Paperwork and admin in Cyprus

I was beginning to feel that life in Cyprus involved rather too much paperwork.  I've written elsewhere about the need to renew passports every ten years or so. We had a flurry of bureaucracy during Covid, of course, with the need for checking airline regulations, and taking tests with accompanying paperwork to demonstrate that we were Covid-free.  

Just last year I wrote about the complicated process of trying to find suitable ID documents to prove that we are who we say we are. Also the need to prove that we are eligible for the national health system here. 

Every time we get through another round of documentation, we breathe sighs of relief.  Until the next time. Recently we seem to have had a lot of other paperwork to deal with. None of it particularly strenuous or complicated, admittedly, but somehow it feels rather overwhelming when several things come at the same time. 

But sometimes it can feel a bit overwhelming. A couple of weeks ago I wrote down the things we had to do fairly urgently:

- apply for me to have a UK pension 
- validate Richard's existence, for his UK pension
- renew our European health cards
- chase up my ID card, which I applied for in October

Registering with GeSY, and re-evaluation...

 The Cyprus national health care system (known as GHS or GeSY) was started, after much discussion, in 2019. The health minister at the time was excellent, and when the pandemic hit in 2020, he gave useful advice, and set up a portal for vaccinations. We still had private health insurance at the time, and were not sure whether we were eligible for GESY.  But vaccinations were available free for all residents, so we took advantage of that. 

Richard spent a lot of time trying to discover whether or not he was eligible for GeSY and - as is often the way in Cyprus - was sent around in circles, not getting anywhere. One problem is that we have never had social insurance numbers in Cyprus, as we have never been employed here. Richard's ministry counts as voluntary, since all support (and now his pensions) come from the UK. 

But eventually we were able to register, although we were never able to discover how we could pay contributions. In 2021 we were given access to the GeSY portal, and registered with a local GP. Not that we actually met her; Richard spoke to the receptionist, and arranged the necessary paperwork with her. 

In 2022, we were both asked to submit paperwork demonstrating our eligibility for continued health care under GeSY. They wanted utility bills for the past year, as well as our passports, Richard's Cyprus ID and my residence document. No problem as far as Richard was concerned, but - as explained in this post - I didn't have any utility bills in my name. 

However, they said we could go to the Mukhtar (a historic post, a sort of local 'elder' of the area, a bit similar to a mayor) and ask her to sign a document saying that we lived together harmoniously. We had no idea how the Mukhtar was supposed to know that, as we had never previously met her.  We found her office block fairly easily: 

The notice on the side says:

The first word means 'community leader', and the rest is the district, the name and the phone numbers. We had to sit outside waiting, despite having made an appointment. But eventually the mukhtar arrived, very apologetic for the delay. We chatted for a few minutes in her office, and she must have decided we were genuine. So she obliged with her signature and stamp (stamps are very important here), and I submitted it. Finally, at the end of November 2022, I was told that everything was fine. 

We then applied for EHIC (European health insurance cards) which would enable us to receive health care without additional cost anywhere in the EU, and also in the UK. No problem - we made an appointment at the citizens' centre, showed our documents, and had the cards issued there and then.

Richard had been told that when he reached UK state pension age, he would be eligible for what is known as S1. That means that the NHS in the UK takes over paying for our health care (should we ever need any... and as we grow older, I guess that's increasingly likely). So he had to find the relevant form to fill in, but it was fairly straightforward. The UK government sent him his S1 certificate, and he submitted that, and it was accepted. 

Then, as I said at the end of this post, I received another email from GEsY, early in June, telling me that they needed to verify if I was still eligible. So I submitted most of the documents they asked for, explained that I didn't have any utility bills in my name, and also submitted the extra ones from the insurance company and electricity authority that I had submitted to the bank. 

I sent them on June 9th, and didn't hear anything until I had a reply ten days later. We were half expecting to have to visit the Mukhtar again. But this time they said:

To complete your re-evaluation process, you'll need to apply for an S1 certificate in your name through the NHS. Your husband already holds an S1 certificate, which is why this is necessary.

Once you receive your S1 document, please contact the Ministry of Health in Cyprus to apply for a white medical card.

 

Kindly submit a copy of your white medical card by July 3, 2025.

I looked at the UK government website, and it said I would be eligible for an S1 certificate next year when I reach state pension age, but not yet. So I wrote back, explaining this. 

I heard nothing for over a week. 

