Can UK children get GESY?

Yes, as family members of a parent who qualifies: someone working in Cyprus, holding permanent residence, or holding an S1. UK nationality isn't the test. Children of families on a visitor permit or digital nomad visa don't get GESY through that permit.

Do children in Cyprus see a GP or a paediatrician?

A paediatrician. GESY requires every child up to 15 to register with a personal doctor for children. From 15 to 18 they can choose a paediatrician or an adult doctor.

Are vaccinations free in Cyprus?

National-programme childhood vaccines are given through your child's doctor. Ask your paediatrician which doses are covered under GESY and which catch-ups, such as hepatitis A for an older child, you'll pay for.

What vaccines do UK children need in Cyprus?

Most UK children are missing hepatitis A and MenACWY, and many born before September 2022 haven't had chickenpox vaccine. Your paediatrician will check the Red Book and suggest catch-ups.

Where is the children's A&E in Paphos?

Paphos General Hospital in Anavargos runs the public 24-hour A&E. Call 112 or 199 in an emergency. Several private hospitals in Paphos, including Evangelismos and Iasis, also work with GESY.

Can I use my child's GHIC in Cyprus?

Only while you're visiting. GOV.UK says you can't use an EHIC once you're resident in Cyprus, and the same logic applies to a GHIC. From then on you need GESY or private cover.

Is healthcare good in Cyprus?

Yes, and it has improved fast since GESY started in June 2019. The WHO's 2024 review found out-of-pocket spending fell from 45% of health spending in 2018 to 10% in 2021, and unmet medical need fell from 1.4% to 0.1% by 2022. The same review notes quality data still isn't collected systematically.

How much does it cost to see a doctor in Cyprus?

Nothing, if it's your child's GESY paediatrician. A GESY specialist costs €6 with a referral or €25 without, and A&E is €10. Outside GESY you pay the private fee, which each doctor sets.

We're having a baby in Paphos. What do we need to do?

Register the birth with the Cypriot authorities first. GOV.UK then says to register it with the UK to get a UK birth certificate and apply for your baby's first British passport. GESY covers midwives and maternity care if a parent is a beneficiary.

Healthcare for Children in Cyprus: GESY, Doctors & Jabs

Healthcare for Children in Cyprus: GESY, Paediatricians and Vaccinations

Children in Cyprus get GESY, the national health system, as family members of a parent who qualifies, usually through work in Cyprus or permanent residence. Each child under 15 is registered with a paediatrician as their family doctor, visits to that doctor are free, and co-payments stop at €75 a year. Families on a visitor permit or digital nomad visa need private insurance instead.

JJason 14 min read Last verified 27 September 2026

Sort family health insurance Read the GESY guide

The short version

GESY covers children as family members. A parent must qualify first: working in Cyprus, permanent residence, refugee status or an S1.

Visitor-permit and digital nomad families don't get GESY through the permit. Every family member needs private Plan A insurance.

Under-15s register with a paediatrician as their GESY personal doctor. Visits to that doctor cost nothing.

Children's co-payments are capped at €75 a year. Specialist visits with a referral cost €6, A&E €10, medicines €1 each.

Common vaccine gaps for UK children: hepatitis A, chickenpox and MenACWY, which Cyprus gives in early childhood.

Emergencies: call 112 or 199. Paphos General Hospital in Anavargos runs the district's public A&E.

Children's healthcare in Cyprus in numbers

€0

to see your child's GESY paediatrician

No co-payment for personal doctors

€75

annual co-payment cap for under-21s

General cap is €150

age until which the personal doctor must be a paediatrician

Where one is available

age until which dependent children stay covered as family members

Do children get free healthcare in Cyprus?

Children get GESY healthcare if one parent is a GESY beneficiary. GESY (the General Healthcare System, also called GHS) isn't linked to nationality. It's linked to your residence status and whether you work here.

This guide is part of our Cyprus for families hub.

Mother carrying a toddler along a shaded village street in Tala — A morning walk in Tala, above Paphos.

