Get on GESY
Cyprus · General Health System
UK nationals Old paper Yellow Slips must be swapped for a UKW1/UKW3 biometric card by 3 August 2026 — an expired slip can block you at the ARC step. Sort this before registering.
Registration, in plain English

Know your exact next step to get on GESY.

The official portal doesn't tell you which path is yours. Answer one question and get the documents, the order, and the one step everyone gets stuck on — built for people who've just moved to Cyprus.

✓ Takes about 20 seconds ✓ No account needed ✓ Free to check your path
Six situations, one guide

Find your section below

Tap a card above to jump straight to your situation, or scroll — each section below is a complete, standalone walkthrough with its own document checklist and steps.

PROFILE: EU · EMPLOYED · YELLOW SLIP ← Choose a different profile

EU citizen working in Cyprus

You register directly as a contributing beneficiary. Your GESY contribution (2.65% of gross salary) is deducted automatically once you're on the system.

Watch this one: your ARC number must already be recorded with the Social Insurance Services. And don't tick the "S1 document holder" box unless you actually hold an S1 — it sends your application down the wrong path and delays everything. Remote job with a non-EU employer that has no Cyprus branch? This profile assumes an employer who can register you locally — if that's not your case, see the "Employed remotely by a company with no Cyprus presence" step in the Yellow Slip, not working yet profile instead.

What to have ready

  • Your Yellow Slip / Registration Certificate (your ARC number is printed on it)
  • A Cyprus mobile number (needed for the portal one-time codes)
  • A unique email address not already used on a GESY account
  • Your social insurance details / employer information

Your path, step by step

1

Create your portal account

Go to gesy.org.cy, choose English via the flag, then Beneficiary Portal → Create an Account. Activate it from the email you receive.

2

Submit your enrolment request

Log in and enrol. The system checks you against the Civil Registry, Migration and Social Insurance records. If it can't match you, it will ask you to print the request and post it in with evidence.

3

Choose a Personal Doctor

Search contracted GPs, pick one with space on their list, and send a registration request. Each doctor can hold up to 2,500 patients.

4

Visit the doctor in person

On the first visit you both sign the Form of Mutual Acceptance. This is what actually completes your registration.

5

Link your record — the 24-hour code trap

To see your medical file you must link your portal account using two verification codes.

GETS EVERYONE

How the verification codes actually work

  1. Ask your Personal Doctor to generate the codes. Two are issued: code 1 is printed at the office, code 2 is emailed to the address on your record.
  2. Both codes are valid for 24 hours only. If they expire, you have to ask the doctor to generate new ones.
  3. Log in at gesy.org.cy → Link your Record and enter both codes carefully — the wrong pair can link you to someone else's record.
  4. No email on your record yet? The doctor can add it, then issue the codes.
PROFILE: EU · PENSIONER · S1 ← Choose a different profile

EU pensioner with an S1 form

Your home country pays for your care, so you usually pay no Cyprus contribution — but the S1 has to be registered before GESY will recognise you.

Order matters: register your S1 at the Ministry of Health first. Only then create your portal account, or the system won't recognise your covered status.

What to have ready

  • Your S1 (formerly E121) form from your home-country health authority
  • Your Yellow Slip / Registration Certificate showing your ARC number
  • A Cyprus mobile number and a unique email address
  • Proof of address in Cyprus (recent utility bill or lease)

Your path, step by step

1

Register your S1 at the Ministry of Health

Take the S1 to the Ministry of Health to have your covered status recorded. This step is what unlocks contribution-free GESY access.

2

Create and activate your portal account

At gesy.org.cy → Beneficiary Portal → Create an Account, using your ARC number and registered S1 status.

3

Choose a Personal Doctor

Find a contracted GP with room on their list and send a registration request through the portal.

4

Visit the doctor in person

Sign the Form of Mutual Acceptance together to finalise the registration.

5

Link your record — the 24-hour code trap

To access your medical file you must link your account with two verification codes.

