Is medical insurance for a foreign worker mandatory in Cyprus?

Yes. Private medical insurance is a mandatory condition of a non-EU worker's residence and work permit. The Civil Registry & Migration Department will not issue or renew the permit without a valid certificate.

If my domestic worker leaves Cyprus or changes employer mid-year, can I cancel or transfer the policy?

The certificate is tied to the worker and the permit, not transferable to a new worker. If the worker leaves early, call us: depending on the timing and insurer, we can cancel and, where a refund applies, arrange it. A new worker needs their own fresh certificate.

Does the worker's age or a pre-existing condition change the price or acceptance?

Age and occupation affect the premium, but medical history does not. There are no health questions to answer, and pre-existing conditions do not block the certificate, because the standardized cover is accepted regardless.

Do I also need Employers' Liability insurance for a domestic worker?

Yes, it is a separate mandatory cover, with a minimum of €160,000 per employee under Law 174(I)/1989. The medical certificate does not replace it. We can arrange both.

Does the worker's family need separate cover?

Yes. Each family member on their own permit, such as a spouse or child, needs their own certificate. We can quote the whole household together.

What happens to the certificate if the permit application is refused?

Speak to us if the permit is refused. Depending on the insurer and how much of the policy year has run, cancellation or a partial refund may be possible. We will tell you exactly where you stand.

Can a company insure several foreign employees on one policy?

Yes. Companies with five or more foreign staff can use a group scheme, which covers everyone under one arrangement at a lower per-person premium. Ask us for a group quote.

Compulsory permit cover · Cap. 105

Alien Worker Medical Insurance in Cyprus

The compulsory medical cover your non-EU or domestic worker needs before the Migration Department issues their permit. DigiCare arranges it same-day, from €120 a year, in English, Greek and Russian.

From €120/year

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Cyprus broker since 1979
Same-day CRMD-accepted certificate
Group scheme for companies

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What it is

What is Alien Worker Medical Insurance in Cyprus?

Alien Worker Medical Insurance is the compulsory private medical policy a Cyprus employer must arrange for a non-EU (third-country-national) employee or domestic worker before the Civil Registry & Migration Department will issue or renew their residence and work permit.

In practice, insurers use the same standardized Plan A wording the authorities accept across the Cyprus market. Call it alien worker medical insurance, health insurance for foreign workers, or immigration medical cover, and you are talking about the one policy the authorities check before they stamp the permit.

The cover pays the worker's hospital and doctor bills while they live and work here. It also pays to return their remains home if the worst happens. It runs for the full permit period, usually 12 months, and you renew it each year for as long as the worker stays with you.

Already know the drill and just want the certificate? We can issue it today. First time doing this? The sections below cover the questions we get asked most.

Plan A immigration medical cover is the employer-facing version of this product.

Is it mandatory?

Is it mandatory, and whose responsibility is it, the employer or the worker?

Yes, it is mandatory by law. For a domestic or household worker, it is the employer's responsibility to arrange and pay for the cover. It is a prerequisite for the permit's issuance and renewal under the Aliens and Immigration Law (Cap. 105), enforced by the CRMD.

Short answer: if you hire a live-in helper, carer, or nanny from outside the EU, the policy is yours to buy. If you are a company taking on a non-EU employee, the medical cover is a permit condition you arrange as part of the stamped employment contract.

Here is the point that trips people up. This is medical insurance for the worker's permit. It is not unemployment cover, and it is not social-insurance or pension contributions. Those are separate matters entirely. This one policy exists to satisfy the health-cover requirement the Migration Department attaches to the residence and work permit.

Miss it, and the application stalls. The permit will not be issued or renewed until a valid certificate is on file.

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Who needs it

Who needs it? Domestic workers, carers, and non-EU employees

You need this cover if you are the employer of any of the following:

A live-in domestic worker or maid from outside the EU
A carer or nanny on a work-and-residence permit
Any non-EU company employee applying for or renewing a Cyprus work permit
Foreign students or visitors where the cover is written into their permit conditions

This is the policy behind searches for domestic worker insurance in Cyprus, and it is the one the Migration Department wants to see.

Who does not need it? EU citizens. If your worker holds an EU passport, this product does not apply to them. They register for the Yellow Slip and use GeSY or an S1 form instead. This page is strictly for third-country nationals.

