Foreigners who are in particularly serious health conditions and for whom returning to the country of origin or provenance would constitute a serious health risks cannot be expelled from the country (art. 19 Decree 286/1998). In this case, it is possible to apply for a residence permit for medical treatment (permesso di soggiorno per cure mediche). The application shall be filed directly at the Police Office and requires submission of a medical certificate (issued by a public hospital or private hospital accredited by the national health system) specifying that:
- the medical diagnosis and type of illness;
- the illness is particularly serious;
- the medical treatment cannot be carried out in in the applicant’s country or that returning to the country of origin or provenance could cause serious harm to the applicant’s health;
- the projected length of the treatment and of hospitalization.
The permit is issued for maximum one year and it is renewable if the medical conditions continue to be in place.
