Healthcare for UK nationals living in Cyprus
How to get state healthcare if you live, work or study in Cyprus.
This guidance will be updated if anything changes to how you get state healthcare in Cyprus.
This information is about living in Cyprus. There’s different guidance if you’re just visiting Cyprus.
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 European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for temporary stays
- registering a UK-issued S1 form with the GHS
Healthcare if you live and work in Cyprus
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 General Healthcare System (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, 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.
How to register
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 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 an EHIC, GHIC 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: using an S1 form in Cyprus
There’s different guidance if you have an S1 as a posted worker.
You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you’re a Cypriot resident and receive a UK State Pension.
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.
If you started living in Cyprus before 1 January 2021, you may also be entitled to an S1 if you receive some other ‘exportable benefits’.
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 EHIC for travel
- planned treatments in other EU countries
Dependants and family members may be classified differently in Cyprus than the UK.
Check with the local authorities when you register your S1 form.
How to get an S1 form
If you have a UK State Pension, you must request an application form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services.
NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 1999
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 9am to 3pm
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.
Studying in Cyprus
You can use an EHIC or GHIC to get medically necessary healthcare until the end of your study period.
Getting treatment in the UK
Some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes UK nationals who started living in the EU before 1 January 2021.
Read more about healthcare when you no longer live in the UK.
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.
Last updated 10 February 2021