For third-country nationals, which includes UK-only passport holders, GESY lists five ways in: you're employed in Cyprus, you have permanent residence, you have refugee or supplementary protection status, you're a family member of a beneficiary, or you're insured in another EU country (an S1). Family members means spouses, minors and dependent children under 26.

You also need to live in the government-controlled areas and hold a valid residence permit with an ARC number before you can enrol.

It's not free in the sense the NHS is. Working adults pay GESY contributions (2.65% of salary for employees), and each service has a small co-payment. But the right to care doesn't depend on your children paying anything.

Does your family's permit give your children GESY?

Based on the GESY eligibility rules and Migration Department document lists, checked September 2026.

Your situation	GESY for the children?	What to do
A parent works for a Cyprus employer or is self-employed here	Yes	Parent enrols first, then the children as family members
Permanent residency (immigration permit, Category F or investment)	Yes	Parent enrols as a permanent resident, then the children
UK state pensioner with an S1, children still at home	Usually, as S1 family members	Register the S1, then add dependants; GOV.UK warns definitions can differ
Visitor temporary residence permit ("pink slip")	No	Plan A insurance for every family member, renewed with the permit
Digital nomad visa	Not through the visa	The visa requires private insurance with inpatient, outpatient and repatriation cover
One parent has an EU passport and works in Cyprus	Yes	EU parent enrols as employed; spouse and children as family members

Not sure where you fit? Call the GESY contact centre free on 17000 before you arrive.

How to register your children with GESY

You register your children after at least one parent is registered, and each child ends up on a paediatrician's list. The order matters because GESY checks your identity against the Migration Department's records.

Get your residence permits and ARC numbers. Every family member, children included, needs their own permit first.
Working? Register with Social Insurance. Make sure your Social Insurance record shows your ARC number, not just your passport.
Enrol yourself on the Beneficiary Portal at gesy.org.cy and create your account.
Enrol each child as a family member. For family members, the system prints a list of supporting documents to post to the Health Insurance Organisation, such as proof that you live in Cyprus.
Choose a paediatrician and send a registration request through the portal, or visit the doctor.
Go to the first appointment. The doctor confirms your child's details and you both sign the Form of Mutual Acceptance.

Minor children are linked to a parent's portal account automatically once the parent links their own record, and both parents can see the child's file. If you enrolled after your children, ask the paediatrician to add you to their record.

For contributions and adult registration, see our GESY guide and GESY contributions explained.

Tip

Choose the paediatrician before you need one

GESY paediatricians can hold up to 2,500 patients, and popular ones in Paphos fill up. Ask other parents at your school which doctors speak good English and answer the phone out of hours, then send the portal request as soon as your permits arrive. A healthcare navigator in Paphos can also find a paediatrician with space. You can change doctor after 6 months, or at any time for a child under 2.

Paediatricians in Paphos: your child's GESY doctor

Under GESY, every child up to 15 must be registered with a personal doctor for children, which in practice means a paediatrician. If no paediatrician is available, an adult personal doctor can take them. From 15 to 18, your teenager can choose either.

Parent and child walking up to a small medical centre in Paphos — Your child's paediatrician is the first stop for GESY care.

This is different from the NHS, where your GP sees the whole family. In Cyprus your paediatrician is the first stop for coughs, rashes, check-ups and vaccinations, and they refer your child on when needed. With a referral, GESY can send your child to:

an outpatient specialist, such as a paediatric ENT or dermatologist
physiotherapists, speech therapists, clinical psychologists and dieticians
labs and diagnostic imaging
A&E and rehabilitation services

Going to a specialist without a referral costs €25 instead of €6. Most English-speaking families in Paphos find their paediatrician through school WhatsApp groups, including those at the international schools in Paphos. It's also fine to see a private paediatrician outside GESY, as long as you're happy to pay the full fee.

What GESY costs for a child

Co-payments from the GESY financing page. Children up to 21 stop paying once they reach €75 in a calendar year.

