3.4.1. SELF-CERTIFICATION
A self-certification is a declaration written and signed by the interested party stating facts and personal details, which can be used – by aliens too – when dealing with the civil service and with public offices.
The interested party, with his/her self-certification, declares that what he/she is stating is true and takes civil and criminal liability for that. The self-certifications may be used instead of the traditional certificates.
Private organizations may accept self-certifications but they are not compelled to do so.
Self-certification is allowed to attest: - one’s residence;
- one’s marital status (married or widowed), if the marriage took place in Italy;
- the composition of one’s family if it is verifiable by the Italian authorities;
- one’s condition of being alive;
- the birth of one’s child, relationships in ascending or descending line if verifiable by the Italian authorities;
- one’s membership of rolls, registers or special lists kept by the Italian civil service;
- one’s educational qualifications obtained in Italy;
- one’s professional qualifications obtained in Italy; the professional formation or training courses followed in Italy;
- one’s membership of Italian professional associations;
- one’s annual income, except for applications for a stay card or for family re-union;
- the payment of taxes or contributions and the relative amounts; - one’s tax number and VAT registration number;
- any information included in the files of the Italian tax registry; - that one is unemployed or retired and the amount of the pension;
- that one is a student attending an Italian institute;
- that one acts as a representative of natural or juridical persons, as a tutor or guardian;
- one’s membership of social associations;
- that one has never been convicted for criminal offences in Italy, nor he/she has been the object of initiatives for crime prevention, of legal measures or penalties registered in the criminal records under the existing laws;
- that, as far as one knows, no proceedings have been instituted against him/herself;
- one’s condition of being dependant;
- the information included in the Italian register of births, marriages and deaths;
- that one has not gone bankrupt or into liquidation, nor he/she has applied for a composition with creditors;
- the documents required by the licence registration authority.
3.4.2. DECLARATION SUBSTITUTING THE AFFIDAVIT All the personal conditions, qualities and facts that the interested party knows directly and which cannot be certified by a self- certification, may be attested by a declaration which substitutes the affidavit, excluding the exceptions provided for by the law.
The loss of identity papers or of documents attesting personal qualities and conditions must be proved by the interested party by means of a request for a copy through a declaration substituting the affidavit, except for the cases in which the law provides for a denunciation to the criminal police authorities in order to start the procedure for issuing the copies.
4.
HEALTH
4.1. REGISTRATION IN THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
4.1.1. COMPULSORY REGISTRATION
Article 32 of the Italian Constitution acknowledges health as a
fundamental right of the individual and a concern of the society, and it ensures free medical care to the poor.
Aliens are obliged to register in the National Heath Service, and are equated with Italian citizens, if:
a) they have a valid residence permit and are either regularly working as employees or self-employed persons or are registered in the unemployment list;
b) they have a valid residence permit or have applied for a residence permit for work reasons (employee or self-employed), for family reasons, for political asylum, for humanitarian reasons, for request for refugee status, for expected adoption, for foster care, for acquiring Italian citizenship.
Medical care provided to people whose registration is compulsory is also extended to their dependent family members with regular residence permit, as well as to children under 18 right from birth.
To be registered, the alien must apply to the Local Health Authority (U.S.L.) where he/she officially resides or where he/she actually lives, with the following documents:
- valid residence permit;
- employment card (which has been abolished since 31.01.03); - certificate of residence or statement of hospitality.
If an alien is currently unemployed, he/she must present to the appropriate local health authority his/her:
- valid residence permit; - codice fiscale (tax number);
- certificate of residence or statement of hospitality;
- personal card issued by an employment bureau (Centro per l’Impiego), that states that he/she is registered as a worker in search of employment.
4.1.2. VOLUNTARY REGISTRATION
Aliens who have a residence permit valid for more than three months, but who are not included in the categories subject to compulsory registration, may voluntarily register in the National Health Service. This category of people includes:
- aliens staying in Italy for study;
- aliens regularly staying in Italy as “au pair”, according to the European agreement of Strasbourg ratified and executed under the Act no. 304 of 18 May 1973;
- aliens staying in Italy but not belonging to the categories subject to compulsory registration;
- aliens with a residence permit for religious reasons.
An exception to the above mentioned rule is made for the au pair student or person, who may ask for registration although he/she has a residence permit valid for less than three months; in this case, however, his/her entitlement to medical care is not extended to any relative.
The alien is registered, together with his/her dependent relatives, in the lists of the Local Health Authority which is closer to the place where he/she officially resides or where he/she actually lives (the address written in the residence permit).
If voluntary registration is allowed, the alien must pay the relative fee, take out a special card with his/her own photo from the Questura (top police agency at provincial level) as provided by the Ministry of the Interior (article 7 of the Implementation Rules) and give it to the Local Health Authority, which shall temporarily register him/her issuing him/her a document that certifies such a registration.
This registration is valid – and medical care shall be given – only if a valid residence permit has been shown to the local health authorities. Temporary registration ensures cover of urgent and basic hospital treatments during that period of time.
In case an alien is not even voluntarily registered, he/she is under obligation to take out a health, accident and maternity insurance policy with an Italian or a foreign insurance company.
The registration in the National Health Service is valid for a period of time equivalent to the residence permit, therefore it is no longer valid after the expiration of the residence permit, unless the alien can
exhibit a document showing he/she has already applied for its renewal. The registration is no longer valid in case of revocation or cancellation of the residence permit or in case of expulsion. The appropriate local health authority must be informed of these
measures by the police headquarters, but the alien is still entitled to medical care if he/she lodges an appeal against those measures and provides evidence for that.
After registering in the National Health Service, the alien will be given a health card (tessera sanitaria) which is valid for a period of time equivalent to the residence permit.
The registration gives right to:
- the choice of one’s family doctor or children’s doctor;
- specialist examinations (only on prescription by the family doctor or children’s doctor) except for the following fields: dentistry, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics and ophthalmology. Specialist examination require the payment of an appropriate charge (ticket);
- free hospitalization in public or accredited private hospitals; - support for purchasing medicines.
The following categories are exempt from the payment of specialist examinations and charges, and are required to pay only a small fee:
- unemployed aliens, aliens in search of employment or with dependent relatives;
- children under 6 years of age;
- aliens who receive a non-contributory pension and their dependent relatives;
- aliens who have inadequate economic resources, according to set income brackets.
4.2. MEDICAL CARE PROVIDED TO ALIENS WHO ARE NOT