Paphos People

We are both over 65 and have EHIC cover. We shall be staying in Paphos for six months from Nov 1st to April 30th.Do we need extra cover as it is very expensive and if it's not necessary I can't see the point. I was an inpatient at Paphos General this March and received excellent care. It cost me all of the 10 euros administration fee.

Chrissy

Your EHIC will not cover you for a stay of 6 months..... anything over 90 days you need to apply for a yellow slip:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-cyprus

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Busy exploring England's green & pleasant lands since May 2016 after 12yrs in Cyprus.
There appears to be a misapprehension I run a photography business... it's my passion as a hobby.
I sell and buy postage stamps!

When we came over for our first 6 months winter here ...which was advised by my husbands lung specialist...we brought over 6 months of medicines to cover our stay and that helped to keep medical prescription bills down

We where also told that we where covered for our 6 months winter here...think
Poking back that we where a few days short of 6 months...which is the criteria

We now have yellow slips but because of our ages have to pay private for our care

But as Fylde Filly has posted ...check with your government overseas department for upto date information for your own personal circumstances and criteria

Hope that you are well enough to not need assistance

All the best xx

Thank you for the invaluable advice. I hope your husband benefitted from the change of climate, migmogs. I too have a chest condition and that is the reason for us overwintering in Paphos. I can stay in email contact with my chest consultant back home which is reassuring as he can suggest tests and liaise with people on the ground in Cyprus if I get into difficulties. In my opinion most of my problems are caused by the British winter climate so I'm hoping it won't be necessary.

From looking at the government website I can't see why we would need medical cover as we are retired, have our EHICs and could even go for 5 months 29 days rather than a full 6 months! Obviously we'll have to take out travel insurance just in case anything happens en route. I'm trying to think of situations for which we would need medical insurance which is something we don't have at home. Even if ,god forbid, we had a road traffic accident, stroke, cancer diagnosis or heart attack the EHIC or medical card obtained after three months would surely cover us or am I missing something? All I can think of is that we would need eventual repatriation but that would depend on the circumstances.

I don't fully understand why the situation has changed for you, migmogs, and you have to pay privately now you're older. How much is your annual premium?

We have been warned that the nights can be long and cold as Cypriot houses are built for the summer weather and have inadequate heating provision in winter, also that we should be prepared for high heating bills! Wonder how other people cope?

As far as paperwork goes will we need to bring copies of our birth certificates, marriage certificate, anything else to satisfy red tape requirements?

Thank you again for all your assistance.

Chrissy

Chrissy

I would NOT come here for the winter.

The houses are freezing cold, any heating disappears immediately and to quote friends, it's warmer in our fridge than our bedrooms. We never shower after 4pm as it's too cold upstairs.

Stay in UK with central heating.

Regards

Alan

Hi Chrissy
Glad to be of help

The best advice that we where given was from my husbands chest specialist...who told us to come to Cyprus for the winter months...he told my husband to lie outside in the sunshine during the day and sleep and he did. Just make sure that you get a property with heating in it and that way you will not freeze. Our house is NOT freezing at all. It is hot in our house...But without heating these houses ARE fridges and some of our neighbours who have not put heating in really do freeze all winter. We do not.

Although my husbands lung injuries haven,t improved...we knew that they wouldn,t... what he has been able to do is stabilize...and stop going downhill...and that is a huge blessing ..he no longer needs to use antibiotics and steroids every few weeks as he had to in the uk...which means that now if he gets an infection he knows that he can use them to better effect.

The reason why we have to pay private for health care and medicines is because I won,t retire until next March and my husband is younger than me .. so we isn,t qualify for treatment until then....and we have too many illnesses for insurance cover

As an OAP check with the uk overseas authorities about weather you can use the NHS here or not

Electricity can be expensive to use though it has come down in price...but we do not pay outrageously high for our heating..

An electric underblanket is a godsend if you can get one as it warms and dries out the bed, if heating is inadequate the beds can sometimes feel cold and damp when you get into them....but we have found that with the log burner we have not needed to use our electric underblankets...but we do use winter weight quilts

Slippers are a must on these tiled floors

And

How lovely you will be able to keep in contact with your dr...that should give you great peace of mind.

Enjoy your winter stay here...lots do...just make sure that the house that you choose, has proper heating in there...in both the living area and the bedrooms. Budget in to pay for the heating...we are usually talking about 10 - 12 weeks of heating your house...not the entire 6 months