Healthcare for UK nationals living in Greece
How to get state healthcare if you live, work or study in Greece.
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This guidance will be updated if anything changes to how you get state healthcare in Greece.
This information is about living in Greece. There are different rules if you’re visiting Greece - 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 Greece is not completely free. You may still have to pay to use some parts of the healthcare system.
UK nationals usually access the Greek healthcare system in one of these ways:
- paying national insurance contributions if you’re registered to work in Greece
- using a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for temporary stays when studying, or as a ‘posted’ (detached) worker
- registering a UK-issued S1 form in Greece (see ‘UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Greece’ below)
Healthcare if you live and work in Greece
If you are planning on moving to Greece, see the guidance on Living in Greece 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 Greece or the appropriate Greek embassy or consulate in the UK.
You must register as a resident if you want to stay in Greece for more than 3 months.
If you’re employed or self-employed in Greece, you’ll have to register with the Greek authorities and get a social insurance number.
Once you’re registered to work in Greece and make social insurance contributions, you’ll be entitled to state-run healthcare on the same basis as a Greek citizen.
Public healthcare in Greece is run by the Greek National Organisation for Healthcare Services Provision (EOPYY). The EOPYY website (in Greek only) has information on:
- how to access healthcare
- EOPYY’s local offices that cover all Greek regions
- EOPYY-contracted doctors
For non-emergency hospital appointments, you need a referral from an EOPYY doctor, health centre or local health unit (TOMY).
Once you’re a resident, you may be entitled to a Greek 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 Greece’ below).
If you are not working and do not have a registered S1 form, you’ll have to take out private health insurance.
How to register for healthcare
Social insurance is called AMKA in Greek. You can get an AMKA number through your local citizens service centre or KEP office (website in Greek).
Once you’ve got your AMKA, you must register online with EOPYY (website in Greek). This will give you access to state healthcare services on the same basis as a Greek citizen.
How to access healthcare services
Find your nearest hospital or clinic on the MOH.GOV website (Greek language website).
How much you’ll pay
If you’re registered with EOPYY, you can see an EOPYY doctor for free or at a reduced cost.
Treatment in a state hospital is free if you’ve been referred by an EOPYY doctor or health centre.
You’ll pay around 25% of the cost of prescriptions, depending on the medicine. You may be able to get free or reduced cost medication, for example if you have a chronic illness.
If you go to a private clinic contracted with EOPYY, only part of the cost is covered by the state. You’ll need to make a co-payment towards the cost of your treatment.
If your UK employer has sent you to Greece 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 Greece 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 will need to get healthcare while posted.
UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in Greece
There’s different guidance if you have an S1 as a ‘posted worker’ (see ‘If your UK employer has sent you to Greece temporarily (‘posted workers’)’ above).
You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you’re a resident in Greece 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 on the Greek system.
This will mean you and your dependants will be entitled to state healthcare in Greece on the same basis as an insured Greek 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 Greece 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 Greece
You’ll need to register as a resident then get a Greek social insurance (AMKA) number through your local citizens service centre or KEP office (website in Greek).
Once you’ve got your AMKA, you can register your S1 form with the Greek National Organisation for Healthcare Services Provision (EOPYY, website in Greek).
This will mean you’re entitled to access state healthcare on the same basis as a Greek citizen.
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 Greece
You should apply for a Student GHIC to get medically necessary, state-provided healthcare for the duration of your study period in Greece, 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 Greek citizen 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 21 October 2021 + show all updates
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Updated 'Healthcare if you live and work in Greece' 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 Greece' 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 Greece has confirmed posted workers can continue working and accessing state healthcare in Greece, 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 Greece, using an S1 form in Greece, posted workers and studying in Greece. Changes reflect healthcare arrangements for people moving to Greece 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 Greece' and ‘Healthcare if you’re studying in Greece’. Students and people with a registered S1 in Greece 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.