Healthcare Copay in Lazio: What It Costs and How to Pay

In a Nutshell

The Italian healthcare copay (called ticket sanitario) is the share you pay when you use a public health service in Lazio — a specialist visit, a blood test, a CT scan, an ultrasound. In Lazio, the cap is €36.15 per prescription, regardless of how many procedures are on it. Your GP (general practitioner), hospital admissions, and genuine A&E emergencies are always free.

At a Glance

Cost	Max €36.15 per specialist prescription; €25 for a non-urgent A&E visit
Timeline	Pay immediately online or at a pharmacy; prescription valid for 6 months
Where in Rome	SaluteLazio app, affiliated pharmacies, ASL/CUP desks, post offices, banks
Documents	Tessera Sanitaria (Italian health-insurance card), prescription (NRE code or paper), PagoPA receipt

What You Pay For — and What You Don't

Not every hospital or clinic visit carries a copay. Here's the basic split.

You pay a copay for specialist visits (cardiologist, ophthalmologist, gynaecologist), lab tests, medical imaging (CT, MRI, ultrasound), and Class A medications. You also pay if you leave the A&E — Pronto Soccorso (Italian A&E / emergency room) — with a white code, meaning your condition turned out not to be an emergency.

You never pay for a GP visit, for hospital admissions, for scheduled national vaccination programmes, for organised cancer screenings (mammography, pap smear, faecal occult blood), for genuine A&E emergencies (any triage colour other than white), or during pregnancy for tests in the standard obstetric protocol.

If you have a low income, a chronic condition, or are pregnant, you may be entitled to a full copay exemption. Check the separate guides on income-based and condition-based exemptions to see whether you qualify.

The Key Cap: €36.15 Per Prescription

In Lazio, the copay can never exceed €36.15 per prescription, even if the individual procedures would cost far more. An MRI, for example, has a national list price of €158.28 — you pay at most €36.15.

A single prescription can include up to 8 procedures within the same specialist branch. It's worth discussing with your doctor how to group requests: if you need several tests, bundling them on one prescription (and paying a single €36.15 cap) is often cheaper than splitting them across multiple prescriptions.

Some real-world examples:

Procedure	National list price	Lazio copay
Cardiology visit	€20.66	€20.66
Abdominal ultrasound	€41.06	€36.15 (capped)
Brain MRI	€158.28	€36.15 (capped)
Basic blood panel	~€15	~€15

How to Pay — Step by Step

From 2025, almost all prescriptions are electronic: your doctor prescribes the service and you receive an SMS or email containing the NRE (Numero di Ricetta Elettronica — your 15-digit electronic prescription code). That code is all you need to book and pay online.

1. Your doctor prescribes the procedure and sends you the NRE by phone or email.
2. Book through ReCUP Lazio: call 06 9939 (Mon–Fri 7:30–19:30, Sat 7:30–13:00) or visit www.recuplazio.it.
3. Pay the copay before your appointment (some facilities accept payment on arrival). Options:
   • SaluteLazio app (iOS/Android, log in with SPID (Italy's digital identity for accessing online public services) or CIE (Italian electronic ID card)): enter your NRE and Codice Fiscale (Italian tax ID — your personal 16-character code), pay in 30 seconds via PagoPA.
   • salutelazio.it portal, "Paga il ticket" section.
   • Affiliated pharmacy (look for the "Punto Giallo" sticker).
   • CUP desk at your ASL (ASL — Azienda Sanitaria Locale, your local public-health authority), post offices, banks, PagoPA-enabled tobacconists, or compatible ATMs.
4. Keep your receipt (paper or digital). You'll need it at your appointment and for your tax return.
5. Bring to your appointment: prescription printout or SMS, payment receipt, Tessera Sanitaria, and a photo ID.

If you still have an old red paper prescription, go directly to the CUP desk at an ASL office or hospital — you can book and pay on the spot.

A&E White Code: €25 Within 30 Days

If you go to the Pronto Soccorso and are discharged with a white code (your condition was not urgent), you'll be handed a PagoPA notice for €25, payable within 30 days through any of the channels listed above.

If you don't pay, a debt collection notice will be sent to your home with added charges.

You are exempt from the white-code fee if you have a full copay exemption, are under 14, are pregnant, arrived by ambulance, were admitted to hospital, or return for the same condition within 5 days.

CUP Desks in Rome

If you prefer an in-person desk, each ASL has CUP (booking and payment) points:

ASL	Main office address	Phone
Roma 1	Borgo S. Spirito 3, 00193	06 68351
Roma 2	Via Filippo Meda 35, 00157	06 41434001
Roma 3	Via Casal Bernocchi 73, 00125	06 56487
Roma 4	Via Terme di Traiano 39/A, Civitavecchia	0766 5911
Roma 5	Via Acquaregna 1/15, Tivoli	0774 7011
Roma 6	Borgo Garibaldi 12, Albano Laziale	06 93271

Mistakes to Avoid

1. Don't pay before you've booked. The copay is settled after you have a confirmed appointment. If you pay and then can't get a slot, you'll have to apply for a refund.
2. Never pay without a PagoPA receipt. Always insist on a receipt showing the IUV code. You need it for your Modello 730 (Italy's simplified annual tax return for employees) deduction and as proof of payment.
3. Don't trust unofficial websites. The copay is paid only through salutelazio.it, PagoPA, authorised pharmacies, or official desks. Any other channel is a potential scam.
4. Don't ignore SMS messages about white-code fees. The Lazio Region never sends SMS messages with payment links. If you receive one, it's a phishing attempt.

Special Cases

EU tourist with a EHIC card? Your European Health Insurance Card gives you access to care on the same terms as a resident, but it does not exempt you from the copay. You pay like everyone else.

Non-EU visitor with private insurance? You don't pay the copay — you pay the full tariff instead. Keep the invoice and claim reimbursement from your insurer.

Paid the copay but didn't use the service? Request a refund within 1 year from the ASL where you paid, bringing the original receipt and the refund form downloadable from salutelazio.it.

Your ASL appointment is more than 60 days away? If the health system exceeds the maximum waiting-time guarantee, you can request the service through intramoenia (private practice inside a public hospital, at copay prices) or at an accredited private facility — fill in the "superamento tempi massimi" (exceeded maximum waiting times) form at your ASL.

Are copays tax-deductible? Yes, at 19% on your annual tax return (Modello 730). Keep all receipts. Your Tessera Sanitaria must have been swiped at the time of payment for the expense to appear automatically in the pre-filled return.

Official Sources

• Salute Lazio — Copays and exemptions
• Salute Lazio — Official portal
• ReCUP Lazio — Bookings
• PagoPA — Public-administration payments
• Ministry of Health — Copay exemptions
• Lazio Region — Health

Legal references: Legge 537/1993 art. 8; DM 18/10/2012; DGR Lazio 1086/2017; DGR Lazio 257/2007 e ss.mm.ii.; DPCM 12/01/2017; DM 70/2015.