GETS EVERYONE

How the verification codes actually work

  1. Ask your Personal Doctor to generate the codes. Two are issued: code 1 is printed at the office, code 2 is emailed to the address on your record.
  2. Both codes are valid for 24 hours only. If they expire, you have to ask the doctor to generate new ones.
  3. Log in at gesy.org.cy → Link your Record and enter both codes carefully — the wrong pair can link you to someone else's record.
  4. No email on your record yet? The doctor can add it, then issue the codes.
PROFILE: EU · PERMANENT RESIDENT · MEU3 ← Choose a different profile

EU permanent resident (MEU3)

An MEU3 permit makes you eligible regardless of whether you work or hold an S1. If you have no Cyprus income, you won't have a salary-based contribution — but you'll still be asked to show you habitually live here.

Don't pick the "working" or "S1" path by mistake: MEU3 eligibility stands on its own. If you also take a Cyprus salary or dividends later, the 2.65% contribution applies to that income.

What to have ready

  • Your MEU3 permanent residence certificate (your ARC number is on it)
  • Proof of habitual residence — recent utility bills or a certified lease
  • A Cyprus mobile number and a unique email address
  • An S1 form only if you happen to hold one (not required for MEU3)

Your path, step by step

1

Create your portal account

Go to gesy.org.cy → choose English → Beneficiary Portal → Create an Account, then activate it via email.

2

Submit your enrolment request

Enrol under the MEU3 / permanent-resident basis. The system checks you against the Civil Registry and Migration records.

3

Post evidence if the portal asks

If you can't be matched automatically, print the request and mail it to the HIO with your residence and address evidence.

4

Choose a Personal Doctor & visit

Pick a contracted GP with room on their list, send a request, then visit to sign the Form of Mutual Acceptance.

5

Link your record — the 24-hour code trap

Link your portal account with two verification codes to reach your medical file.

GETS EVERYONE

How the verification codes actually work

  1. Ask your Personal Doctor to generate the codes. Two are issued: code 1 is printed at the office, code 2 is emailed to the address on your record.
  2. Both codes are valid for 24 hours only. If they expire, you have to ask the doctor to generate new ones.
  3. Log in at gesy.org.cy → Link your Record and enter both codes carefully — the wrong pair can link you to someone else's record.
  4. No email on your record yet? The doctor can add it, then issue the codes.
PROFILE: NON-EU · RESIDENCE PERMIT ← Choose a different profile

Non-EU permanent resident

You can register once you hold a valid residence permit and can show you actually live here. Your contribution is based on your income and status.

Expect an evidence step: non-EU applications often can't be auto-matched in the registries. If so, the portal will ask you to print your request and post it to the HIO with supporting documents — this is normal, not an error.

What to have ready

  • Valid residence permit (Category F, Regulation 6(2), etc.) showing your ARC number
  • Proof of habitual residence — recent utility bills or a certified lease
  • A signed GHS enrolment form
  • A Cyprus mobile number and a unique email address

Your path, step by step

1

Create your portal account

Go to gesy.org.cy → Beneficiary Portal → Create an Account, and activate it via email.

2

Submit your enrolment request

Enter your details to be identified against the Civil Registry, Migration and Social Insurance records.

3

Post your evidence if asked

If you can't be matched automatically, print the request and mail it to the HIO with your residence and address documents, then wait for confirmation.

4

Choose a Personal Doctor & visit

Once enrolled, pick a GP, send a registration request, then visit to sign the Form of Mutual Acceptance.

5

Link your record — the 24-hour code trap

Link your portal account with two verification codes to reach your medical file.

GETS EVERYONE

How the verification codes actually work

  1. Ask your Personal Doctor to generate the codes. Two are issued: code 1 is printed at the office, code 2 is emailed to the address on your record.
  2. Both codes are valid for 24 hours only. If they expire, you have to ask the doctor to generate new ones.
  3. Log in at gesy.org.cy → Link your Record and enter both codes carefully — the wrong pair can link you to someone else's record.
  4. No email on your record yet? The doctor can add it, then issue the codes.
PROFILE: FAMILY MEMBER · DEPENDENT ← Choose a different profile

Spouse or child of a GESY member

You register as a dependent of someone already on GESY. Children under 21 (or under 26 if studying) and spouses qualify with proof of the relationship.

Who counts as a dependent: a spouse or civil partner, children under 21, and children aged 21–25 in full-time education. Coverage does not extend automatically — each dependent needs their own ARC number and a separate enrolment, especially for non-EU family members.

