Moving to Cyprus
Healthcare & GeSY, Explained
Cyprus has universal healthcare, and it is one of the best-kept secrets of moving here. Here is how GeSY works, what you pay, and how to get registered.
Cyprus has universal healthcare, and it is one of the best-kept secrets of moving here. Here is how GeSY works, what you pay, and how to get registered.
GeSY (Γενικό Σύστημα Υγείας, the General Healthcare System or GHS) is Cyprus's universal health system. It launched in 2019 for outpatient care and has covered hospital care too since 2020. It is run by the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) and funded by income-based contributions rather than insurance premiums, so what you pay depends on what you earn, not on your health.
Coverage is broad: your personal doctor (GP), specialists, hospital treatment, medicines, lab tests, nurses and midwives, allied health professionals, and more. You choose your own doctors from any provider in the system, public or private, which is rarer in Europe than you might think.
Set by the GHS law and charged at these full rates since 1 March 2020. Taken from official HIO figures.
| Who | Rate | On what |
|---|---|---|
| Employees (public and private sector) | 2.65% | Their salary |
| Employers | 2.90% | Each employee's salary |
| Self-employed | 4.00% | Their remuneration |
| Pensioners | 2.65% | Their pension |
| Income earners (rent, interest, dividends) | 2.65% | That income |
| The state | 4.70% | On top, for everyone |
Contributions are payable on a maximum of €180,000 of annual income per person. Non-tax-residents contribute only on income arising in Cyprus, excluding dividends and interest. Worked example: on a €30,000 salary you pay €795 a year (€66 a month) and you are covered.
Seeing your personal doctor in normal hours is free up to a yearly number of visits set by age: for adults 4 a year from 18 to 40, 6 from 41 to 50, 8 from 51 to 64 and 10 from 65, and for children between 3 and 10 visits a year depending on age. Elsewhere, small fixed co-payments apply (official HIO amounts).
| Service | You pay |
|---|---|
| Visit to your personal doctor (GP), within the yearly allowance | Free |
| Personal doctor visit after the yearly allowance | up to €15.00 |
| Doctor visit on a weekday night (20:00 to 07:00), at a weekend or on a public holiday | up to €25.00 |
| Specialist with a GP referral | €6.00 |
| Per prescribed medicine | €1.00 |
| Per lab test (max €10 per category) | €1.00 |
| Visit to a nurse or midwife | €6.00 |
| Radiology / diagnostic imaging service | €10.00 |
| Visit to allied health professionals (physio etc.) | €10.00 |
| A&E (accident and emergency) visit | €10.00 |
| Specialist without a GP referral (Personal Contribution I) | €25.00 |
| Inpatient hospital care | No co-payment |
Co-payments are capped per year: €150 for most people, €75 for low-income pensioners, Guaranteed Minimum Income recipients and children under 21. After the cap, co-payments stop; the €25 charge for skipping a referral and the extra charges for doctor visits beyond the allowance or out of hours are separate. Women aged 15 and over can see a gynaecologist without a referral, paying the €6 specialist co-payment rather than €25.
EU citizens employed in Cyprus qualify, as do MEU1 holders who work here or hold an S1 from their home country, and MEU3 (permanent residence) holders. Register once, and your spouse, minor children and dependent children under 26 can join as dependants.
Non-EU nationals who are ordinarily resident in the Republic-controlled areas (where you actually live, your income source and family ties all count) can register if they work legally and pay into Social Insurance, or if they hold a permanent residence permit such as Category F or Regulation 6(2). Recognised refugees and people with subsidiary protection qualify too. If you qualify through permanent residence, your spouse and children need permanent residence of their own.
British state pensioners resident in Cyprus can register a UK-issued S1 form: the Ministry of Health issues a white medical card, you then enrol with GeSY, and the UK pays for your care, which you use on the same terms as an insured Cypriot. Whether the 2.65% GeSY contribution on your pension is also waived is a tax question: Cypriot guidance exempts S1 holders insured in another EEA country or Switzerland but does not yet name UK S1 holders, so confirm with the Tax Department before you file.
Visitors: EU and UK travellers can use an EHIC or GHIC card for necessary state healthcare during a stay. It is not a substitute for travel insurance, and at a private clinic you pay the full cost up front. Check the card is in date before you fly.
Cyprus has a large private healthcare sector, and one of GeSY's quiet strengths is that many private hospitals and specialists are inside the system, so "public" care often happens in a private clinic. Some residents still keep private health insurance for faster elective treatment, wider hospital choice or cover before their GeSY eligibility starts. If you are moving here, the sensible pattern is: private cover for the gap between arrival and GeSY registration, then decide whether to keep it.
Sources: Health Insurance Organisation (gesy.org.cy) official contribution and co-payment tables, eligibility rules and the 2019 co-payment decree, plus the Ministry of Health and the Tax Department. Rules change and individual cases differ, so treat this as a map, not legal advice. Last checked October 2026.
Right documents, right order, no gap in cover from the day you land. Tell us your situation and we will map your route.
Very nearly. Under GeSY, visits to your personal doctor in normal hours are free up to a yearly number that depends on your age, and inpatient hospital care has no co-payment. Small fixed charges apply elsewhere, such as €1 per prescribed medicine, €6 for a specialist you are referred to and €10 for an A&E visit, and co-payments are capped at €150 a year for most people.
GeSY is Cyprus's universal health system, the General Healthcare System or GHS. It launched in 2019 for outpatient care, has covered hospital care too since 2020, and is run by the Health Insurance Organisation. It is funded by income-based contributions rather than insurance premiums, so what you pay depends on what you earn, not on your health.
Employees pay 2.65% of salary, employers 2.90%, self-employed people 4% and pensioners 2.65%, with contributions payable on a maximum of €180,000 of annual income. On a €30,000 salary you pay €795 a year, about €66 a month, and you are covered.
Yes. British state pensioners resident in Cyprus can register a UK-issued S1 form, and the UK then pays for their GeSY care, which they use on the same terms as an insured Cypriot. Cypriot guidance exempts S1 holders insured in another EEA country or Switzerland from the 2.65% GeSY contribution on their pension but does not yet name UK S1 holders, so check with the Tax Department before you file. To register, take the S1 to the Ministry of Health, which issues a white medical card, then enrol with GeSY.
Register through the beneficiary portal at gesy.org.cy, or a personal doctor's practice can help you in person. You will need ID, your Cyprus registration document and proof you are contributing, or an S1. You then choose your personal doctor, who is your gateway to the system, and add your dependants.
Not necessarily: many private hospitals and specialists are inside GeSY, so public care often happens in a private clinic. Some residents keep private cover for faster elective treatment or wider hospital choice. The sensible pattern for new arrivals is private cover for the gap between arrival and GeSY registration, then decide whether to keep it.
EU and UK travellers can use an EHIC or GHIC card for necessary state healthcare during a stay. It is not a substitute for travel insurance, and at a private clinic you pay the full cost up front. Check the card is in date before you fly.