Then I received this email:

As a family member of a pensioner, you are eligible for an S1 certificate.

Kindly submit the copy of your white medical card by July 3, 2025.

I had no idea what the 'white medical card' might be. Richard didn't think he had one, and has never needed one. He thought perhaps it was the certificate that the UK government would issue. So he phoned the number on the UK website, and spoke to an extremely helpful person. She said that yes, I was eligible as his spouse, and that they would issue it within 24 hours, and put it in the post. 

Richard explained that I needed it fairly quickly, and that the Cyprus post can be slow and unreliable. So they said they could email it. And he asked for a copy of his one, too, as he couldn't find it. 

He received an email about two hours later, containing a link and code so that he could access, save and print his S1 certificate. And, indeed, it says that family members in Cyprus are also eligible. 

It took a bit longer, and a couple more phone calls before he was able to access mine, but each time the person on the help desk was friendly, and quickly found what they needed, and agreed that I was definitely eligible. Eventually I was sent the link to download my S1 document, which looks (at the top of the first page) like this:

So I sent off my S1 certificate to GeSY on July 2nd. This time it only took them five days to respond, and they said: 

Since you have received your S1 document, please contact the Ministry of Health in Cyprus to apply for a white medical card.

The copy of the white medical card should be delivered by July 14,2025.

They gave the email for contact, so I sent an email explaining the situation, attaching my S1 certificate. I have no idea why GeSY and the Ministry of Health are not in direct communication with each other, or why this isn't all computerised... but 'this is Cyprus'. 

To my surprise, I had a response within a couple of hours. It gave me a pdf form which I had to download, print, fill in, scan, and then upload. I also had to supply various forms of ID as well as sending the S1 again. And they said I would receive the white medical card in the post... and that I could use it to register with GeSY. 

So I did all that, on July 7th, with an email asking if they could possibly email a scanned or pdf copy of the card, since I had to submit it by July 14th. I also said that we were already registered with GeSY. 

I heard nothing more. 

On July 11th, I read this article in one of the Cyprus online newspapers: Cyprus health system removes beneficiaries without warning. Apparently a lot of people had been sent the same email as I had, but either hadn't received it, or hadn't noticed it, or had ignored it. If they didn't submit documentation by the given deadline, they were removed from GeSY - and in some cases had no idea until they tried to get medical treatment. 

I immediately went to check the portal to ensure my records were still there, and I was able to log in without problems. I realised that it was important to keep in touch, even if I couldn't submit my documents in time. So on July 14th I emailed GeSY again, and said that the medical card was supposed to come in the post but had not arrived.

They wrote back, telling me I should ask for a pdf copy by email. So I wrote to the Ministry of Health again, and let them know that I did this a week previously, and had done it again.

I didn't receive an email reply from the Ministry of Health, but on Thursday 17th July my white medical card arrived in the mail!  So I duly scanned both sides and sent them to GeSY. 

This is what the outside looks like:

The inside has typed information about Richard (since he is the one receiving the UK state pension) and me, as his dependent. The outside looks as if it's meant to be folded in half, but the inside is not formatted that way. And even if I fold it, it's quite a bit bigger than a credit card, so wouldn't easily fit in my purse. 

It expires in 2028, so I expect I'll have to go through this process all over again in another three years. 

I haven't heard back from anyone, so I hope that everything is now correct. 

Update: on October 8th 2025, I finally received an email, nearly four months after submitting the white card.  It says:

We are glad to inform you that the eligibility re-evaluation process relating to the below person’s right to access the healthcare services provided by the GHS, was successfully concluded as the below person continues to meet the eligibility criteria stipulated in the GHS Law.

 So that's good. 

Residency permits for Europeans in Cyprus

When we first moved to Cyprus, at the end of October 1997, we had to apply for permits to live here. Cyprus was not in the European Union, so although we could come for three months as visitors, we couldn't stay any longer without permission.  We had to prove that we had enough money in our bank account, that we had a regular source of income from the UK, and that we had a rental contract.

Queuing at Immigration was a nuisance - one just turned up and waited, possibly for hours, until called - and for four of us, we had to pay something like 40 Cyprus pounds, which was quite a bit... but it was basically straightforward.

We were issued with temporary permits, and then the official Alien Registration cards. We had to wait a few months for our pink slips to arrive, but eventually they did. We were on the same visa as a retired person, since all our support was from the UK, so could only ever ask for a year at a time. Thus, each October, we had to go back to Immigration.  Each time the rules seemed to have changed slightly; sometimes we had to make two or more visits to provide extra paperwork or photocopies... but each time we were given our slips eventually.