Service	Co-payment
Personal doctor (paediatrician) visit	€0
Specialist visit with a referral	€6
Specialist visit without a referral	€25
Each prescribed medicine or medical device	€1
Lab test or group of tests	€1 (max €10 per category)
X-ray, scan or other radiology	€10
Physio, speech therapy and other allied health	€10
A&E visit	€10
Hospital inpatient stay	€0

Annual co-payment cap: €75 for children up to 21, €150 for other adults. GESY also covers preventive dental care.

Work out what your family pays into GESY

Children don't pay contributions. The working parent does, as a percentage of income. Enter your salary, pension or rental income to see the yearly bill.

Free toolGESY contribution calculator

Salary (employee) — € per year2.65% contributionSelf-employed income — € per year4.00% contributionPension income — € per year2.65% contributionRent, interest & dividends — € per year2.65% contribution

Your GESY contribution

€1,060

Pension income€795
Rent, interest & dividends€265

Contributions are capped: only the first €180,000 of total income a year counts. Employees’ contributions are deducted through payroll; other income is paid via the Tax Department.

Sources: GESY — contributions

No GESY yet?

Get introduced to a health insurance broker who covers families

Tell us your children's ages, your permit type and your move date. We introduce you to a licensed broker who can issue Plan A certificates the Migration Department accepts, or quote fuller family cover.

Plan A certificates for every family member
Comparison of full family cover if you won't get GESY
Free introduction; you pay the insurer directly

Founder-led. Replies within one working day.

Childhood vaccinations in Cyprus vs the UK

Cyprus and the UK vaccinate against most of the same diseases, but the timing differs and Cyprus adds three vaccines the NHS doesn't give toddlers. Bring your child's Red Book (Personal Child Health Record) to the first paediatrician visit so they can check it against the Ministry of Health schedule.

Child with a plaster on the arm eating ice cream beside a parent on the Paphos seafront — The ice cream after the jab.

The UK schedule also changed recently. From 1 January 2026, the NHS switched from MMR to MMRV (adding chickenpox) for children born on or after 1 September 2022. And children born on or after 1 July 2024 no longer get the Hib/MenC jab at one year. They get a fourth 6-in-1 dose at 18 months instead.

For school (see schools in Paphos), the Ministry of Education asks for proof of DTaP, polio, MMR, hepatitis B, meningococcal C (or another vaccine containing it), Hib and PCV. A child who followed the NHS schedule has most of these. The MenC gap only affects the youngest children, who won't start primary school until 2030 or later.

Cyprus vs UK vaccination schedule: where UK children have gaps

Cyprus: Ministry of Health national programme (scheme updated 2023). UK: UKHSA schedule changes from January 2026. Your paediatrician decides what your child actually needs.

Vaccine	Cyprus schedule	UK schedule	Gap for a UK child?
Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Hib, hepatitis B	From 2 months, boosters to age 4–6	6-in-1 from 8 weeks, preschool booster	Usually none
Pneumococcal (PCV)	Infant doses plus a booster	12 weeks and 1 year	Usually none
MMR	12 months and 4 years	MMRV at 12 and 18 months (born from Sep 2022)	Usually none
Chickenpox (varicella)	12 months and 4 years	Only in MMRV for children born from Sep 2022	Yes, for most children born before Sep 2022
Hepatitis A	2 doses from 12 months	Not routine	Yes, almost always
Meningococcal ACWY	1 dose at 12 months	Teenagers, around Year 9	Yes, for children under about 14
HPV	At 12 years	At 12–13 years	Timing only

The UK programme also gives MenB, which the Cyprus programme doesn't list. Flu vaccine in Cyprus is recommended for children with chronic conditions and can be given from 6 months to 15 years.

Hospitals and emergencies in Paphos

For an emergency, call 112 or 199. Paphos General Hospital in Anavargos (+357 26 803100) is the district's public hospital and runs the 24-hour A&E. A&E costs €10 under GESY.

Lifeguard tower on a quiet sandy beach in Paphos in late afternoon — With young children, swim at a beach with a lifeguard.