What it covers

What does the policy cover?

Here is the useful part. In practice, Cyprus insurers offer the same standardized wording the authorities accept, so the real difference from one quote to the next is the price. You are not comparing levels of cover, you are comparing cost. The standardized certificate the CRMD accepts states benefits along these lines:

Cover item	Standardized amount
Inpatient (hospital) treatment	about €8,544 per incident / €13,669 per year
Daily hospital room	about €69 per day
Intensive care	about €171 per day
Outpatient (doctor visits)	about €1,709 per year / €18 per visit
Childbirth benefit	about €513 (payable only 10 months after the start date)
Repatriation of mortal remains	about €3,418
Reimbursement rate	90%

A few practical notes. Some insurers round the hospital figures slightly higher, to around €8,750 and €13,750, but the amounts above are the figures the CRMD-accepted certificate states. Illness claims carry a waiting period of about 30 days from the start date, so buy the cover before you need it. Repatriation of remains is not optional either. It is a required line in the certificate.

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How much it costs

How much does it cost?

Because the wording is largely standardized in practice, insurers compete mainly on price. DigiCare's Alien Worker cover, the same as our Plan A immigration policy, starts from about €120 a year for a standard-occupation adult under 65.

Across the market, prices run roughly €80 to €430 a year, depending on the worker's age and occupation. Two things do not move the price: the worker's medical history, and the type of work they did back home. So there are no health questions holding up the certificate.

Run a company with five or more foreign staff? Ask us about the group scheme, which brings the per-person premium down.

We will not print a fixed quote here, because your exact figure depends on the worker's age and job. Send us the details and we will give you the real number the same day.

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How to arrange it

How to arrange cover for a domestic worker or foreign employee

Four steps, and we handle the insurance part start to finish:

Sign and stamp the employment contract

For a domestic worker, this is the Department of Labour contract. It comes first, before the permit file.

Buy the medical certificate

Send us the worker's passport copy and a Cyprus address (a utility bill works). No medical exam is needed to price the policy. We issue the certificate, or an interim Cover Note, the same day.

Submit the permit application

File the certificate with your application to the Civil Registry & Migration Department or the District Aliens and Immigration Unit of the Police. First-time applicants also complete the residence medical examination.

Renew each year

The cover is annual. Renew it while the worker remains employed with you.

How to arrange cover for a domestic worker or foreign employee

One clarification, since these get mixed up. The medical insurance sits alongside the Department of Labour employment contract, but they are two separate documents. If you have questions about the contract itself, the salary, holidays, or a release paper, our guide on domestic-worker employer obligations covers those. For the first-time health check, see the residence medical examination guide. Your cover starts on the date of the immigration appointment.

How it compares

Alien Worker cover vs GeSY, travel insurance, and Employers' Liability

Three things get confused here, so let us clear them up.

GeSY is not enough. The public health system on its own does not satisfy the permit requirement for a non-EU worker at application time. You still need the private certificate.

Travel insurance is not accepted. A holiday travel policy will not be recognised for the permit. It has to be the standardized medical cover.

Employers' Liability is a separate cover you also need. This is the accuracy point that catches employers out. The medical policy protects the worker's health. Employers' Liability Insurance protects you if the worker is injured at work, and it is a separate mandatory cover of at least €160,000 per employee under Law 174(I)/1989.

	Alien Worker Medical	GeSY	Travel insurance	Employers' Liability
Satisfies the permit?	Yes	No	No	No (separate rule)
Covers worker's illness	Yes	Partial	Limited	No
Covers workplace injury liability	No	No	No	Yes
Who buys it	Employer	Automatic on GeSY	Traveller	Employer

If your worker is an EU citizen, none of this applies to the medical side, they use the Yellow Slip route.

Need both the medical and the liability cover? We arrange Employers' Liability Insurance too, so you can sort both in one call.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Get a compliant certificate today with DigiCare

DigiCare issues the CRMD-accepted certificate the same day, from €120 a year, in English, Greek, and Russian. As an independent Cyprus broker, we get you the standardized cover at a competitive price, and we run a group scheme for companies with several foreign staff.

Send us the worker's passport copy and a Cyprus address, and we will have your certificate ready today.

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