Then in 2004, Cyprus joined the EU. This meant that we had more of a right to live here; moreover, according to a lawyer we spoke to, we would not need to go through the lengthy Immigration process again. So for a couple of years we continued living here, our pink slips long expired, in happy ignorance.

Then we bought a house in 2006; the lawyer who dealt with the purchase told us that the first lawyer was wrong, but that we could now apply for permanent Cyprus residency as we were going to be home-owners and had lived here more than five years.

However, our son Tim was going to university in the UK, and applying for a grant as a UK citizen. We had been filing taxes and paying National Insurance in the UK, so were still classed as officially resident there, despite living in Cyprus. And since we wanted him to be eligible for the grant, we did not want to take out permanent residency in Cyprus.

Then some friends told us that we should really have Cyprus ID cards. We didn't know what to believe.. but we had not heard from Immigration, nor had we had any trouble flying in and out of the country... and, not being very good at getting round to this kind of thing, we just let it go.  Our Alien Registration Cards seemed to be valid for paying car tax each year, and we continued filing UK taxes and paying UK National Insurance contributions. The Cyprus tax authorities said they didn't want to know about people like us who would not be paying any tax anyway as we don't have income over the threshold.

Then, a month ago, there was an article in the Cyprus Mail about id cards, saying that they are now obsolete. Just as well we didn't get one, then. EU citizens, the article said, need to apply for Alien Registration cards and pink slips again, although the new slips have no expiry date. Moreover, the authorities are starting to clamp down on people who were living here without valid pink slips, levying hefty fines.

So, as Tim finished his degree last year, we thought about applying for permanent residency... but then wondered what would be the point, since the pink slip system seems to be effectively infinite residency anyway. We checked the online system, and yesterday gathered up all the documentation we thought we would need. Richard made photocopies... and this morning we drove down to Immigration at about 8.15.

We were pleasantly surprised to find nobody queuing outside. We went straight in and spoke to a helpful receptionist, who said that yes, even though we have Alien cards, we need to fill out the form as if we didn't, and must  come back to an appointment which she wrote in her book, for just over two weeks' time. Then she gave us a sheet of paper telling us exactly what documentation we need! The quality isn't very good, and the English has errors.... we were amused to see, for instance, that if we had been employed here, we would have needed to fill in part three of the form which would then have to be 'singed' by the employer!

Although it should be straightforward for EU citizens to get residency permits for an EU country, we need to take along, in addition to the official form:

• our passports, and photocopies of them
• two passport style photos of each of us 
• exact amounts of money (8.54 euro for Richard, 17.09 for me) 
• marriage certificate, and photocopy
• proof of health insurance, and photocopy
• title deeds of house [or rental agreement], and photocopy
• bank account statements for the past 6 months, stamped by the bank, and copies
• proof of income, and copy

The odd amounts of money are evidently left over from the Cyprus pounds days, as they are exactly 5 and 10 Cyprus pounds respectively. Strange that they have not gone up in seven years. Most of the requirements are reasonable, although 'proof' of our income is a bit tricky - but I suppose we can take along the statements we get from the agency who passes on our funds. 

The most difficult is going to be health insurance proof. We do have some medical insurance, covering us for hospital stays, but we didn't take out general insurance to cover out-patient or doctor visits. There didn't seem much point - we rarely visit doctors (a handful of times in 14 years, mostly related to one of our sons) and if we do, we just pay the standard fee which is about 20-30 euros.  We don't want comprehensive health insurance... yet the requirement states:

'The health insurance must covered in hospital and out hospital services' (sic)

It then says that it must be one of: E121 form, E106 form, Cyprus hospital pink card, or private health insurance from Cyprus or abroad.  We're not eligible for either of the first two. One is for people receiving a state pension, and the other is for people who have only recently moved from the UK. But having looked up information about the Cyprus pink medical card (which we knew nothing about) I ended up on this page about Cyprus health care.  Most of the recipients of free health care don't apply to us - we're not members of parliament, or war pensioners, or students, or parents of large families... but we certainly fall in the income bracket. 

It will be ironic if we discover that we are eligible for free health care and need not have been paying for any private care for the past 14 years... we haven't made any claim on it, for which I'm thankful, but it would have been even better if we had known about the pink card option....