Private health insurance for the Italian Elective Residence Visa

Yes. Our policy provides unlimited medical coverage for new conditions, well above the €30,000 consulate minimum. It includes hospitalisation, medical repatriation, repatriation of mortal remains, and is valid throughout the Schengen Area. The certificate is signed and stamped, available in English and Italian, and ready to download immediately after signup.

Both. While many people first come to Feather for the ERV application, our policies are designed to renew each year alongside your permesso di soggiorno. ERV holders don't have automatic access to the SSN, so private insurance is often the primary coverage for years after arrival.

If your visa is denied, this will happen before your planned arrival in Italy, and therefore before your policy start date.

You can simply cancel the policy in one click from your Feather account, and you’ll be fully refunded automatically.

Refunds usually arrive within 2-10 working days, depending on your bank.

Just before your consulate appointment is usually best. You can set the coverage start date for any future date, so it lines up with your planned arrival in Italy.

Yes — the same certificate works for both your consulate visa application and your permesso di soggiorno application at the Questura.

No — you can sign up before you arrive in Italy. No codice fiscale or Italian address required.

If you are already in Italy at the moment when you purchase the policy, a 31-day waiting period applies.

During this period emergencies are covered and the insurance is still valid for visa/residence applications. After 31 days, the full coverage kicks in.

The waiting period can be waived if you can show proof of an insurance that has equivalent or broader coverage before without any gap in coverage.

In a medical emergency:

1. Call 112 for immediate assistance in Italy
2. Seek treatment at the nearest emergency facility
3. Keep your medical documents and receipts

You can later submit your claim digitally through your Feather account.

For non-urgent questions, our English-speaking support team can guide you on next steps.

Pre-existing conditions are not covered. Any illness, symptoms, or treatments that existed before your policy start date won't be reimbursed. This is standard across expat health insurance policies and has no impact on your visa eligibility: the insurance is still fully accepted for ERV applications. If you have a significant pre-existing condition, we recommend talking to our team before signing up so we can walk through your specific situation.

Voluntary SSN enrolment costs a minimum of around €2,000 a year (scaling with income) and gives you access to Italy's public health system, including GPs and public hospitals. It doesn't cover dental, routine vision, or care outside Italy, and specialist wait times can be long.

A Feather private policy gives you faster access to specialists, free choice of public or private doctors, English-speaking support, and validity throughout the Schengen Area. Many ERV holders keep private insurance alongside or instead of voluntary SSN. The right choice depends on your priorities: cost vs. speed of access, public hospitals vs. choice of doctor, Italy-only vs. Schengen-wide.

This Feather policy is valid for your first five years in Italy and renews seamlessly each year alongside your permesso. If you plan to stay beyond five years, get in touch with our team before the end of year five and we'll help you transition to a policy designed for long-term residents.

Each family member needs their own individual policy, but you can manage them all from a single Feather account by using the same email address during signup. This makes renewals and claims easier to track for couples and families applying for the ERV together.

Yes. Even with monthly payment, your certificate clearly shows continuous cover. This format is fully accepted by Italian consulates and prefectures for ERV applications. If you prefer to pay upfront for 12 months, our team can arrange this.