Italian National Health Service for Italian Citizens living abroad
Italian citizens living abroad must register themselves at the local Italian consulate in the Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero- AIRE (register of Italian citizens living abroad). This registration will determine removal from the Anagrafe della Popolazione Residente -APR (register of the city or town where the citizen was residing in Italy) and also automatic removal from the Italian National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale), as it is assumed these citizens will be enrolled in the healthcare programs provided by their new country of residence.
However, when an Italian citizen living abroad returns to Italy for a visit, he or she is entitled to services provided by the public healthcare facilities in the location of the visit, as well as hospital-based urgent care centers (the urgent care limitation seeks to discourage those who would arrange trips to Italy in order to obtain routine hospital services).
Only in cases where a citizen resides in a country that shares reciprocal healthcare agreements with Italy can the citizen utilize the healthcare services of one country and have those services covered by the Italian National Health Service. Italy and the United States, for example, have no such reciprocal agreement.
Therefore, a US citizen who obtains Italian dual citizenship, but continues to reside in the United States, is not entitled to Italian coverage of healthcare services rendered in the US. Dual citizens visiting Italy, however, are entitled to urgent care from local healthcare services (for a maximum period of 90 days).