# Moving to Cyprus



## Jack1487 (Jan 23, 2010)

Hi everyone. My name is Jack and i am thinking of moving to Cyprus in the next few months with missus and 2 kids. I need all the info i can get on Security work that's going. A school for my 9 year old, and accomodation. What's the situation with child benefit and health care etc?
Cheer
Jack


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Jack1487 said:


> Hi everyone. My name is Jack and i am thinking of moving to Cyprus in the next few months with missus and 2 kids. I need all the info i can get on Security work that's going. A school for my 9 year old, and accomodation. What's the situation with child benefit and health care etc?
> Cheer
> Jack


My advice is DO NOT DO IT.
With two children you will find it very very very hard to earn enough to make ends meet.
Please take some time to read some of the threads on this forum and I think you will change your mind.
This is a great place to live for a couple with no children provided you have well paid jobs but with children you will struggle.
I could sit here and say, "OH yes please come its great here and I will find you some accomodation" and earn a nice commission, because that is what I do for a living, but I wouldn't be able to lie straight in bed at night knowing that I had put a young family into a position where they would inevitably end up going back to the UK far worse off than when they came. 

Veronica


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

Veronica said:


> My advice is DO NOT DO IT.
> With two children you will find it very very very hard to earn enough to make ends meet.
> Please take some time to read some of the threads on this fourm and I think you will change your mind.
> This is a great place to live for a couple with no children provided you have well paid jobs but with children you will struggle.
> ...


I have to agree with Veronica - the only way it might work is if either yourself or your partner have family connections in Cyprus, and/or if you have lots of cash behind you, a well paid job lined up (very rare), together with alternative means of income such as rent on a UK property or a pension. There are very few jobs here in any sector as unemployment and the recession is at its height at the moment, and even in the comparatively good times, Cypriot salaries are a pittance compared to the UK - that didn't used to matter too much as the cost of living was way cheaper - the salaries have stayed the same, but since joining Europe, the cost of living has increased markedly, so everyone is feeling the pinch. 

I work in the Education indsutry where part of my role is recruitment for private schools - like Veronica I could persuade young families to take the plunge and do very nicely on comissions, but I have to say I have interviwed too many parents who have moved to Cyprus and had to give up their dream after a year or two as they could not make ends meet. There isn't a well developed social security system to help out when things turn sour. See the sticky thread on education also to read about the pitfalls of bringing younger children into the Cypriot education system if there is a real chance that they may have to return at some point to the UK. I'd do lots of meticulous research before deciding what's best for your family.


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

Jack1487 said:


> Hi everyone. My name is Jack and i am thinking of moving to Cyprus in the next few months with missus and 2 kids. I need all the info i can get on Security work that's going. A school for my 9 year old, and accomodation. What's the situation with child benefit and health care etc?
> Cheer
> Jack


As far as I am aware, there is no child benefit in Cyprus. You cannot continue to receive UK child benefit once you live outside of the UK. I have heard of people who are continuing to claim UK child benefit and dishonestly allowing the UK authorities to believe that they are still in England. This is illegal of course and they will get caught, because the authorities will realise that the children are not attending school.

As to the health care, If you are of working age and have paid the required UK National Insurance contributions, you can obtain an E106 from the Pensions Service before you leave the UK. That will give you up to two years where the UK NHS will continue to fund your health care for you and your dependants. After that you are on your own and will have to make alternative provision. If you are working in Cyprus legally and your employer and you are both making the appropriate contributions to the Cyprus Social Fund and you have a Cyprus Social Fund number, you can obtain a medical card that will enable to use the Cyprus State facilities. You will pay for your visits to the doctor. The cost you will pay for each visit to the doctor or hospital is calculated on a sliding scale according to a means test.


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