Skip to content

Italy · visa health insurance

Health insurance for Italy's digital nomad visa

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

Italy's digital nomad visa requires health insurance valid across Italy and the Schengen area — a health policy, not travel insurance. Consulates look for the same shape of cover as other long-stay visas: at least €30,000, with hospitalisation and repatriation, for your stay. Exact wording can vary by consulate, so check your consulate's page. Below is the rule and its source.

Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.

The rule in writing

“The elective residence visa requires health insurance valid across the Schengen area with minimum cover of €30,000, including hospitalisation and repatriation, for the full visa year.”

Official source: Italian consulate elective-residence guidance (via The Italian Lawyer & Global Citizen Solutions) — Last verified:

The rule in writing

“Travel insurance is not accepted for the elective residence visa. Cover must be a health policy valid in Italy and the Schengen area; some consulates ask for a letter confirming validity in Italy.”

Official source: Italian consulate guidance & documented ERV rejection reasons (Future Italian) — Last verified:

Will your certificate pass?

What a consulate officer actually looks for on the page.

Passes when it shows

  • Private health cover — not travel or Schengen
  • Valid in Italy and the Schengen area (€30,000 minimum)
  • Covers your full visa period (up to a year)
  • No disqualifying deductible on the core cover

Refused when it’s

  • A travel or Schengen “trip” policy
  • A deductible / excess on core cover
  • Cover that ends before your visa does
Check your policy in 2 minutes

The digital nomad visa needs health cover, not travel insurance

The single most common mistake is buying travel insurance. For Italy's digital nomad visa, travel and short-stay Schengen policies are not accepted. You need a health policy valid in Italy and the Schengen area.

Some consulates also ask for a letter confirming the policy is valid in Italy. The certificate wording is what gets read at the desk.

What the cover has to include

Consulates look for the same core shape used across Italy's long-stay visas:

  • a health policy, not travel insurance;
  • at least €30,000 of cover;
  • hospitalisation and repatriation included;
  • valid across the Schengen area for your stay.

Requirements can vary by consulate and change over time. Confirm the exact list on your consulate's page before you apply.

Where it differs from the elective residence visa

The two visas are easy to confuse. The elective residence visa is for people living on passive income who will not work. The digital nomad visa is for remote workers and freelancers earning an income.

The insurance rule is close to identical, so cover that passes one generally passes the other. The income and work rules are what differ.

Honest limits: Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, including conditions you did not know about. We disclose this before you request a quote. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s.

Cover levels that meet the rule

Benefits shown are public. Premiums are quote-based — we never publish prices.

Standard

From $1,133/yearabout $94/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $853/yr

Adds everyday outpatient care — GP and specialist visits, prescriptions, and tests — to hospital cover.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • GP, specialist, medication & lab tests (US$750 each)
  • Outpatient surgical to US$25,000
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Pre- & post-hospitalisation cover

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Scope: No dental or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose StandardSee your price by age →

Fully Comprehensive

From $1,906/yearabout $159/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $1,439/yr

The highest level: full-cover room, uncapped surgeon fees, routine dental, and the largest limits.

  • US$2,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Full-cover private room & board
  • Full surgeon, professional & outpatient cover
  • Routine & major dental (after 6-month wait)
  • Wellbeing check-ups & vaccinations to US$500

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Choose Fully ComprehensiveSee your price by age →

See your exact price by age →

Budget options — limited cover

Essential Health

From $392/yearabout $33/mo billed annually

A budget plan for accident and emergency care in state hospitals only. Not full private health cover.

  • US$100,000 maximum plan limit per year
  • Unforeseen accident & emergency care only

Scope: State hospitals only, accident/emergency only. No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing cover. Not a substitute for full private health insurance on a visa application.

Choose Essential Health →

Major Medical

From $721/yearabout $60/mo billed annually

Hospital-focused cover: inpatient treatment, surgery, and emergencies, worldwide outside the US.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Theatre, ICU, and emergency-room cover (full)

Scope: No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose Major Medical →
  • Treatment is covered worldwide, excluding the United States.
  • Pre-existing conditions are excluded — including conditions you did not know about.
  • Evacuation & repatriation is an optional benefit that costs an additional premium.
  • Prices are Regency’s 2026 rates for the EU region: per person, per year, billed annually, starting at adult age 18 — your exact price depends on age. Children 0–17 pay a flat rate on every plan.
  • Plans run in 12-month terms and renew at the anniversary; the age limits shown apply to new applicants.

Common questions

Does travel insurance work for the digital nomad visa?

No. Travel and short-stay Schengen policies are not accepted. You need a health policy valid in Italy and the Schengen area, and some consulates ask for a letter confirming that validity.

How much health cover does the digital nomad visa need?

Consulates look for the same shape as other long-stay visas: at least €30,000, valid across the Schengen area, with hospitalisation and repatriation. Exact wording varies by consulate, so check your consulate's page.

Is the insurance the same as the elective residence visa?

The health-cover rule is close to identical, so a policy that passes one generally passes the other. What differs is that the digital nomad visa is for remote workers, not passive-income residents.

Can the consulate refuse cover that meets the rule?

Yes. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision stays with the consulate.

Get a certificate that meets the published rule

Tell us your destination, visa, and who’s moving. Our team reviews it against the current requirement and calls you with a quote — no obligation.

Before you request a quote: cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States, and pre-existing conditions are not covered — including conditions you did not know about. We say this up front so a quote is worth your time.

Keep reading

Guides for this move