GOV.UK's list of hospitals, updated June 2026, shows these private hospitals and clinics in the Paphos district working with GESY:

Hospital	Address
Evangelismos Private Hospital	87 Vasileos Constantinou, Paphos
Iasis Private Hospital	8 Voriou Ipirou, Paphos
Blue Cross Medical Centre	51 Demokratias Avenue, Paphos
Royal Artemis Private Hospital	2 Pavlou Crineou Street, Paphos
Elpis Medical Centre	68 Agapinoros Street, Kato Paphos
St George Hospital	29 Eleftherios Venizelos Avenue, Paphos
Polis Medical Centre	13 Efessou Street, Polis Chrysochous

Call ahead to check a hospital sees children for your problem. Very specialised paediatric care is often referred to the national children's hospital in Nicosia, about two hours' drive away.

Health insurance for children who aren't on GESY

If your permit doesn't give your children GESY, the Migration Department still wants proof of cover. For a visitor permit, each family member, including every child, needs a Plan A certificate covering inpatient care, outpatient care and repatriation.

Plan A is a minimum, not a full health plan. Local brokers quote limits of about €8,544 per illness in hospital and €1,709 a year for outpatient care, which a broken arm and a few specialist visits could use up. Brokers quote Plan A from about €120 a person a year.

Full private family cover, with private hospitals and specialists, costs about €150–€400 a month according to Cyprus agencies in 2026. Many families on GESY keep a cheaper private plan too, for faster specialist appointments.

Our health insurance service introduces you to a broker, and the insurance brokers page explains how to vet one.

Two children jumping over small waves at Lighthouse Beach in Kato Paphos at golden hour — Lighthouse Beach in Kato Paphos at the end of a school day.

Worked example: a year of healthcare for a family of four

Two parents and two children. Family A has one parent employed in Cyprus on €40,000 a year, so everyone is on GESY. Family B lives on a visitor permit with Plan A cover. Figures from the GESY financing page and 2026 broker ranges.

Cost	Family A: on GESY	Family B: visitor permit, Plan A
What you pay up front	€1,060 a year in contributions (2.65% of €40,000)	€550–€800 a year in premiums for four Plan A policies
Child's paediatrician visit	€0	Private fee, claimed back only within the outpatient limit
Specialist with a referral	€6	Private fee, claimed within the outpatient limit
Hospital stay	€0	Covered up to about €8,544 per illness
Most a child can pay in co-payments	€75 a year	No cap once the policy limits are used up
Pre-existing conditions	Covered	Usually excluded

Contributions rise with income: a parent on €60,000 pays €1,590. A parent with no income pays no contribution but is still covered as a family member. Plan A limits are typical broker figures; check your own policy.

GESY for children: what works and what to watch

What works

A named paediatrician as your child's family doctor, with free visits

€75 annual co-payment cap for under-21s

Private hospitals in Paphos also work with GESY

Dependent children stay covered up to 26

What to watch

No GESY for visitor-permit or digital nomad families

Popular Paphos paediatricians fill their lists

€25 to see a specialist without a referral

Portal and paperwork are slow until permits are issued

Health checklist for each child before you leave the UK

Your UK GP won't be a phone call away once you've moved. Collect these in the last month before you fly.

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1 Records

Red Book (Personal Child Health Record)Your Cyprus paediatrician checks it against the national vaccination programme.
A printed summary of your child's GP recordAsk the surgery for diagnoses, allergies, medicines and immunisations.
Letters from any hospital specialistWith the diagnosis, current treatment and follow-up plan.
Asthma, allergy or epilepsy care plansYour new school will ask for these too.

2 Medicines and cover

A supply of regular medicines to bridge the first weeksBring a prescription letter listing the generic (not brand) names.
Plan A certificate for each child if you won't be on GESYNeeded for the residence permit application.
GHIC for the journey and the first visitsIt covers you as a visitor only, not once you're resident.

Children and a parent picking oranges in a grove near Paphos in winter — Orange picking in January, in a grove outside Paphos.

Healthcare for children in Cyprus: common questions

Largely, if a parent is a GESY beneficiary. Visits to your child's GESY paediatrician are free, inpatient care has no co-payment, and all other co-payments stop at €75 a year for children. Without GESY, you pay privately or through insurance.

