Summary of the Healthcare and Consular Team meeting
at Palia Ilectriki, Paphos. 22.10.2015
Hosted by Mrs Christina Smith, Vice Consul, Nicosia - the Consular Service covers the
whole of Cyprus
Consular Information Latest Updates.
Yearly average of Consular cases: 171 – consisting of deaths, arrests, and hospitalisations.
69% male. 64% reside in Cyprus
The Consulate can assist anyone who holds a British passport.
Consular Assistance is global – arrested, detained, victim of crime, sickness, death.
Can do
Will endeavour to be in contact with you within 24 hours of notification of need.
Family and friends will be contacted only with your permission.
Can issue emergency travel documents.
Can help with organising transfer of funds.
Can’t do
Can’t get you out of prison/or stop authorities from deportation.
Can’t give legal advice, investigate crimes or do physical searches.
Can’t help to get you to a country needing a visa if you do not already have one.
All births and death registrations and certificates are now done in UK
Self Help
Have your Cyprus Residency registration yellow slip.
Register with HMRC in Britain
Have your emergency contact list by your phone – in case of emergencies.
Put your next of kin contact details in your passport.
In case of a crisis
The British Consulate is able to help British nationals, entitled families, and modes of
transport registered in Britain
To receive information on travel alerts sign up on-line at Foreign Consular Office.
Keep in touch with local organisations networking across the community.
Listen to media, radio, tv.
Department of health -
Contact detail information:
International Pension Centre – (+) 441912187777 for S1 form (previously S121)
Overseas Healthcare Team – (+) 441912181999 for EHIC / PRC
HMRC – (+) 441912037010 – for workers posted overseas
Cyprus Ministry – hhtp://www.moh.gov.cy
NHS Choices – Cyprus
The EU has 28 member states with a total of 503 million people. Each country has its own
social security set-up. Visitors to any EU country are covered for all medically necessary
health care by their EHIC card and their own health insurance during their temporary stay.
This can also cover treatment for as long as it would take in UK
until sorted.
If you are having ongoing health treatment while you will be travelling you can arrange in advance through your health centre/hospital to have it in the EU country you are visiting,
eg. blood tests, chemotherapy, medication, etc.
You must have a GP in order to be referred for hospital treatment in Cyprus UK
If you need medical prescriptions, under a recent cross-border directive you need to ask
your GP to give you a prescription for cross-boarder purposes.
Early retirees have to arrange their own health insurance as they are not covered in Cyprus
by International Pension Centre.
If you are living in Cyprus and registered with a S1 form you get full NHS care in UK
If you return to UK
April 2015. However some GPs and local hospitals have not yet fully registered the fact,
so they may have to be reminded/informed.
If a pensioner dies, their dependant must contact the International Pension Centre and
take out private health insurance until they are of pensionable age themselves.
Non-EU widow or widower of EU citizen who had EHIC needs to contact Overseas
Healthcare team/International Pension Centre.
Healthcare team/International Pension Centre.
If you live in Cyprus and work in the UK
If you are resident in Cyprus
your passport you do not need the yellow slip residency paper. If you are resident after
2004 you must get a yellow slip for Cyprus Residency registration. 90 days is the period
for visitors in Cyprus
In the past the British Consulates were manned by employees sent straight from the British Foreign Office, but now they are run by British citizens who are already living in the country
and so they know and understand the potential problems from the inside and sometimes
from personal experience themselves.