The prescription for blood tests: how long it lasts and when you do not need one

To have blood tests through the national health service you need a doctor’s prescription, which many people call the impegnativa. Here is who writes it, how long it lasts in your region, whether to print it and how to get tested without one.

What the impegnativa is and who writes it

Impegnativa and ricetta are the same thing: the doctor’s request for tests or visits through the national health service. With the prescription you pay a co-payment, the ticket: less, or nothing, if an exemption covers those tests.

Your GP or your child’s paediatrician writes it. A national health service specialist can write one too, for example after a visit.

One prescription holds up to 8 tests of the same branch. Blood tests all belong to the same branch, the laboratory: if you need more, the doctor writes more prescriptions.

The doctor can mark a priority letter on the prescription: U urgent, B short, D deferrable, P plannable. It says how soon the test should be done, and in some regions it also changes how long the prescription lasts.

How long a blood test prescription lasts

Across Italy a prescription for tests and visits lasts at most 180 days, about six months, from the date the doctor writes it. Regions can set shorter limits.

What counts is the day you book, not the day of the draw. If you book before it expires, the prescription stays valid even if the test is later.

If your lab works without bookings and you just walk in, go before the prescription expires.

Once the prescription has expired you can no longer use it: ask your doctor to write a new one.

The date to count from is printed on the prescription. If in doubt, ask the booking centre (CUP) or the lab before you go.

How long it lasts in your region

The rules vary from region to region, and they have changed often in the last two years. Here are the ones we checked:

Rules checked on the regions’ websites on 20 October 2026. They can change: before you book, check your region’s or your local health authority’s (ASL) website.
WhereHow long it lastsSince when
All of ItalyAt most 180 days. Regions can set shorter limits.Prescriptions written from 30 December 2024.
Lombardy180 days. With priority U 10 days, with priority B 30 days.U and B: prescriptions written from 15 September 2026. The 180 days: since 1 October 2023.
LazioBlood tests: 180 days. First visits and first-access tests: 10 to 130 days, by priority.Since 1 February 2026.
Province of TrentoBy priority: U 5 days, B 10, D 30. With priority P or no priority, 180 days.Prescriptions written from 1 July 2025.
Other regionsAt most 180 days, sometimes less.Check your region’s website, ask the CUP or ask your doctor.

Does the electronic prescription need to be printed?

Today the prescription is almost always electronic. The doctor records it in the system and gives you a code, the electronic prescription number or NRE.

The sheet the doctor prints for you is only a reminder. The real prescription is the one recorded in the system.

To book you need the prescription number and your tax code (codice fiscale), or your health card. Some facilities still ask for the sheet: if in doubt, bring it.

If you have lost it, you can view and print the reminder on the Sistema Tessera Sanitaria website, with the prescription number and your health card. You often find it in your region’s health record (fascicolo sanitario) too.

The electronic prescription for tests is valid across Italy, so you can use it in another region too. Ask the CUP of the region where you get tested what you will pay.

Blood tests without a prescription

Without a prescription you can have blood tests at a private lab. For most tests you need nothing: you choose the tests, pay and have your blood drawn.

You pay the lab’s full price: no ticket, and exemptions do not apply.

Some public facilities also run tests without a prescription, for a fee. Ask your ASL.

A few special tests, like genetic tests, still need a doctor’s request.

Where and how to get tested without a prescription

With or without a prescription, side by side

The ticket and exemptions vary from region to region.
WhatWith a prescriptionWithout a prescription
Who chooses the testsThe doctor.You, or the lab with a package.
What you payA co-payment, the ticket, of up to €36.15 per prescription; the rules vary a little by region. Free or reduced with an exemption, for the tests it covers.The lab’s full price.
WherePublic facilities and accredited private labs.Private labs, and some public facilities for a fee.
What you bringThe prescription number and your health card.An ID.

With Rosa you do not need a prescription

Rosa does not go through the national health service, so you do not need a prescription from your GP. This is how it works:

You pay €295 a year for two draws, not the ticket. National health service exemptions do not apply to Rosa.

Worth reading before the draw

Frequently asked questions

How long does a blood test prescription last? At most 180 days from the date the doctor writes it. Some regions have shorter limits, often tied to the priority letter. What counts is the day you book, not the day of the draw.

Does the electronic prescription need to be printed? The sheet is not the prescription: it is only a reminder, and the real prescription is in the system. To book you need the prescription number (NRE) and your tax code. Some facilities still ask for the sheet, so bring it if you can.

How many blood tests fit on one prescription? Up to 8 tests of the same branch. Blood tests all belong to the laboratory branch, so for more than 8 tests you need more prescriptions, each with its own ticket.

Can I use the prescription in another region? Yes, the electronic prescription for tests is valid across Italy. Ask the CUP of the region where you get tested what you will pay.

What happens if the prescription expires? You can no longer use it to book. Ask your doctor for a new one.

Can I have blood tests without a prescription? Yes, at a private lab, paying the full price. Some public facilities also run them for a fee. With Rosa you do not need a prescription: Rosa prepares the request.

Get tested with Rosa, no prescription needed

Rosa prepares the test request: you book in the app, print the form and sign it. 31 tests in the first draw, every value explained and a doctor who approves your report. €295 a year.

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