# Health and emergencies: 112, and what EHIC pays

> One number for every emergency, free even without a SIM, plus the line where the European health card stops paying and your travel insurance starts.

URL: https://myitalia.it/faq/health-and-emergencies
Last updated: 2026-09-02

112 answers every emergency in Italy, free from any phone with or without a SIM, and the European health card covers medically necessary treatment in the public system, but not mountain rescue, repatriation or a private clinic.

## One number, five services behind it

112 is the single European emergency number, and in Italy it works through a first-level answering center that identifies the caller and the location and then hands the call to the right second-level room: state police, carabinieri, fire brigade, coast guard or medical dispatch.

The operator asks three things: where you are, what kind of emergency it is, your name. Answering in that order saves the most time, because location comes first.

## The call goes through when nothing else does

The 112 call is free on landlines and mobiles and connects with no SIM, no credit and a locked keypad. There is no code to dial first and no charge on any tariff.

Two non-voice routes exist as well: the 112 Sordi service for deaf callers, and the free Where ARE U app, which transmits identity and GPS position automatically and signals that the caller cannot speak. Both need setting up before you need them.

## What the European health card actually buys

The EHIC entitles anyone insured in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland to medically necessary treatment during a temporary stay, delivered directly by public and SSN-contracted facilities, free apart from the regional ticket. It is the only document required at the desk.

Medically necessary is broader than urgent: it covers care you need so you do not have to go home early, including for a chronic condition.

## Where the card stops and money starts

Four things fall outside it: private providers outside the SSN network, planned treatment, rescue and repatriation, and dental care, which Italians largely pay for too. Band C medicines are paid in full by the patient. Spa treatment runs on form E112 or S2, not on the card.

That is the gap a travel policy fills. On a mountain holiday it is the difference between a covered hospital stay and an uncovered helicopter.

## Tickets, admissions and the emergency room

Hospital admission is exempt from the ticket, and a private room is the only part you pay for. Emergency room attendances coded as non-urgent carry a charge, as do specialist visits and diagnostics your doctor prescribes.

Amounts are regional, so a figure quoted for Lazio does not hold in Lombardia. The [health cover page](/plan/health-cover) tracks what changes, and non-EU visitors should read it with an insurance policy in hand.

## FAQ

### What is the emergency number in Italy?

112, for every service. A single answering center picks up and routes the call to the police, the carabinieri, the fire brigade, the coast guard or the ambulance service, so you describe the emergency instead of choosing a department. Expect to be asked where you are first.

### Is calling 112 in Italy free?

Yes, from landlines and mobiles alike, and it connects with no SIM card in the phone, no credit on the account and the screen locked. That makes it the one number that still works when your Italian data plan has run out.

### How do I call for help in Italy if I cannot speak?

Two non-voice channels exist. The 112 Sordi service is built for deaf callers, and the free Where ARE U app sends your identity and GPS position to the answering center and flags that you cannot talk. The app needs registration, so install it before the trip.

### Does the European health card work in Italy?

Yes. Anyone insured in an EU or EEA state or in Switzerland gets medically necessary treatment in public and SSN-contracted facilities on production of the EHIC or its provisional replacement certificate. Treatment is free apart from the ticket, the co-payment each region sets.

### What does the EHIC not cover in Italy?

It is not travel insurance. It does not pay for private providers outside the SSN network, planned treatment, mountain rescue or repatriation, and dental care is normally paid for even by Italian residents. Spa treatment needs form E112 or S2 instead of the card.

### Do I pay to go to an Italian emergency room?

Sometimes. Hospital admission carries no ticket, but emergency room visits triaged as non-urgent do, and so do specialist visits and diagnostics prescribed by a doctor. There is no national tariff: each region sets its own.

### Are prescriptions free in Italy for visitors?

Partly. Band A medicines are free apart from the regional ticket, while band C medicines are paid in full by the patient, resident or not. The EHIC does not change that split, which is why a pharmacy bill can surprise you.

