I work in Cyprus as a domestic worker or migrant worker: what are my rights, and who covers me if I get sick or hurt?
Simply and clearly: the Social Insurance you pay and what it gives you, a GESY personal doctor, what happens if you are hurt at work, the employer’s compulsory liability insurance, the insurance for your permit, and what you get when you go back home.
In short
You pay Social Insurance like everyone else, and you can receive benefits and a pension if you meet the conditions; the pension is also paid in your home country. You can have a personal doctor in GESY, and by law every employer must have employer’s liability insurance.
- Keep copies: employment contract, permit, ARC, health insurance, payslips.
- Register with GESY and choose a personal doctor, if you have not already.
- Once a year, ask the Social Insurance Services for your insurance record.
- Check that your insurance says “repatriation of remains”, and politely ask to see the employer’s liability certificate.
From the series “The questions you are afraid to ask”, part “The Cyprus system”: questions real people ask, with honest answers.
At a glance
- You pay Social Insurance like everyone else. You can get sickness, maternity and other benefits, and a pension, if you meet the conditions. The pension is also paid in your home country.
- Domestic workers who work and live here are a GESY category: you can have a personal doctor.
- Every employer must have employer’s liability insurance (Law 174/1989). At the end of 2025 there were 19,158 such policies for 30,042 employers of domestic workers.
- If you are hurt at work, Social Insurance pays injury benefit for up to 12 months. Employees need no contribution conditions for it.
You look after others. Here is what looks after you.
Many of you look after our children and our parents, clean our homes, and work in our fields and kitchens, far from your own family. It is natural to worry: “If I get sick, who pays?” “If I leave, do I lose my money?” Here we write in simple words only what official sources confirm. Where we do not know something for sure, we say so, and we tell you where to ask.
Social Insurance: your rights
More than 20,000 third-country nationals work as domestic workers in Cyprus, mostly from Nepal, and many from the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The Labour Minister said in June 2025 that they pay Social Insurance and can get sickness, maternity and other benefits, and a pension if they meet the conditions. The pension is paid in the country where the worker then lives.
On your payslip, a 2026 guide writes that an employee pays 8.8% for Social Insurance and 2.65% for GESY. Keep every payslip. If you are not sure your employer pays your contributions, ask the Social Insurance Services for your insurance record.
Health: GESY and the insurance for your permit
The Health Insurance Organisation’s enrolment guide says that people who work in Cyprus and live here, including domestic workers from third countries, can register with GESY. You need a valid ARC and residence permit, and your ARC number must be on your Social Insurance record. A visit to your personal doctor has no co-payment; other services have small co-payments (Politis, 2026). For questions, the Organisation answers on 17000.
To renew a residence and work permit (general employment), the Migration Department checklist asks for either “Plan A” health insurance (primary and secondary care and repatriation of remains), or GESY together with private cover for transporting remains. It also asks for employer’s liability insurance. Ask the Department which checklist applies to your own permit. Who pays for your health insurance is set by your employment contract and the rules in force today; we could not confirm today’s rule, so we will not guess. Read your contract and ask in writing.
If you are hurt at work
- Injury benefit: from Social Insurance, for up to 12 months, at the same amount as sickness benefit. Employees need no contribution conditions (ISSA, European Commission).
- Disablement benefit: a lump sum for 10–19% disability, a pension for 20% or more.
- Employer’s liability insurance: Law 174/1989 says every employer must be insured for its liability for accidents at work and occupational diseases, with some exemptions. Failing to do so is a criminal offence. It is the employer’s insurance if the employer is responsible for your injury; it is not your personal insurance.
- What to do: see a doctor, tell your employer what happened, and keep notes, photos and receipts.
When you go back home
A Cypriot pension is also paid abroad. If you do not reach a pension but have at least 6 years of contributions, at 68 you can receive a lump sum equal to 15% of your contributions, unless you are entitled to a social pension (ISSA). We found no social security agreements between Cyprus and the Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam or India. Before you leave, ask for your contribution statement and keep it somewhere safe.
