ENI Card in Rome: Free Healthcare for EU Citizens Without Coverage
An EU citizen living in Rome with no EHIC and no GP? The ENI card gives you access to urgent and essential medical care at no cost. Here's how to get one.
What it is, briefly
The ENI card (Europeo Non Iscritto — EU citizen not registered with the Italian health service) is a document issued by Rome's local health authorities that guarantees free urgent and essential medical care to EU citizens living in Italy without health coverage. Whether you're Romanian, Bulgarian, Spanish, or from any other EU country — if you're in Rome, have no valid EHIC, and aren't enrolled in the SSN (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale — Italy's national health service), this card lets you go to hospital, see specialists urgently, get medication, and much more, all at no cost.
At a glance
| Cost | Free (both issue and renewal). Ticket exemption for urgent/essential care (code X01). |
| Timeline | Card issued on the spot at your ASL office. Valid for 6 months, renewable. |
| Where in Rome | ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale — your local public-health authority) offices: ASL Roma 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (GP registration desk or foreign nationals assistance desk). |
| Documents | EU identity document + self-declarations of financial hardship, non-enrollment in SSN, and address in Italy. |
Who can apply and why
The ENI card was created to protect the right to healthcare (art. 32 of the Italian Constitution) for people who don't meet the requirements to enrol in the SSN. Think of it as the EU-citizen equivalent of the STP card used by undocumented non-EU nationals.
You can apply for an ENI card if you meet all of the following conditions at the same time:
- You are a citizen of an EU country (or EEA: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein)
- You are not enrolled in the Italian SSN — neither compulsorily nor voluntarily
- You do not hold a valid EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) from your home country
- You have no other health coverage (private insurance or forms E106/S1)
- You are in a situation of financial hardship (you declare this yourself on a form)
- You have been in Italy for more than 3 months without formally registering your residence
The most common cases in Rome: Romanian or Bulgarian nationals who arrived looking for work without a contract, pregnant women not yet regularised, and EU homeless people.
Important: if you hold a valid EHIC from your home country, you cannot apply for an ENI card — and you don't need one, because the EHIC already covers the care you need.
What the ENI card covers
With an ENI card you are entitled to:
- Urgent care: A&E (Pronto Soccorso), emergency hospital admissions, anything that can't be postponed without risk to your life
- Essential care: diagnostic visits and treatment for conditions that could worsen or become dangerous over time
- Continuity of treatment until the end of a therapeutic cycle already in progress
- Maternity care: antenatal check-ups, ultrasounds, delivery and hospital admission in a public hospital
- Children's health: paediatrics, vaccinations, check-ups
- Vaccinations included in public-health programmes
- Class-A medicines prescribed on an ENI prescription (free of charge)
- Voluntary termination of pregnancy (IVG) under Legge 194/1978
- Prevention and treatment of infectious diseases (TB, HIV, hepatitis)
The card does not entitle you to a GP: for routine, non-urgent visits you will need to use public walk-in clinics or the A&E.
How to get it: step by step
- Go to the GP registration desk or the foreign-nationals assistance desk at your local ASL (any district office will do).
- Fill in the ENI application form and the self-declarations: financial hardship, non-enrollment in a foreign SSN, and an address in Italy (even a shelter, a church, or a reception centre is valid).
- The staff member generates a 16-character ENI code.
- You receive your card on the spot, printed with your code, name, surname and expiry date.
- You can use it immediately at any public hospital or clinic in Lazio.
- Renewal: return to the same desk before the 6-month expiry date with a new self-declaration of financial hardship.
If you have no documents with you, you can still receive care: a temporary ENI code can be generated anonymously, in the same way as the STP card.
Where to go in Rome
| ASL | Main office | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASL Roma 1 (Municipi I, II, III, XIII, XIV, XV) | District 1 — Borgo Prati | Borgo Santo Spirito 3 | 06 68352301 | aslroma1.it |
| ASL Roma 2 (Municipi IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX) | District 6 — Cinecittà | Via di Torre Spaccata 157 | 06 51005612 | aslroma2.it |
| ASL Roma 3 (Municipi X, XI, XII) | Ostia District | Via Casal Bernocchi 73 | 06 56487300 | aslroma3.it |
| ASL Roma 4 (Civitavecchia, Bracciano) | Civitavecchia office | Via Terme di Traiano 39/A | 0766 591240 | aslroma4.it |
| ASL Roma 5 (Tivoli, Guidonia) | Tivoli office | Via Acquaregna 1/15 | 0774 7011 | aslromag.it |
| ASL Roma 6 (Albano, Frascati) | Albano office | Borgo Garibaldi 12 | 06 93271 | aslroma6.it |
If you are in a situation of severe marginalisation or have no documents, you can also turn to:
- Caritas Poliambulatorio — Health Area: Via Marsala 109, Roma — tel. 06 4940945
- INMP — Istituto Nazionale Salute Migranti e Povertà (National Institute for Migrant Health and Poverty): Via di San Gallicano 25/a — tel. 06 58543700 — inmp.it
Mistakes to avoid
- Never pay anyone to get an ENI card. Issue is free at the ASL desk. Be wary of unauthorised patronati or informal offices asking money for a "fast-track" service.
- Don't wait for the card to expire. It's valid for 6 months: renew it before it runs out so you're never left without coverage when you need it most.
- Don't confuse the ENI card with the EHIC. If you still hold a valid European Health Insurance Card from your home country, use that instead — it's more comprehensive than the ENI card and covers all necessary care, not just urgent cases.
Special cases
Are you pregnant? You are fully entitled to all antenatal tests, ultrasounds, delivery and public hospital admission. Even without an ENI card, maternity protection is guaranteed by law the moment you present yourself at a hospital (Legge 405/1975 and Legge 194/1978).
Do you have a minor child? The children's ENI card covers vaccinations and paediatric care. Bring your own ID and, if possible, the child's birth certificate.
Are you an EU worker with a regular employment contract? You don't need the ENI card: you must enrol in the SSN (compulsory enrolment), which gives you access to a GP and all routine services.
Are you an Erasmus student? Use the EHIC from your home country, or enrol in the SSN voluntarily by paying the annual contribution.
Official sources
- Salute Lazio — Regional health portal
- Ministry of Health — Healthcare for foreigners
- Regione Lazio — Citizens' health
- ASL Roma 1
- ASL Roma 2
- ASL Roma 3
- ASL Roma 4
- ASL Roma 5
- ASL Roma 6
- INMP — National Institute for Migrant Health
Legal references: Costituzione italiana art. 32; Direttiva 2004/38/CE; D.Lgs. 30/2007; Accordo Stato-Regioni 20/12/2012; Circolare Ministero Salute 19/02/2008 prot. DGRUERI/3152; DGR Regione Lazio 480/2008; Legge 405/1975; Legge 194/1978.