I want to understand the tessera sanitaria. Am I correct that the free tessera sanitaria (Italian health card) is issued only temporarily while you are awaiting a residence permit (permesso di soggiorno)? Or can you also obtain it free on a permanent basis after receiving the residence permit?
Detailed analysis of the topic: Permesso di soggiorno 2026: how to obtain it for the first time
Two different tessere are getting mixed up here. The tessera provvisoria is the most temporary one — they give it when you only have a ricevuta and no plastic card. They say: „register your residence, get your residence permit — then come ask for the proper one.“ Once you have the residence permit in hand, you go and get the permanent one; it’s issued not by calendar year but for the duration of the residence permit itself. Whether it’s free or not depends on the reason/ground. For lavoro dipendente (employment) it’s provided by law without extra fees. For lavoro autonomo (self-employment) it’s also free, because you pay taxes on your activity in Italy and those taxes partly go to healthcare.
Thanks, that’s clearer now. So if I have a residence permit for self-employment (lavoro autonomo), I go and get the permanent tessera issued free of charge, and its validity will match the residence permit’s validity, right?