What to have ready

  • The main beneficiary's GESY registration details
  • The dependent's own ARC number (on their Yellow Slip or residence permit)
  • Marriage / civil-partnership certificate (spouse) or birth certificate (child)
  • For a child aged 21–25: a current student attendance certificate
  • A recent utility bill, no older than 3 months, showing shared address

Your path, step by step

1

Confirm the main member is registered

The dependent's enrolment relies on the main beneficiary already being fully registered.

2

Make sure the dependent has their own ARC

Every dependent needs their own ARC number recorded in the Migration registry. Non-EU spouses and children each register individually — GESY coverage is not shared.

3

Submit the enrolment with proof of relationship

A parent can submit a child's enrolment from their own account. Provide the marriage or birth certificate, and shared-address evidence so the link can be verified. Children born in Cyprus can often be linked to a registered parent automatically.

4

Choose a Personal Doctor & visit

Pick a GP (a paediatrician for children under 15), send the request, and visit to sign the Form of Mutual Acceptance.

5

Link the record — the 24-hour code trap

Link the account with two verification codes to access the medical file.

GETS EVERYONE

How the verification codes actually work

  1. Ask your Personal Doctor to generate the codes. Two are issued: code 1 is printed at the office, code 2 is emailed to the address on your record.
  2. Both codes are valid for 24 hours only. If they expire, you have to ask the doctor to generate new ones.
  3. Log in at gesy.org.cy → Link your Record and enter both codes carefully — the wrong pair can link you to someone else's record.
  4. No email on your record yet? The doctor can add it, then issue the codes.
PROFILE: EU · YELLOW SLIP · PRE-ELIGIBILITY ← Choose a different profile

You're not GESY-eligible yet — here's what changes that

The Yellow Slip proves your legal residence, but it doesn't by itself qualify you for GESY. Eligibility comes from having an actual basis: employment, self-employment, an S1, or being someone's dependent. Until one of those kicks in, there's no enrolment to submit.

You still need cover in the meantime: Cyprus requires non-working EU residents to hold private Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) — the same requirement you likely already met to get the Yellow Slip approved. Keep that policy active until GESY kicks in.

What to have ready

  • Your Yellow Slip / Registration Certificate (keep the ARC number handy)
  • Proof of active CSI / private health insurance meeting the minimum coverage
  • An employment contract or start date, if you have one lined up
  • Your S1 form, if you're eligible for one from your home country

Your options right now

1

Check if you already qualify another way

If your spouse or parent is already a GESY beneficiary, you may be able to register as their dependent right now instead of waiting — see the Family Member profile.

2

About to start a job with a Cyprus or EU employer?

Once you're employed, your employer registers you with the Social Insurance Services as part of standard payroll setup. That registration is what actually triggers GESY eligibility — not the Yellow Slip itself.

3

Employed remotely by a company with no Cyprus presence?

This is a different case — worth reading carefully rather than assuming it works like a normal job. A non-EU employer with no Cyprus branch or subsidiary usually can't register you the simple way, and Cyprus doesn't have a social security agreement with every country (there's none with Israel, for example), so "staying insured back home" often isn't an option either. In practice, people in this position typically either register as self-employed with Social Insurance themselves, or their employer sets up a Cyprus Employer of Record (EOR) to formally employ them locally. Which fits depends on the contract and both sides' tax position — get this confirmed by a Cyprus accountant or Social Insurance Services directly rather than assuming either route. We can't tell you which is right from here.

4

Going self-employed on your own terms?

You'll need to actively register yourself with the Social Insurance Services — this doesn't happen automatically the way it does with an employer. Do this as soon as you start trading.

5

Retiring with portable coverage?

If your home country will keep covering your healthcare, apply for an S1 form there first — see the EU Pensioner profile once you have it.

6

Once contributions begin

As soon as your Social Insurance record shows active contributions, follow the EU · Employed profile to actually enrol — that's when there's something to register.

Find an English-speaking Personal Doctor

Your first real decision is choosing a Personal Doctor (GP). We hand-verify a small list of English-speaking GPs so you have somewhere to start — then hand you to the live official directory for real-time availability everywhere else.

Skip the guesswork. Get the prep pack.

  • ✓ Your personalised document checklist as a printable PDF
  • ✓ Our hand-verified English-speaking GP shortlist, updated monthly
  • ✓ Copy-paste templates for the portal enrolment fields
  • ✓ A reminder before your verification codes expire
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