### Should I still buy travel insurance for Italy?

Yes, for the four gaps the EHIC leaves: private clinics, mountain rescue, repatriation and planned care. The card handles unplanned public treatment; a helicopter off a Dolomite path and a flight home with a medical escort are on you.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Italia il 112 e' il Numero Unico Europeo per le Emergenze (NUE): una Centrale Unica di Risposta (CUR) riceve la chiamata e la smista alla centrale operativa di secondo livello competente (Polizia di Stato, Arma dei Carabinieri, Vigili del fuoco, Guardia costiera o soccorso sanitario). | [Ministero dell'Interno - Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza](https://112.gov.it/); [Ministero dell'Interno](https://www.interno.gov.it/it/notizie/online-nuovo-portale-numero-unico-emergenza-112); [Prefettura - UTG di Frosinone (Ministero dell'Interno)](https://prefettura.interno.gov.it/it/prefetture/frosinone/112-nue-numero-unico-emergenza) | high | 2028-12-31 |
| La chiamata al 112 e' gratuita sia da rete fissa sia da telefono mobile, anche se il telefono e' privo di SIM, bloccato o senza credito. | [Prefettura - UTG di Frosinone (Ministero dell'Interno)](https://prefettura.interno.gov.it/it/prefetture/frosinone/112-nue-numero-unico-emergenza); [Ministero dell'Interno - Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza](https://112.gov.it/) | high | 2028-12-31 |
| Il NUE 112 offre due canali di accesso non vocali: il servizio '112 Sordi' per le persone sorde e l'app gratuita 'Where ARE U', che trasmette automaticamente identita' e posizione GPS alla centrale e consente di aprire una emergenza senza parlare. | [Ministero dell'Interno - Dipartimento della Pubblica Sicurezza](https://112.gov.it/); [Prefettura - UTG di Frosinone (Ministero dell'Interno)](https://prefettura.interno.gov.it/it/prefetture/frosinone/112-nue-numero-unico-emergenza) | high | 2027-12-31 |
| I cittadini assicurati in uno Stato UE, SEE (Islanda, Liechtenstein, Norvegia) o in Svizzera che durante un soggiorno temporaneo in Italia hanno bisogno di cure medicalmente necessarie ottengono le prestazioni in forma diretta presso le strutture pubbliche e private convenzionate del SSN esibendo la Tessera Europea di Assicurazione Malattia (TEAM/EHIC) o il certificato sostitutivo provvisorio; le cure sono gratuite salvo il ticket fissato da ciascuna Regione. | [Ministero della Salute](https://www.salute.gov.it/new/it/tema/assistenza-sanitaria-paesi-extra-ue/cittadini-dell-ue-see-e-svizzera-possesso-di-team/); [Commissione europea - Your Europe](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/health/unplanned-healthcare/temporary-stays/index_en.htm) | high | 2027-12-31 |
| La TEAM/EHIC non e' un'assicurazione di viaggio: non copre la sanita' privata non convenzionata, le cure programmate, il soccorso in montagna e il rimpatrio sanitario; per le cure termali serve il modello E112/S2 e non la TEAM. | [Commissione europea - Your Europe](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/health/unplanned-healthcare/temporary-stays/index_en.htm); [Ministero della Salute](https://www.salute.gov.it/new/it/tema/assistenza-sanitaria-paesi-extra-ue/cittadini-dell-ue-see-e-svizzera-possesso-di-team/) | high | 2027-12-31 |
| In Italia il ricovero ospedaliero e' esente da ticket, mentre le prestazioni di pronto soccorso contraddistinte da un determinato codice di priorita' prevedono il pagamento di un ticket; visite specialistiche e diagnostica prescritte dal medico di base prevedono ticket. | [Ministero della Salute](https://www.salute.gov.it/new/it/tema/assistenza-sanitaria-paesi-extra-ue/cittadini-dell-ue-see-e-svizzera-possesso-di-team/) | medium | 2027-12-31 |

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/domande/health-and-emergencies.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/preguntas/health-and-emergencies.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/questions/health-and-emergencies.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/fragen/health-and-emergencies.md