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. 

Cyprus banking crisis: an update (of sorts)

It's almost a week since we woke up to the news that the Cyprus government was planning to take a 'levy' on all deposits in banks, up to almost 10% for those with more than €100,000.  

It was a topic of discussion wherever we went; some people shrugged and said that those with large amounts of money could afford to give some to the government. Some felt that foreign investors, who benefit from low tax rates, should certainly contribute. But it all seemed very unfair on the ordinary Cypriots and ex-pats, with much smaller amounts in our accounts, having to fund the almost collapsing banks from our own pockets. It's not as if we make any interest these days - nothing at all on current accounts in Cyprus. 

Moreover, one of the main reasons that Cyprus is in such financial trouble is that it helped to bail out Greece - and the Greek people did not have to forfeit any kind of levy.  

By the time the vote was taken in parliament on Tuesday, the plan had been adjusted slightly, so that those of us with less than €20,000 in our accounts would be exempt from a levy.  However, there were protests going on around the island, and clearly the government were listening to the people... so the proposed levy was rejected.  Not even by a close vote: 19 people abstained, 26 voted against. Nobody was in favour. 

Cue lots of rejoicing....

... Except that this potentially pushes Cyprus into a much bigger problem.  The banks were supposed to open again on Wednesday, but three further days of bank holiday were declared. E-banking is frozen, to stop people moving their money abroad, or to different accounts. We can't even pay utility bills online at the moment. 

By Wednesday, Richard was getting concerned. I don't keep much cash in the house - I take some out at the start of each month to cover petrol and local grocery shopping, but we were over half-way through March, and I had about €60 left. He was worried that the banks might close indefinitely, and I did realise that we might have to pay our phone bill at the end of the month in cash.  We were safe from a levy - or so it seemed - but if, as now is possible, the banking system collapses entirely, would we lose everything?

So we went to the ATM at our bank, half-expecting a lengthy queue. There was one person who left as we walked up to it, and it dispensed money as normal. I really don't like carrying more than the minimum cash around, but it's certainly preferable to having none at all. 

Then we drove to Metro, and bought some things with long shelf-life - such as cat litter, and toilet rolls, and instant coffee.  We used our debit card to pay, and it was accepted without problem.

Was the press over-reacting, we wondered? Were the Cypriots and ex-pats in general assuming everything would be all right in the end? Was this a rational decision, or head-in-the-sand?  The banks were closed to stop huge withdrawals of money which could lead to disaster, but it seemed a bit strange that the population were not queuing up to take at least a few hundred euros of their money out, to have safe.  Should the banks collapse, or indeed if Cyprus decides to leave the eurozone, all money might indeed be forfeit, despite the official EU guarantee of safety for all deposits up to €100,000. 

Yesterday - Thursday - Richard was at some meetings in Limassol. He said that in the afternoon he noticed long queues at ATMs, particularly those of Laiki Bank, the one reputed to be nearest to collapsing. We heard from friends that they were unable to take money from an ATM, and that while their debit card was accepted in two shops, it was refused at a third. We read stories of petrol stations only accepting cash.  It seemed that there was, after all, some widespread panic.  

Meanwhile the government tried to come up with further plans to raise the five billion euros needed if the country is to receive EU support for a further ten billion. The amounts seem  phenomenal, although it did occur to me that with 750 million people in Europe altogether, just €10 per person would raise 7.5 billion.  And would be a lot fairer than heavy levies on the people of this tiny island (whose population is less than one million). 

This morning we drove down to the Post Office so I could mail some cards, and also check for an expected large parcel (which had, indeed, arrived).  As I came out, I saw that there was a small queue at the Laiki Bank ATM.  I've fuzzed out the faces, but this is a general idea of what we saw... and those prominent 'stop' signs look quite dramatic! 

Evidently people were getting cash. If Cyprus switches to the Cyprus Pound, it will probably be devalued against the euro, meaning that hard currency euros are worth more, relatively speaking. Not that I'm a banker or any kind of economist.

What will happen?  I wouldn't want to hazard a guess.  One BBC correspondent has explained some of the difficult choices that must be made.  I don't think anyone wants Cyprus to leave the eurozone, or for the banking system to collapse entirely.  I remain cautiously optimistic that some solution will be found - that, at tonight's meeting, a compromise of some sort will be found. I'm a great believer in negotiation and finding mutually acceptable solutions to problems. In this case it's impossible to please everyone; money is such a divisive subject. 

In the meantime, I'm keeping half an eye on the live update feeds from both The Telegraph and The Guardian (two UK newspapers).  The final decision should be made at a meeting this evening.....

Maybe.