GESY HEALTH COVER

You can't join gesy until you have your biometric id card .. assuming you work, pay social contributions or have a valid current form S1.. if not. Then Yiu must have private healthcare cover .. there is a cheap but limited option at about €200 per yr each

You must change your driving licence within 6 month however like everything now you cant do that either until you have your card.

@kevinlewis2323 As toon says you need the Biometric ID card. Have you completed a form P85 with HMRC, if not you need to do it as soon as possible. This tells authorities in the UK that you have moved abroad. It will trigger the issuing of your S1 amongst other things if you are over retirement age. You will need this to join Gesy, otherwise you will need to be in employent here.

Thanks Both

Done the P85 In UK

Taking early retirement so can I apply now ?

Is this done online or do I have to make an appointment somewhere in Cyprus?

Many thanks

I believe you have to be in receipt of your state pension

@kevinlewis2323 either you or your partner have to be over UK state retirement age to get a S1. If you or your partner are both under 66 then you can’t get a S1. If you are not working and paying into the social insurance fund then I don’t believe you can join Gesy.

@MacGeorge8035 correct ...

The only other way you can access gesy legitimately is via the fast track permanent residency route via a new property purchase with a value of €300k plus vat at the prevailing rate..... Permanent residency allows access to GESY

I completed the GESY application 2 weeks ago and the required docs were Copy ID or yellow slip copy plus the usual other things like copy passport, S1 etc. Sent it to Klimentos 17-19, 1061, Nicosia P.O.B. 26765, 1641 Nicosia, Cyprus. Not recvd any reply yet so not at the stage of attending a doctor to get the final phase completed. Is it at this stage that the Bio metric ID is required?

@kevinlewis2323 The rules on driving license, that I found, were that you must surrender the UK license for a Cypriot one after 6 months. Problem is that you apparently need the ID card even thou the Transport web site say yellow slip or ID card. If the ID card is taking on average a year then it is not possible to comply.

i did a driving licence on the yellow slip but perhaps when they introduced the biometric card the required changed.

@kevinlewis2323

Kevin, I am an old timer here so what I will say may not help.

GESY-- you have to register with a Doctor FIRST, Then approach GESY. It should be simple but really am at a loss. It took me 2 days when GESY first came on. For sure I know all Doctors have a limited number of GESY patients as per their rules. Suggest you approach your local Doctor and if his QUOTA is full ask him to recommend one that has a few spare places. All Doctors have spare places but it is who you know.

Your Drivers License--  Go to your local Citizens Advice and ask them. where I stay they are brilliant but dont know how they are where you are but they are the best.

Yes "this is Cyprus" but dont get caught up in these words. The fines if imposed are large.

Regards Charles

Many thanks for the information

@kevinlewis2323 if you try to register with Gesy you need to get your MoH card first this is what you need the S1 for and the biometric ID card. The citizen service centre will do this for you and they are very good. It took around 3 weeks to get our MoH card, we then need to see a PD to register for GESY, all very easy. But, I am afraid if you don’t have an S1 you can’t get your MoH card.

@charles533

Good afternoon Charles

Thanks for the reply

Every step taken here seems a mine field and a long waiting game even before you know a stage is complete!

I will take your advise thanks

@phildraper

Hi

What form did you use to apply for the Cyprus licence?

On their web site there are lots mostly saying in Greek only ?

I will get it filled in and like you play the waiting game for the pink slip

I have not applied as I have not recvd the ID card. I believe the form is a TOM 7 and there is an English guide for this on the cyprusdriving.net/department-of-transport-forms/ web site

@phildraper That was my experience two weeks ago

Regarding Gesy what are the requirements I've got permanent residency card  I'm led to believe 1st you need find a doctor they start the process? Is there tax to pay? And I heard you pay 5 euros for each visit to a doctor is that correct ? What else is there to know and do ?

You need to get the white medical card ..go to citizens service centre with id and your documents.

Once you have that go to a medical centre of choice and enrol the staff will help you.

Whether you pay tax at 2.65% of declared income via your online tax return depends on other factors.

Doctors visits are not charged usually and are limited per year pending on age usually over 60s its 10 visits per year ..there are co payments to make upto a max of €150 per year each year as care is not free but low cost. There are usually low level co-payments to be made on prescribed meds however not all meds are included in GESY, so full cost of those wil be charged to you..always ask if the meds are included in GESY

Specialist referrals cost between €6-10 each visit ..again referrals controlled and  usually limited.

Thanks toon for reply will get it sorted in September when I'm next out

If state pensioned you will.need your form S1... And the number on the white medical card acts as your tax exemption certificate

    You need to get the white medical card ..go to citizens service centre with id and your documents.
Once you have that go to a medical centre of choice and enrol the staff will help you.

Whether you pay tax at 2.65% of declared income via your online tax return depends on other factors.


Doctors visits are not charged usually and are limited per year pending on age usually over 60s its 10 visits per year ..there are co payments to make upto a max of €150 per year each year as care is not free but low cost. There are usually low level co-payments to be made on prescribed meds however not all meds are included in GESY, so full cost of those wil be charged to you..always ask if the meds are included in GESY

Specialist referrals cost between €6-10 each visit ..again referrals controlled and  usually limited.
   

    -@Toon

Out of curiosity, does any of this change at all if you have an S1 entitlement with Cyprus able to charge back any medical costs to the UK?

JIM

No it doesn't change at all ..this is the way GESY works for everyone .. the S1 just means that your entitlement to healthcare and balance of co payment is authorised and guaranteed by the uk.

The above is exactly what I have experienced under the form S1...however bear in that GESY is under a lot of strain and has some major challenges ahead for the administrators of it which may well.mean changes are to follow and not necessarily good ones. Combine that with a new UK government who will be looking at ways to balance the books which might mean cut backs in the way the form S1 system works or may even mean it disappears for good ..who knows what the future holds

Cheers Toon - your responses are always soooooo uplifting......

Jim

We did our driving licences recently.  You have to go to the Dept of Road Transport if you want to exchange a licence.  (RC4V+C9R, Mesogi 8280, Cyprus.)  You need to make an appointment in person as they don't answer their phone.  Last time I was there the next avaiable appointment was in November, but if your licence is about to expire they will fit you in sooner.  They give you a list of what they need but don't tell you they want 6 months of bills with your address.  (Also need Doctors form if you are over 70). The bills are in my name but my husband was able to use his cytanet bills.  When you get an appointment be prepared to spend a morning there.  Then you need to return 3 weeks later for the licence.  They said they would send my husbands to the Citizen Advice but that didn't happen.  After I picked up my licence I noticed it had expired before the day I picked it up - so need to check it is correct before leaving.  They take your UK licence and give you a piece of paper instead but only works if you have your own car as car rental companies in Cyprus won't accept it.  So if a couple, only do one at a time.

@lshill

Yes I agree check the details on the card before you leave  as they spelled my  wifes name wrong on her card