Healthcare for UK nationals living in Cyprus
How to get state healthcare if you live, work or study in Cyprus.
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This guidance will be updated if anything changes to how you get state healthcare in Cyprus.
This information is about living in Cyprus. There are different rules if you’re visiting Cyprus - find out how to get healthcare cover abroad with a UK-issued Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) on the NHS website.
State healthcare in Cyprus is not free. Healthcare costs are covered by both the state and through patient contributions. These are known as co-payments.
Cyprus’s national health service is called the General Healthcare System (GHS).
UK nationals usually access Cypriot healthcare in one of these ways:
- as a UK national working in Cyprus
- using a Cypriot permanent residents’ medical card
- using a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for temporary stays when studying, or as a ‘posted’ (detached) worker
- registering a UK-issued S1 form with the GHS (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Cyprus’ below)
Healthcare if you live and work in Cyprus
If you are planning on moving to Cyprus, see the guidance on Living in Cyprus for more information about visa and residency requirements.
You must show proof of healthcare cover:
- before you can register as a resident
- when you apply for a visa
For details about the healthcare cover required for residency applications, contact local authorities in Cyprus or the appropriate Cypriot embassy or consulate in the UK.
You must register as a Cypriot resident if you’re living or working in Cyprus for more than 3 months.
If you’re working in Cyprus, you must also register with the Cyprus Social Insurance Services and pay healthcare contributions.
Once you’re a resident, you can register with a Cypriot doctor through the GHS. You must be registered with both the GHS and a doctor to access state healthcare in Cyprus.
Once you’re registered with the GHS, you’ll be able to access state healthcare services.
You may need a referral from your doctor or a specialist for certain services.
If you’re on a low income, receive certain benefits or have an S1 (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Cyprus’ below), you can apply for a medical card. A medical card means your co-payments will be lower or free when you access state healthcare services.
You cannot use your EHIC in Cyprus once you’re a resident.
If you’re registered for healthcare as a worker or a permanent resident, you may be entitled to a Cypriot EHIC for travel, including visits to the UK.
You may also have the right to apply for a UK S1 if you start drawing a UK State Pension (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Cyprus’ below).
How to register for healthcare
You first need to register as a resident.
Create an account with the GHS. You can either register online through the GHS Beneficiary Portal, or in person with your doctor.
Once you have a GHS account you must register with a GHS-listed doctor.
How to access healthcare services
Find your nearest hospital or clinic on the Gesy website.
How much you’ll pay
State healthcare in Cyprus is not free. You may have to pay some of the cost of any treatment or service, for example:
- 1 euro for a prescribed medicine or medical product
- 6 euros to see a specialist with a referral from your GP
- 25 euros to see a specialist without a referral from your GP
- 10 euros to go to A&E
Depending on your age, you’ll get a number of free visits with your registered GP each year. Your GP can tell you how many visits you’re entitled to.
Once you’ve used up your free GP visits, you’ll pay up to 15 euros per visit.
If you have a medical card, your co-payments are less.
If your UK employer has sent you to Cyprus temporarily (‘posted workers’)
A posted worker, also known as a ‘detached worker’, is someone employed or self-employed in the UK, but temporarily sent to a European Economic Area (EEA) country.
UK posted workers can access healthcare in Cyprus using a GHIC, EHIC or S1 form.
HMRC has a helpline for National Insurance enquiries from non-UK residents. They can answer questions about posted worker status and explain which documents you’ll need to get healthcare while posted.
UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Cyprus
There’s different guidance if you have an S1 as a posted worker (see ‘If your UK employer has sent you to Cyprus temporarily (‘posted workers’)’ above).
You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you’re a resident in Cyprus and receive a UK State Pension or an exportable benefit. See Planning your healthcare abroad on the NHS website for more information about eligibility.
You may also be entitled to an S1 form if you’re a frontier worker (someone who works in one state and lives in another). You must contact HMRC National Insurance enquiries to find out if you’re eligible.
