Continuing an Italian accident claim after returning home
You are home, but treatment is continuing. The Italian hospital has one part of the medical history; your local doctor has another. The practical task is to connect those records and agree how the claim will move forward, without booking unnecessary travel or losing track of a deadline.
Avv. Luca Valente · 14 October 2026
English · Deutsch
Start with a handover, not another full account of the accident
If your vehicle is also returning home, check inspection and overseas repair arrangements before it moves. If a file is already open, put its reference on subsequent correspondence and confirm who is handling it. Explain that you have returned home, give your current contact details and state whether treatment is continuing. Keep a record of what has already been supplied, so that the next person handling the file does not have to guess.
- ContactWho holds the file?
Confirm the company, handler, reference and correspondence channel.
- EvidenceWhat is still missing?
Separate records already requested from appointments that have not yet happened.
- Next stepWhat happens next?
Record who will act, what they need and which dates require attention.
A claims representative in your country may be available for a qualifying cross-border accident. The European Commission explains the route after returning home. Availability depends on the relevant arrangements; it is not universal. Consap lists appointments abroad, including certain voluntary arrangements outside the EEA. For the full routing distinctions, use who should receive your claim.
Give the medical history a continuous timeline
Bring the Italian discharge documents and test results to the clinician treating you at home. Ask the Italian provider how to obtain any missing records or imaging. Continue necessary care on clinical advice; an insurance reply is not a treatment plan.
- The Italian treatment
- Date, provider, examination or procedure, and the original record. Identify any attachment still missing.
- The treatment at home
- Follow-up dates, referrals, reports, prescriptions and rehabilitation records, kept in their original language.
- A change in symptoms
- When it was reported and to whom. Your own dated note can help explain the sequence but does not replace a clinical finding.
- The next appointment
- Date, provider and the document expected afterwards. Mark it as pending rather than presenting the file as complete.
Example: the Italian discharge note says ten days, but treatment lasts longer
Keep the original note and add the later examinations in date order. Do not alter the first document to match what happened afterwards. Ask the treating clinician to record the findings at the follow-up appointment; let the medical assessment address the recovery period supported by the full history.
This is an illustrative example. A longer course of treatment does not automatically establish a particular period or percentage of compensable impairment.
The European Commission’s patient guidance (PDF) discusses access to medical records and continuity of care. For accident photographs, police records and the CAI, use the separate evidence collection guide.
Before paying for translations, ask what is needed
Send an index of the available documents to the person handling the claim and ask which records need translating, into which language, and whether a particular form of translation is required. Requirements for an insurer’s assessment and for court proceedings may differ. A demand to translate “the medical file” needs clarifying if the file contains repeated appointment confirmations as well as substantive reports.
Establish the scope and cost before commissioning the work. Include translation costs in your budget unless reimbursement has been established.
An assessment request is not the same as a treatment appointment
The treating doctor manages your care. A medical assessment for the claim addresses different questions, including the injury’s connection with the accident, the recovery period and any lasting effects. The treating records support that assessment; they do not necessarily settle every question about compensation.
- Purpose
- Who requests it, who will conduct it, and which questions need answering?
- Location
- Is a suitable local assessment being proposed or accepted? If travel is requested, what arrangements and alternatives have been considered?
- Documents
- Which records or imaging must be available beforehand, and in what language?
- Costs
- Who is expected to pay the examination, translation and travel costs? Obtain the proposed arrangement in writing.
Living abroad does not, by itself, establish a right to have every examination locally or by video. Equally, do not book a return journey merely because an unexplained appointment notice arrives. Reply promptly, identify any practical or medical difficulty and seek clarification of a workable arrangement.
Can I simply decline the insurer’s examination?
Do not ignore the request. Article 148(3) of the Italian Insurance Code provides for suspension of the offer timetable if the injured person refuses examinations strictly necessary to assess the damage. IVASS discusses the limited statutory grounds for suspension and interruption (PDF).
Whether a particular examination is necessary, and whether the proposed arrangements are appropriate, needs individual assessment. Explain a difficulty rather than leaving the request unanswered; obtain advice before refusing.
Send updates that show what has changed
After a significant appointment or a request for further documents, send a concise update through the agreed channel. List the new material, the period it covers and what remains outstanding. Retain the message, its attachments and delivery evidence. Use a secure method agreed with the recipient for medical documents.
A practical cover note for an update
Since my last update, [appointment or relevant development]. I am supplying [document names and dates]. The following remain outstanding: [items]. My next appointment is [date, if known]. Please confirm receipt and identify any specific further information required.
This is an administrative cover note, not a formal claim or a notice intended to interrupt prescription. Do not use it as a substitute for a legally necessary step.
Keep expenses and earnings evidence alongside the clinical history, but separate their totals. A course of treatment, its cost and time away from work answer different questions: see injuries, expenses and lost earnings.
When you need help coordinating the next step
If an offer arrives while treatment continues, check what the proposed settlement would close before agreeing to it.
In an initial enquiry, give your country of residence, the accident date, who is handling the file and the practical issue: missing records, translation, a proposed examination or an approaching deadline. Use the contact form and wait for document-handling instructions before supplying medical records.
General information for accidents in Italy. The applicable law, assessment arrangements and recoverable costs depend on the case. An enquiry does not create a professional engagement or mean that a deadline has been accepted.