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, in force since full implementation on 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 is free. Elsewhere, small fixed co-payments apply (official HIO amounts).
| Service | You pay |
|---|---|
| Visit to your personal doctor (GP) | Free |
| 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 up to 21. After the cap, co-payments stop. Visits to a gynaecologist for women aged 15+ need no referral and no charge.
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 automatically. Register once, and your spouse and children (under 21, or under 26 in education) come in as dependants.
Holders of permanent residence permits (Category F or Regulation 6(2)) can register if they can show habitual residence in the Republic-controlled areas: where you actually live, your income source and family ties all count. Dependants can then register too.
British state pensioners resident in Cyprus can use a UK-issued S1 form for UK-funded access to GeSY without paying contributions on their pension. You will need your registration certificate, proof of residence and the S1 submitted via the Ministry of Health.
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 it does not cover private clinics, which is where many hotel doctors send you. 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 guidance current as of 2026. Rules change and individual cases differ, so treat this as a map, not legal advice. Last checked July 2026.
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Very nearly. Under GeSY, visits to your personal doctor are free and inpatient hospital care has no co-payment. Small fixed charges apply elsewhere, such as €1 per prescribed medicine 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 use a UK-issued S1 form for UK-funded access to GeSY, without paying contributions on their pension. You will need your registration certificate, proof of residence and the S1, submitted via the Ministry of Health.
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 it does not cover private clinics, which is where many hotel doctors send you. Check the card is in date before you fly.