Not all UK benefits that can be claimed while abroad entitle you to UK-funded healthcare. Read more about claiming benefits if you move abroad or contact Jobcentre Plus to ask about a benefit.
Once you have an S1 form, you must register it with the GHS.
This will mean you and your dependants will be entitled to healthcare in Cyprus on the same basis as an insured Cypriot citizen.
You’ll also get:
- a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for travel
- planned treatments in other EU countries
You can find out more about using your GHIC or EHIC abroad and the rules on planned treatments in other EU countries on the NHS website.
Dependants and family members may be classified differently in Cyprus than the UK.
Check with the local authorities when you register your S1 form.
If you’re entitled to an S1 form as a dependant of a State Pensioner, your health cover will be cancelled once you begin claiming your UK State Pension.
You will be sent a new S1 form to your registered address from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services. You must register this form to ensure continuation of healthcare cover.
You are responsible for informing NHS Overseas Healthcare Services if you change your address or your circumstances change.
NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 1999
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 9am to 3pm
How to get an S1 form
If you have a UK State Pension or another qualifying exportable benefit, you must request an application form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services (see contact details above).
How to use an S1 form in Cyprus
You must get an S1 form, then register with the GHS. You can either register online, or through your local doctor.
Watch the video to find out how to register for Cypriot healthcare as an S1 holder.
Once registered, you will be issued with a Cypriot medical card. This will mean you’re entitled to reduced co-payments for state healthcare on the same basis as a Cypriot citizen.
Show your medical card when you visit a doctor.
If you are experiencing delays registering your S1 with local authorities and require emergency or urgent treatment, contact the Overseas Healthcare Services on 0044 191 218 1999.
Studying in Cyprus
You should apply for a Student GHIC to get medically necessary, state-provided healthcare for the duration of your study period in Cyprus, whether this is for part or all of your course. This means that you’ll get necessary healthcare services on the same basis as a Cypriot either for free or at a reduced cost.
If you already hold a valid Student EHIC you can use this until the card expires.
Read more about eligibility and how to apply on the NHS website.
Getting treatment in the UK
Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis may lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare.
If you are a UK national and move to the EU, you should not expect to be able to use NHS services for free when visiting the UK unless you have an EHIC, PRC or S2 to show your healthcare costs are funded by the EU country in which you now live, or another exemption applies.
Some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes:
- UK war pensioners
- UK government employees
- UK nationals living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020, once they have a registered, UK-issued S1
Read more about using the NHS when you no longer live in the UK (see ‘UK nationals who no longer live in the UK’ in Healthcare for visitors to the UK from the EU).
If you return to live in the UK you’ll be able to use the NHS like any other UK resident.
Read more about using the NHS when you return to live in the UK.
Updates to this page
Last updated 14 October 2021 + show all updates
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Updated 'Healthcare if you live and work in Cyprus' to include information about how to find your nearest hospital or clinic. Updated 'UK-funded healthcare' to include information for S1 dependants who begin claiming a UK State Pension, and guidance for S1 holders who are experiencing delays in registering their S1. Updated 'Studying in Cyprus' to include more information on Student GHIC and Student EHIC cards. Updated 'Getting treatment in the UK' to provide additional detail about NHS access when visiting the UK.
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Updated 'posted worker' section as Cyprus has confirmed posted workers can continue working and accessing state healthcare in Cyprus, and added detail to ‘getting treatment in the UK’ section about healthcare when you no longer live in the UK.
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Updated sections on living and working in Cyprus, using an S1 form in Cyprus, posted workers and studying in Cyprus. Changes reflect healthcare arrangements for people moving to Cyprus under the new rules of the UK’s deal with the EU.
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Updated 2 sections: ‘Healthcare if you’re using an S1 form in Cyprus' and ‘Healthcare if you’re studying in Cyprus’. Students and people with a registered S1 in Cyprus can now apply for a new UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that will remain valid from 1 January 2021.
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First published.