# health insurance in Cyprus



## Half Full (Dec 29, 2010)

Hi all, I may have mentioned that my wife and me will be coming to Cyprus next month for a year to see how we get on,we are 63 and 60 years old.What I would like to know is that if we were to apply for residency at some stage would we have to have health insurance? I know we can claim heath care by using form S1 and we both have EHIC cards,we both have proof of UK pensions,not much more than £8,000 in UK bank,€2,000 in bank of Cyprus,we own our property in UK outright.I'm sure I read somewhere that now Cyprus is in the EU,I should not have to have health insurance if we apply for residency next year.If it is the case that we have to have this then I would never be able to get cover having had 2 heart attacks and 2 by-passes over the past 16 years,even if it were available to me it would almost certainly be so expensive that we would not be able to afford it.Is our dream turning into a nightmare?Would be very grateful for any help and comments.Thanks


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi,

If either one of you is on a UK state retirement pension (not private pension) then I would recommend that you apply for residency straight away, even if you think you might return to the Uk after a year.
You will then be entitled to use the state hospitals.
The cardiac care is excellent here.


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## Half Full (Dec 29, 2010)

Thank you Veronica,very helpful advice but don't we have to apply for S1 form in UK and submit the form in Cyprus in order to get free hospital care? we would have no prob doing that but am I right in saying that if we apply for CY residency,then we give up our right to medical care in the UK?
If after a year we dicide to stay,we have no problem going all the way with the S1 forms and such.So just to clarify,later on if we do apply for residency then we won't need the health insurance right? Thanks again.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Half Full said:


> Thank you Veronica,very helpful advice but don't we have to apply for S1 form in UK and submit the form in Cyprus in order to get free hospital care? we would have no prob doing that but am I right in saying that if we apply for CY residency,then we give up our right to medical care in the UK?
> If after a year we dicide to stay,we have no problem going all the way with the S1 forms and such.So just to clarify,later on if we do apply for residency then we won't need the health insurance right? Thanks again.


We did everything here. Once you have a residents card you just go to the hospital and register and get your pink card. 
The problem is that the EHIC wont cover you for a full year. It is only for short visits, holidays etc. 
As for giving up your right to health care in the UK if you go back to the UK after a year and you can prove that you are once again UK resident you will have the right to health care as normal.
I know of many people who have gone back to the Uk after a few years and never had any problems getting health care once they are living there again.


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## Half Full (Dec 29, 2010)

Thanks again Veronica.so from what you say I assume that you applied for your S1 form while in Cyprus,I thought I would have to do that from the UK before coming to Cyprus.Just for your information,I phoned the office that issues EHIC cards and he told me that they now last for up to a year and in some cases longer.He also confirmed it in an email to me last December.Thanks


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Half Full said:


> Thanks again Veronica.so from what you say I assume that you applied for your S1 form while in Cyprus,I thought I would have to do that from the UK before coming to Cyprus.Just for your information,I phoned the office that issues EHIC cards and he told me that they now last for up to a year and in some cases longer.He also confirmed it in an email to me last December.Thanks


If the EHIC last for a year now then you dont have a problem.
But yes, we did everything after we had moved here. 
Our decision to move came after a long extended holiday in an apartment we had at the time. We went back to the UK and sold everything and came back within a month so not a lot of time to do anything in the UK before we moved. We had absolutely no problems with getting our citizenship and health forms etc once we were here.


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## Half Full (Dec 29, 2010)

So very grateful for your replies and very useful information,I'll let you know how we get on


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

Do you have to be a pensioner to have s1


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