Visitors Health Insurance If you are coming for a short period which is normally less than ninety days you should apply for travel insurance. Although you may be covered by a reciprocal agreement between your home country and Cyprus, so you should check if this is providing sufficient cover. Citizens of certain countries should acquire a European Health Insurance Card. This is valid only for short periods such as holidays and business trips and covers you only for indispensable healthcare. If your country does not have a reciprocal agreement with Cyprus and you are not covered by Cypriot social insurance, you should have private health insurance. If you are planning to spend up to six months in Cyprus, you should have either a long-stay policy or an annual international health policy, which should cover you in your home country and during your trips to other countries. European Health Insurance Card If you’re a citizen of an EEA country or of Switzerland, you should submit an application for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your local social security office not less than three weeks before you are going to Cyprus. This will help you to obtain free or reduced cost medical treatment in Cyprus for up to 90 days. The EHIC will be open-ended and valid all your life provided you continue to contribute to the social security in the country where it was issued; if you become a resident in another country it becomes invalid. An EHIC covers emergency healthcare but doesn’t include prescribed medicines, special examinations, X-rays, laboratory tests, physiotherapy and dental treatment.