the amount of the contribution may be adjusted annually, taking into account the monitoring activities to be implemented and the change, as ascertained by ISTAT, in the consumer price index for blue-collar and white-collar households recorded in the previous year.

 Failure to pay the annual contribution will result in the user being suspended from accessing NHS services; in particular, non-urgent, scheduled treatments cannot be provided. Renewal of the national health card for access to services is also subject to payment of the contribution for the current annual period, as well as any contributions due for the period of suspension, plus statutory interest. The new provisions will not come into force automatically. Within ninety days of the law coming into force, the implementing procedures for access to National Health Service benefits for Italian citizens duly registered with AIRE, residing in countries that do not belong to the European Union and are not members of EFTA, the aspects relating to the associated administrative procedure, and the monitoring of the effects arising from this law.

According to the latest data from Istat (as at 31 December 2024), there are a total of 6,382,000 Italians living abroad: in non-EU countries – from the US to Canada, from Latin America to Australia, Africa and the Middle East – there are just over 3 million, whilst in Europe (54%) there are 3,448,000 people. Next among the continents with the highest number of Italian residents is the Americas, which alone accounts for 2,608,000 residents. The numbers are lower in Oceania (2.7%, 172,000 residents), Asia (1.3%, 82,000) and Africa (1.1%, 71,000). The foreign countries with the highest number of Italian residents are Argentina (987,000), Germany (847,000), Brazil (671,000), Switzerland (654,000) and France (483,000). Italians living abroad are predominantly men (almost 52%). The gender imbalance – Istat explains – is due to the fact that migration is often work-related, particularly in Europe and Asia.