# Tessera Sanitaria



## alog (Sep 28, 2015)

ciao everyone,
i am thinking of moving to italy, but it would be as an early retiree, my question is would i be eligible for the national health system if I didn't work, but was a resident. I am going to tuscany and friends who live there have said they are particularly difficult with giving eu residents a fixed tessera sanitaria without a job.
Thanks for any help.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

You should be able to enroll if you pay the calendar year income-based fee. It's best to enroll in January to get the full calendar year since the fee is not pro-rated.


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## philat98 (Aug 21, 2010)

There is an interesting discussion here.

"curiouscatexpat.com/health-insurance-card-asltessera-sanitaria"


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## alog (Sep 28, 2015)

Yes on paper this is how it should work, but I just spoke to a friend who was told by ASL Firenze in May that it wasn't possible to enrol as he wasn't working, he even mentioned paying the fee, they told him he was young and to cross his fingers he doesn't get ill. Also I believe the Tessera Sanitaria plastificata is pie in the sky for non-Italians, the best I can hope for is a temporary one. Maybe its just ASL Firenze who are difficult?


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## philat98 (Aug 21, 2010)

In Italy it is often just a matter of finding someone who is helpful and knows the rules.

You could get a card by becoming self employed as say a domestico and making 4 INPS payments in the year coming to about Euro 1300 a year. 

Quite a bit more than the fee route.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Alog, was that friend registered as a resident and (importantly) validly exercising an EU treaty right to live in Italy? Those are prerequisites. It sounds like your friend didn't clear the "validly exercising" part.

What sort of ages are we talking about here, if you don't mind me asking? If you're retiring early at 32 then congratulations! However, I might understand the ASL questioning whether you're a "pensioner" (the EU's term for this category).


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## accbgb (Sep 23, 2009)

There seems to be a lot of confusion over EU citizens "freedom of travel" rights vs. "freedom to stay" rights.

As an EU citizen, you have the right to stay in Italy beyond 3 months if you a) have a job or b) can prove you have sufficient financial assets/income to not be a burden upon the state.

See:

Workers' and pensioners' residence rights

Registering your residence abroad

Registering your residence abroad - Italy

They probably don't want to issue a tessera sanitaria because you haven't shown that you have the legal right to remain in Italy for longer than 3 months.


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