Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.
The rule in writing
“The elective residence visa is widely handled to the €30,000 Schengen insurance standard — hospitalisation and repatriation cover for the full visa year — though published consulate checklists vary: some ask for cover of 100% of medical expenses, and requirements differ by consulate.”
Based on: Official esteri.it consulate checklists (Chicago, Boston et al., which vary) & widely-applied Schengen standard — Last verified:
The rule in writing
“A health policy structured for residence is the safe submission for the elective residence visa: consulate checklists vary, and applicants report refusals over travel-grade policies. Cover should be valid in Italy and the Schengen area for the full year.”
Based on: Official esteri.it consulate checklists (varying) & documented ERV applicant reports — 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 (widely-applied €30,000 standard)
- 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
The NHS and your move to Italy
NHS entitlement is based on living in the UK, so it does not cover you once you take up residence in Italy. A GHIC or EHIC is designed for necessary care on temporary stays; it is not residence cover and is not what the visa file asks for.
Since Brexit, UK citizens staying in Italy beyond the short-stay window need a long-stay visa. For non-working movers and retirees, that is typically the elective residence visa, and insurance sits inside that visa file from the start. Retirees weighing the route in detail may also want our retirement visa insurance guide.
What Italian consulates look for
The elective residence visa is widely handled to the Schengen €30,000 standard, hospitalisation and repatriation for the full visa year, though published consulate checklists vary and some ask for cover of 100% of medical expenses instead. A policy built for residence, not travel, is the safer submission: checklists differ by consulate and applicants report refusals over travel-grade policies, so cover should be valid across Italy and the Schengen area for the full year.
Consulates commonly expect zero deductible in year one, and you should keep the insurance certificate for the questura (police headquarters) stage when you apply for your permesso di soggiorno after arrival. Our guide to visa insurance rejection reasons and the Italian healthcare system overview cover this in more depth.
What we arrange for UK movers
We start certificate-first: a specialist confirms the exact wording your consulate expects before you buy, so you are not guessing at policy language. Plans carry annual limits from US$1,000,000 to US$2,000,000, same-day cover with no medical exam, and a 14-day cooling-off period, with one flat rate per plan for children aged 0 to 17.
Pre-existing conditions are excluded and treatment in the United States is not covered. New applicants are accepted up to age 70 (Essential plan up to 80), which matters for retirees on the elective residence route. Cover sits with one insurer across all eight destinations we cover, so it moves with you if you relocate within them. See expat health insurance in Italy and real Italy insurance prices by age, or go straight to a quote or the visa insurance checklist.
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.