Sanità

Free Medical Care in Rome: Caritas, INMP, Emergency and Other Clinics

No documents, no permit, no money needed: Rome has a network of free clinics open to anyone. Addresses, hours, and how to access them.

12 May 2026·

caritasINMPfree-healthcareundocumented-foreignersSTP

In a Nutshell

Rome has a well-established network of free clinics run by Caritas (the Catholic Church's charitable arm), INMP, Emergency, Medici Senza Frontiere (Doctors Without Borders), Sant'Egidio, and other organisations. They are open to anyone who has difficulty accessing the SSN (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale — Italy's national health service): undocumented foreigners, asylum seekers, homeless people, and Italians in financial hardship. In many cases you can walk in without an appointment, without documents, and completely free of charge.

At a Glance


Cost	Free; voluntary donations accepted at some centres, never required
Timeline	Walk-in at main clinics; expect 30–90 minutes waiting time
Where in Rome	Caritas Marsala (near Termini), INMP Trastevere, Emergency Magliana, Centro Astalli city centre
Documents	None required; bring whatever you have (even expired)

Who Can Come — and Why You Don't Need to Be Afraid

These clinics primarily serve people who fall outside the SSN: undocumented foreigners or those with an expired permit, asylum seekers still waiting for paperwork, EU citizens not enrolled in the SSN (ENI code), homeless people, victims of trafficking, violence, or torture, unaccompanied minors, and pregnant women without healthcare coverage.

One crucial point: Article 35 of the Testo Unico Immigrazione (D.Lgs. 286/1998 — Italy's consolidated immigration law) expressly forbids healthcare workers from reporting undocumented foreigners who seek treatment to the authorities. Your information is not shared with the police or the Prefettura (regional state-government office representing the central state). You are protected by law.

Most of these centres also have cultural mediators who speak Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Farsi, Urdu, Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali, Romanian, Ukrainian, and other languages.

How to Access: General Steps

Choose the centre closest to you based on neighbourhood, language spoken, and type of visit (see the centre profiles below).
Check opening hours — many have evening slots or Saturday mornings.
Show up during opening hours: in most cases access is first-come, first-served with no appointment needed. Specialist consultations may require a phone call.
At the desk you'll fill in a simple registration form (some centres allow a fictitious name).
A nurse or volunteer doctor does a brief triage.
Free medical visit, with a cultural mediator if needed.
If you need tests or medication, the doctor prescribes them using an STP code (Straniero Temporaneamente Presente — the code that lets undocumented foreigners access public healthcare). Some centres (Caritas, INMP, Emergency) have an on-site free pharmacy.

The Main Free Clinics in Rome

Poliambulatorio Caritas — Via Marsala (Termini area)

Rome's historic reference clinic for foreigners.

Address: Via Marsala 109, 00185 Roma (and Via delle Zoccolette 19)
Phone: 06 88815120 (Marsala) — 06 88815455 (Zoccolette)
Hours: Mon–Fri 16:00–19:00 for general medicine; variable hours for specialist consultations
Services: general medicine, gynaecology, dermatology, ophthalmology, cardiology, paediatrics, dentistry, psychology, in-house pharmacy
Languages: Italian, English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Romanian, Amharic, Tigrinya, Urdu, Farsi
Access: walk-in, free, anonymity guaranteed, no appointment needed

INMP — Istituto Nazionale Migrazione e Povertà (Trastevere)

INMP (National Institute for Migration and Poverty) is a public SSN body specialised in migrants and poverty. Also open to destitute Italian citizens.

Address: Via di San Gallicano 25/a, 00153 Roma
Phone: 06 58543624 — 06 58543650
Email: urp@inmp.it
Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00–19:00, Sat 8:00–13:00
Services: general medicine, dermatology, infectious diseases, gynaecology, paediatrics, psychology, neurology, ophthalmology, cardiology, diabetology, ethnopsychiatry, cultural mediation
Languages: 30+ languages with 20 permanent cultural mediators
Note: specialist centre for torture survivors and female genital mutilation cases

Emergency — Polo socio-sanitario (Magliana)

Address: Via Ercole Bombelli 27, 00149 Roma
Phone: 06 8881881
Email: italia@emergency.it
Hours: Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00 (varies by service)
Services: general medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, health and legal orientation, cultural mediation
Languages: Italian, English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Urdu, Bengali
Access: free; aimed at undocumented foreigners, asylum seekers, and people in poverty

SAMIFO — Centro Salute Migranti Forzati (Esquilino, ASL Roma 1)

A public ASL (Azienda Sanitaria Locale — your local public-health authority) Roma 1 facility specialised in asylum seekers and refugees.

Address: Via Luzzatti 8, 00185 Roma
Phone: 06 77307449 — 06 77307450
Email: samifo@aslroma1.it
Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00–16:00
Services: general medicine for refugees, psychiatry and ethnopsychiatry, gynaecology, psychological support for torture survivors
Access: referral from Centro Astalli, Caritas, or refugee desks; in some cases direct walk-in

Centro Astalli — Jesuit Refugee Service (city centre)

Address: Via degli Astalli 14/a, 00186 Roma
Phone: 06 69700306
Main services: canteen, Italian language school, legal desk, psychological support, health orientation, free dental clinic by appointment
Languages: Italian, English, French, Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Somali, Farsi

Comunità di Sant'Egidio (Trastevere)

Address: Piazza Sant'Egidio 3a, 00153 Roma
Phone: 06 8992234
Services: street medical outreach for homeless people at Stazione Termini; DREAM programme for HIV-positive individuals; medicine distribution
Hours: vary by service

Italian Red Cross — Rome Committee

Address: Via Bernardino Ramazzini 31, 00151 Roma
Phone: 800 166666 (free social helpline)
Services: basic healthcare for homeless people, mobile clinic, migrant support
Access: referral from Rome municipality social services

Mistakes to Avoid

Never pay anyone to enter a Caritas, INMP, Emergency, or Sant'Egidio clinic. Access is always free and direct — no intermediaries.
Don't believe anyone who says the police will be called. Art. 35 of the Testo Unico Immigrazione explicitly forbids it. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying.
Don't use the Pronto Soccorso (Italian A&E / emergency room) as a regular GP's office. A&E is for emergencies. Using solidarity clinics for non-urgent care is respectful to people who genuinely need emergency services.

Special Cases

You need surgery. Solidarity clinics do not perform surgery. They will refer you to public hospitals, which are legally required to treat urgent or essential cases using the STP code — either free or at a reduced co-payment.

You are pregnant and have no documents. You have the right to free assisted pregnancy care even without a residence permit (D.Lgs. 286/98 art. 35). Go to the Consultorio Familiare (public family health centre) of your local ASL or to INMP, which specialises in migrant women's health.

You have a child with no documents. Foreign minors have full SSN rights even if their parents are undocumented. Registering with a local paediatrician at the ASL is free of charge.

You need psychological support. INMP (ethnopsychiatry), SAMIFO, and the Centro Trauma Minori Migranti at Ospedale Bambino Gesù (tel. 06 68591) offer specialist support for migrants and asylum seekers.

You are an asylum seeker in the reception system (CAS/SAI). You have the right to enrol in the SSN with a provisional codice fiscale (Italian tax ID — your personal 16-character code, used for almost everything). ASL Roma 1, 2, and 3 often run dedicated desks inside reception centres — ask your social worker.

Official Sources

Legal references: D.Lgs. 286/1998 art. 35; DPR 394/1999 art. 43; L. 40/1998 art. 36; State-Regions Agreement 20/12/2012; DGR Lazio 590/2015; Italian Constitution art. 32.

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