The Social Insurance Scheme provides social security rights to employees, self-employed individuals, and other frequent residents in Cyprus. The Social Insurance Services (SIS), which is under the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, operates the system. Cyprus is a country where all individuals who are employed or self-employed in Cyprus obtain the Social Insurance Scheme (SIS), which is mandatory. The cost to finance SIS is to be paid through contributions. The employees, self-employed individuals, voluntarily insured persons, and the state. The scheme offers cash benefits in terms of old age, maternity, sickness, and unemployment and work injury.
GMI
The greatest non-contributory benefit is the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI), which came into existence in 2014. GMI is a top-up, means-tested benefit whereby every legal resident has benefits at a minimum, acceptable level
of quality of life.
Health insurance
The General Health System (GESY) was introduced in June 2019. GESY
is only offered to nationals of third countries who are refugees or granted subsidiary protection, and the status of dependents of the refugees and persons with secondary protection status. And those people who have the right to equal treatment with a permanent residence permit. In the social insurance field during the Aliens and Immigration Law.
Important Cypriot social security benefits
They include:
Old-Age pension/retirement pension
Open to persons who have attained the retirement age (currently at 65 years among both men and women, and will grow to 68 by the year 2025). Must have a minimum of 15 years’ contributions to get a reduced pension or full contributions to get a full pension.
The particular amount is related to the insured’s income and years of contributions.
Invalidity pension
In cases of those who get permanently disabled and end up unable to work.
Works at least 3 years (of contributions of at least 156 weeks in the last 5 years).
Survivors’ Pension
The spouse, children, or dependents of a deceased insured person are paid the money.
The condition of eligibility is based on the record of the deceased’s contribution.
Sickness & maternity benefits
Sickness Benefit: It is paid on up to 156 days allowance per disease and a 26-week contribution in the previous year.
Maternity benefit: Maternity benefit entitles one to 18 weeks of leave (additional 12 weeks may be provided voluntarily). Needs 26 weeks of contributions before the birth.
Unemployment benefit
Open to any person involuntarily losing a job. Demands 26 or more weeks of payment into a previous one-year period of unemployment.
Death grant
Furnishing insured people with a lump-sum payment to be used towards burial activities.
International & EU Organisation
Cyprus is subject to the EU social security coordination, and therefore, contributions made in other EU countries may be used to calculate benefits.
What is the way to claim benefits
The applications are to be presented to the Social Insurance Services (SIS) along with the necessary documents (ID, employment records, medical certificates, etc.).
Terms of acquisition of various social security entitlements
As a rule, there is a minimum period which is required in order to get entitlement to non-contributory benefits.
residence in the Republic. As an example, to receive child benefit, which is a
Referring to non-contributory benefits, the third-country nationals are to reside in the Republic. The former can work five years continuously, legally, and in case of migrants of the EU, EEA and Switzerland, there is a permitted aggregation period. Noticeably, under child and single-parent benefits, families with children living with them are taken care of. Moreover, the Third-country nationals get the guaranteed minimum income only when they
attain permanent residence.
Asylum-seekers and other third-country national groups are other groups that fall under this classification. And will be classified under the pre-existing health-care system, which does not permit any health care except that carried out in inpatient setups and outpatients in public hospitals. Whereby there are challenges in scheduling and making calls, queuing. Unemployment benefits are also under the SIS. And it is paid to the involuntarily unemployed individuals between the ages of 16 and 63 years and legal residents of Cyprus.
Self-employed people are excluded from the scheme. This benefit is 156 working days per benefit. This is the duration of the employment break. Despite the lack of statutory variations
Among the nationals, short-term workers, and third-country nationals should get a temporary residence permit to get unemployment benefits.
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