Before you start

Residence registered with the comune, or a valid permesso and an address
Codice fiscale
Permesso di soggiorno or its receipt, for non-EU nationals
Proof of income, for voluntary registration

Step-by-step

1
Work out whether your registration is free or paid
Employees, the self-employed, their families and several permit categories register at no cost. Students, elective residents and others outside those categories pay the annual voluntary contribution.
In personWho: YouWeek 2–4
2
Register at the ASL Città di Torino district office
Take your documents to the district counter for your address and choose a medico di medicina generale from the local list. Ask specifically about practices with evening surgeries if you work full-time.
In personWho: You
3
Pay the voluntary contribution if it applies
Since the 2024 budget law it is calculated on the previous year's worldwide income at 7.5% on a first band and 4% above it, with minimums of €700 for students, €1,200 for au pairs and €2,000 for most adults. It expires on 31 December whenever you pay.
In personWho: You
4
Collect the tessera sanitaria
The health card carries your codice fiscale and doubles as the European Health Insurance Card. It is posted to your registered address.
OnlineWho: You
5
Learn the regional booking system
Piedmont's CUP takes the prescription code from your GP by phone, online or at pharmacy counters. Waits vary by specialty and by facility, and asking for the earliest slot anywhere in the region rather than the nearest one is normal practice.
OnlineWho: You
6
Take the winter air seriously if you or your children have asthma
Register with a GP early and discuss it rather than waiting for a bad week. Piedmont publishes daily particulate readings and alert levels, and adjusting outdoor exercise around them is a normal local behaviour rather than an overreaction.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Codice fiscale
Permesso di soggiorno or filing receipt
Certificate of residence or self-declared address
Employment contract or proof of self-employment
Proof of previous year's income, for the voluntary contribution

Things most newcomers don’t know

Turin's winter air quality is a documented health issue and it should shape where you live in the city.

The western Po basin is enclosed by the Alps on three sides, and winter inversions trap pollutants for weeks at a time — Turin regularly records among the highest particulate and nitrogen dioxide concentrations in western Europe. Piedmont publishes daily readings and raises graduated traffic restrictions when thresholds are exceeded. For anyone with asthma or small children, the difference between a flat on a main arterial and one in the hills above the Po is real and measurable, and it is worth more than a bedroom.

Source: Regione Piemonte; ARPA Piemonte

The voluntary SSN contribution stopped being a flat €387.34 on 1 January 2024.

The 2024 budget law replaced the flat fee with an income-based charge — 7.5% on a first band, 4% above — with minimums of €2,000 for most adults, €700 for students and €1,200 for au pairs. Elective residents and postgraduate students are the two groups hit hardest, and both routinely budget from pre-2024 pages that are still online.

Source: Ministry of Health; 2024 budget law

The contribution expires on 31 December however late you pay it.

It is a calendar-year charge that does not pro-rate, so registering in October buys ten weeks. Counters routinely advise non-EU students to pay two consecutive years at once so that a single academic year is genuinely covered. Anyone planning around an academic or contract year rather than a calendar year needs to do this arithmetic first.

Source: Ministry of Health

The medico di base is a genuine gatekeeper and you can change them at any time.

Nothing in the Italian public system moves without a prescription from your assigned GP — no blood test, no scan, no specialist. The difference between a doctor with evening surgeries near your flat and one across the city with two hours of walk-in a week is enormous. Changing is a counter formality at the ASL that takes minutes, and most people never learn that the assignment is not fixed.

Source: Regione Piemonte

Common mistakes to avoid

Budgeting the pre-2024 flat contribution of €387.34.
Paying the voluntary contribution in autumn and losing most of it at year end.
Choosing a flat on a busy arterial without considering the winter air.
Letting SSN registration lapse while the permesso is renewed.
Accepting the first CUP appointment without asking for the earliest in the region.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.