Italy’s public health service provides urgent and essential care even to people without a residence permit, so the real question for a visitor is rarely whether you will be treated. It is who pays, how much, and what your own card or policy will actually cover. The answer depends on where you are insured, not only on your passport. A traveller insured in another EU or EEA country, or resident in the UK, can usually use a health card for necessary state care. Most visitors from the United States and other non-EU countries cannot, and need insurance.
This guide sorts the answer by situation, then explains what no card pays for and what changes when a holiday becomes a longer stay. It is general information, not legal or medical advice, and it reflects the official sources listed at the end, checked on 17 October 2026.
Start with where you are insured
Three questions decide most cases. Which country’s health system insures you? Is your stay temporary? And does the care you need arise during the trip, rather than being the reason for the trip? A card or policy that works for a sprained ankle on a walking holiday will not necessarily pay for planned treatment you travelled to Italy to receive.
Keep these questions in mind as you read the three situations below. They matter more than the length of your itinerary.
If you are insured in another EU or EEA country
The European Health Insurance Card, called TEAM in Italy, gives access to medically necessary state-provided care during a temporary stay, on the same terms as people insured in Italy. “Medically necessary” means treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you return home, taking the planned length of your stay into account. In practice you present the card at a public hospital or with a public or contracted provider, and you may still pay the co-payment, known as the ticket, that Italian patients pay.
Two limits matter. The card covers state-provided healthcare, so it does not pay for private treatment, and it is not designed for planned care you travel to receive. If you forget the card, many national health authorities can issue a provisional replacement certificate. Ask yours before you travel, not from a hospital bed.
If you live in the UK
British visitors use the UK Global Health Insurance Card, or GHIC, which replaced the EHIC for UK residents. According to the NHS, it lets you get necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area and some other countries on the same basis as a resident of that country. It is free, lasts up to five years, and every family member needs their own card. An existing EHIC remains valid until it expires.
Apply only through the official NHS website, because unofficial sites charge for a card that costs nothing. The NHS is explicit that the GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. If your card has not arrived or is lost, it describes a provisional replacement certificate that you can request while abroad.
If you are travelling from the United States or elsewhere outside the EU
There is no equivalent card for most non-EU travellers, and domestic insurance often stops at the border. Medicare.gov states that Medicare usually does not cover health care outside the United States, apart from a few limited exceptions, and that Medicare drug plans do not cover prescriptions bought abroad. Some Medigap policies may cover emergency care abroad, which is a reason to read your own policy rather than assume.
For these travellers, a travel policy with medical cover is the practical solution. If you need a Schengen visa, insurance is part of the application: the EU Visa Code requires cover of at least €30,000 for urgent medical attention, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation for medical reasons. Travellers who do not need a visa should still treat insurance as their own responsibility.
What no card pays for
Even the best card covers a narrow slice of a medical problem. NHS guidance says the GHIC does not cover private medical care, mountain rescue or being flown back to the UK. State cards and most domestic public schemes will not fund a private clinic or a medical flight home. Travel insurance usually covers those costs, along with cancellation and baggage.
Two practical points. Carry a letter from your GP listing any regular medicines and why you need them, ideally with an Italian translation, as NHS Wales advises. A prescription can be filled at any pharmacy (farmacia), but check before you leave that your medicine is available in Italy. In an emergency, 112 is the European emergency number and works in Italy.
When a holiday becomes a longer stay
The EHIC and GHIC are for temporary stays. NHS Wales tells UK visitors that anyone who moves to Italy or stays for more than three months needs to register with the national health service, known as the SSN. For other nationalities the answer depends on the type of permit and the reason for staying, so it is worth asking before you extend rather than after.
Extending a booking does not change your cover. Health cover, residence documents and the right to work are separate questions, each with its own rules, so treat them one at a time.
Before you travel, check three things: that your card is valid and in your own name, that your insurance matches the length of your stay, and who to contact locally if you need care. If your plans change from a holiday into a longer stay, ask the local health authority for the area before you assume anything.
Official sources: NHS: UK Global Health Insurance Card, Medicare.gov: Travel outside the U.S., EU Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009) and NHS Wales: Italy travel health.
Photo credits: cover by Markus Winkler and consultation by SHVETS production, both via Pexels.