For families who employ a carer or domestic worker
As an employer, the law asks you to have employer’s liability insurance. At the end of 2025 there were 19,158 such policies for 30,042 employers of domestic workers, according to figures from the member companies of the Insurance Association, and inspectors ask for the certificate. Check that yours is in force and renews automatically, that contributions are paid, and that the worker’s permit insurance covers what the checklist asks for. In 2025 the Council of Europe (GRETA) urged Cyprus to give migrant workers the same rights, and the same minimum wage, as Cypriot and EU workers.
Your questions, one by one
Who pays for my medical insurance as a domestic worker — me or my employer?
Your employment contract and the rules in force today decide. We could not confirm today’s rule, so we will not guess. Read what your contract says, and ask the Civil Registry and Migration Department in writing.
As a domestic worker, can I have a GESY personal doctor?
Yes. The Health Insurance Organisation’s guide says domestic workers who work and live here can register. You need a valid ARC and residence permit, and your ARC number must be on your Social Insurance record.
I went to hospital and they asked me to pay. Isn’t my insurance supposed to cover this?
Ask calmly why: are you not registered with GESY? Is it a small GESY co-payment? Or is the service outside GESY? Ask for a receipt. If you have private insurance, send it the receipt, and for GESY call 17000.
When I go back home to the Philippines, can I get my Cyprus social insurance money?
The Labour Minister said the pension is paid in the country where the worker then lives. If you do not reach a pension but have at least 6 years of contributions, there is a lump sum at 68. Before you leave, ask the Social Insurance Services what applies to you.
I worked six years in Cyprus as a carer. Will I get anything at 68?
You may. Someone who is not entitled to a pension but has at least 6 years of contributions on certain earnings receives at 68 a lump sum equal to 15% of their contributions, unless they are entitled to a social pension (ISSA). Ask for your record to see whether you qualify.
Am I entitled to sick pay and maternity pay as a domestic worker?
Yes, if you meet the conditions. Sickness benefit is paid from the 4th day, for up to 156 days. Maternity allowance is 22 weeks. Ask the Social Insurance Services whether you have enough contributions.
My employer doesn’t pay my social insurance. What can I do?
Ask the Social Insurance Services for your insurance record, to see what has been paid. Keep your payslips and payment receipts. Tell the Social Insurance Services; your embassy can also guide you.
If I fall and get injured while cleaning the house, who pays?
Social Insurance pays injury benefit for up to 12 months, and employees need no contribution conditions. Your employer must have employer’s liability insurance, in case the employer is responsible. See a doctor, tell your employer and keep notes.
My employer says I need my own insurance for the permit renewal. Is that right?
For renewing a general employment permit, the checklist asks for “Plan A” insurance, or GESY together with repatriation cover. Who pays is set by your contract and today’s rules, which we could not confirm. Ask the Migration Department in writing.
If something happens to me in Cyprus, who pays to send my body home?
It is a heavy question, and you are right to ask it. The insurance for your permit must cover repatriation of remains, either inside a “Plan A” or as separate cover next to GESY. Check that your policy says so, keep a copy, and tell your family where it is.
Can I buy life insurance in Cyprus so my children back home are protected?
Each insurer decides whether it accepts your permit. Before you sign, ask whether it pays beneficiaries abroad, in which currency, and which documents your children would need. Write their full details, and do not pay money to anyone you cannot check.
I’m an Indian worker in a restaurant. Does my employer need liability insurance for me?
Yes. Law 174/1989 says every employer must be insured for accidents at work and occupational diseases of its employees, with some exemptions. The permit renewal checklist also asks for this insurance. You can ask to see the certificate.
I’m a farm worker from Asia. Is my medical insurance only for emergencies?
It depends on the policy. The renewal checklist asks for cover of primary and secondary care and repatriation of remains, or GESY with repatriation cover. Ask for a copy of your policy. If you are on GESY, you have a personal doctor and much more than emergencies.
Do I lose my contributions if I change employer or leave Cyprus before 15 years?
Changing employer does not erase your record. Sources disagree on the minimum years for a pension, so we do not confirm the “15 years”. There is also the lump sum at 68 for people with at least 6 years. Ask the Social Insurance Services for your record.
Is there a helpline for domestic workers with problems about pay or insurance?
We have not yet researched helplines, so we will not give you a number we have not checked. For contributions, ask the Social Insurance Services; for your permit, the Migration Department; for GESY, 17000. Your country’s embassy can also help.
I employ a live-in carer for my mother. What insurance must I have?