Family health cover

Make sure every child is covered from day one

Plan A certificates for your permit, full family cover, or help registering with GESY. We introduce you to the right advisor for free.

Get family health insurance help Back to the families guide

Sources checked for this page

1.GESY — Beneficiaries eligibility FAQ (third-country nationals)Government
2.GESY — Enrolment guide for non-Cypriot nationals (PDF)Government
3.GESY — Beneficiary access to a personal doctor (children under 15 register with a paediatrician)Government
4.GESY — Financing, contributions and co-paymentsGovernment
5.GESY — Healthcare services provided by the GHSGovernment
6.GESY — Beneficiary enrolment processGovernment
7.Ministry of Health — National vaccination programme for children and adolescents (updated scheme 2023)Government
8.UKHSA — Changes to the childhood vaccination schedule from January 2026Government
9.Ministry of Education — Pupils' registration/transfer in public primary schoolsGovernment
10.GOV.UK — List of hospitals in Cyprus (updated 24 June 2026)Government
11.GOV.UK — Healthcare for UK nationals living in CyprusGovernment
12.Migration Department — Supporting documents: visitor, dependent minorGovernment
13.Migration Department — Digital nomads and family membersGovernment
14.Local insurance broker guide — Immigration medical insurance (Plan A) limits and pricesProfessional
15.DevelopersCyprus — Cost of living in Cyprus 2026 (family health insurance range)Professional
16.WHO European Observatory — Cyprus: health system review 2024Government
17.GOV.UK — Living in Cyprus (births, children, updated 5 Feb 2026)Government

Written by

Jason

Founder, Paphos Advisor

British founder who moved his family from the UK to Paphos in 2025. I write down what I learned doing it properly — the tax, the residency and the living-here detail — and introduce people to the specialists I’d use myself.

How I research and fact-check

Healthcare for Children in Cyprus: GESY, Paediatricians and Vaccinations

Children's healthcare in Cyprus in numbers

Do children get free healthcare in Cyprus?

Does your family's permit give your children GESY?

How to register your children with GESY

Paediatricians in Paphos: your child's GESY doctor

What GESY costs for a child

Work out what your family pays into GESY

Get introduced to a health insurance broker who covers families

Childhood vaccinations in Cyprus vs the UK

Cyprus vs UK vaccination schedule: where UK children have gaps

Hospitals and emergencies in Paphos

Health insurance for children who aren't on GESY

Worked example: a year of healthcare for a family of four

GESY for children: what works and what to watch

Health checklist for each child before you leave the UK

Healthcare for children in Cyprus: common questions

Is healthcare free for children in Cyprus?

Can UK children get GESY?

Do children in Cyprus see a GP or a paediatrician?

Are vaccinations free in Cyprus?

What vaccines do UK children need in Cyprus?

Where is the children's A&E in Paphos?

Can I use my child's GHIC in Cyprus?

Is healthcare good in Cyprus?

How much does it cost to see a doctor in Cyprus?

We're having a baby in Paphos. What do we need to do?

Sources checked for this page

Keep reading

Children's healthcare in Cyprus in numbers

Do children get free healthcare in Cyprus?

Does your family's permit give your children GESY?

How to register your children with GESY

Paediatricians in Paphos: your child's GESY doctor

What GESY costs for a child

Work out what your family pays into GESY

Get introduced to a health insurance broker who covers families

Childhood vaccinations in Cyprus vs the UK

Cyprus vs UK vaccination schedule: where UK children have gaps

Hospitals and emergencies in Paphos

Health insurance for children who aren't on GESY

Worked example: a year of healthcare for a family of four

GESY for children: what works and what to watch

Health checklist for each child before you leave the UK

Healthcare for children in Cyprus: common questions

Is healthcare free for children in Cyprus?

Can UK children get GESY?

Do children in Cyprus see a GP or a paediatrician?

Are vaccinations free in Cyprus?

What vaccines do UK children need in Cyprus?

Where is the children's A&E in Paphos?

Can I use my child's GHIC in Cyprus?

Is healthcare good in Cyprus?

How much does it cost to see a doctor in Cyprus?

We're having a baby in Paphos. What do we need to do?