Mandatory registration with the SSN for EU citizens

Registration with the National Health Service can be voluntary or mandatory. Obligation is ambivalent in the sense that those entitled should apply for registration and the National Health Service must accept and register the applicant without requesting a contribution.

Who can register for free

EU citizens who intend to stay in Italy for more than three months are entitled to mandatory registration with the SSN if they are:

  • Employees, self-employed or seasonal workers
  • In possession of a permanent residence certificate
  • Unemployed people enrolled in the employment centre or attending a professional training course
  • Interned or detained (as long as the sentence lasts)
  • Family members of a non-EU worker
  • Owners of the S1 model
  • parents of Italian minor
  • spouse of an Italian citizen

Documents to be provided

Those who apply for registration and are part of one of the aforementioned categories must submit, in addition to the certificate of registration of residency, identity document and tax code, the documentation certifying what they declare.

For example, in the case of an employee it is necessary to provide the work contract. If the applicant is unemployed, the certificate of enrolment in the professional training course or that of the Employment Centre is required. For parents of Italian minors, the minor’s birth certificate and family status are required. An exception is the case of seasonal workers who can register with the SSN even without having taken up residence in Italy.