Employer’s liability insurance, which Law 174/1989 makes compulsory and which the permit renewal checklist also asks for, renewing automatically. You must also pay the Social Insurance contributions, and the carer needs the health insurance her permit asks for. See the employer obligations tool.
I came from India on a work permit. What deductions on my payslip are for insurance?
A 2026 guide writes that an employee pays 8.8% for Social Insurance and 2.65% for GESY, and the employer pays its own rates. If you see another deduction, ask your employer in writing what it is.
I’m Filipino and pregnant while working here. Am I covered for the birth?
If you are on GESY, a hospital stay has no co-payment, and women from age 15 can see a gynaecologist without a referral (Politis, 2026). With enough contributions you are also entitled to maternity allowance for 22 weeks. Ask your personal doctor and the Social Insurance Services early.
My employer keeps my insurance papers. How do I know what I’m covered for?
Ask politely for a copy, because it is your own cover. If you are refused, write to the insurer named on the documents and ask for a copy. Keep a photo on your phone.
I’m from Nepal. If I get a pension from Cyprus, can it be paid in Nepal?
Yes. The Labour Minister said the pension is paid in the country where the worker then lives, and ISSA writes that the Social Insurance pension is also paid abroad. Keep your details up to date with the Social Insurance Services.
Do I get the old-age lump sum at 68 if I worked here less than 15 years?
The lump sum at 68 is for people who are not entitled to a pension but have at least 6 years of contributions on certain earnings: 15% of their contributions (ISSA). We do not confirm the “15 years” limit for a pension, because sources disagree. Ask for your record.
If I need an operation, does my permit insurance or GESY pay for it?
If you are on GESY, a hospital stay is covered there with no co-payment. A private “Plan A” pays under its own terms and limits. For a planned operation, ask both before; in an emergency, treatment comes first.
What you can do from today
- Keep copies: employment contract, permit, ARC, health insurance, payslips.
- Register with GESY and choose a personal doctor, if you have not done so.
- Once a year, ask the Social Insurance Services for your insurance record.
- Check that your insurance says “repatriation of remains”, and tell your family where it is.
- If you are an employer: check today that your employer’s liability insurance is in force.
What went wrong for others — and how to avoid it
- At the end of 2025, about one in three employers of domestic workers had no employer’s liability policy in the figures of the Insurance Association’s member companies (19,158 policies for 30,042 employers). Workers: ask politely to see the certificate. Employers: check that the policy is in force and renews automatically.
- At the renewal appointment there was only the GESY card. The checklist asks for GESY together with cover for transporting remains, or “Plan A”. Arrange the cover before the appointment.
General information, not advice (legal, medical or insurance). For your own case, the law, the terms of your permit and of your policy, and what the competent services confirm to you in writing apply: the Health Insurance Organisation, the Social Insurance Services, the Civil Registry and Migration Department. AVRASTRO is not an insurer and not a government service.
Sources
- Cyprus Mail, 6 June 2025 — Migrant domestic workers entitled to Cypriot pensions
- Health Insurance Organisation — GHS enrolment information for non-Cypriots (copy hosted by the German Embassy in Nicosia, undated)
- Civil Registry and Migration Department — checklist for renewing a residence and employment permit, general employment (MGEN2)
- CyLaw — Law 174/1989 on compulsory employer’s liability insurance (Official Gazette No. 2456, 10 November 1989)
- Politis (English edition), 27 February 2026 — Employer liability under scrutiny as insurance coverage lags registrations
- Cyprus Mail, 27 February 2026 — Half of companies not paying employers’ liability insurance
- European Commission — Your social security rights in Cyprus (compiled July 2026, in Greek)
- ISSA — Country profile: Cyprus (social security programmes, as of 1 July 2023)
- INDEX.cy, 19 August 2026 — Social insurance in Cyprus: a guide (secondary source)
- Politis (English edition), 11 June 2026 — Healthcare in Cyprus: what expats need to know
Read also: A dangerous job: will they cover me? · When someone else is at fault and their insurer will not pay · Residence-permit insurance: is GESY enough? · GESY or private health insurance? · Expat or moving abroad: what about my policy? · Who gets the money? · Guide for expats in Cyprus · All the questions you are afraid to ask
