The Social Insurance Scheme applies to all workers (employed and self-employed). Voluntary insurance is also allowed to persons who wish to continue insurance after a prescribed period of compulsory insurance, or to persons who work abroad in the service of Cypriot employers.
For further details, you can download a Guide on Social Insurance in Cyprus here.
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Every employee in Cyprus is compulsorily insured under the Social Insurance Scheme. The compulsory insurance falls into two categories: employees and self-employed. Every person who is employed in the service of an employer, such as workers, employees in the private sector, public employees, semi-public employees and apprentices fall under the category of employed persons. Every person who is employed in a business of their own or perform any activities for their own account, such as traders, industrialists, farmers etc., fall under the category of self-employed persons.
For employed persons the rate of contribution is 17.9%, 6.8% is payable by the employer, 6.8% by the employee and 4.3% by the State.
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Upon securing employment, all employees should apply for a Social Insurance Number.
The application form can be downloaded here and has to be submitted to one of the District Offices of the Social Insurance Services, listed here.
Please consult your employer when filling in your application, as they may need to provide information or supporting documents.
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The Scheme provides for the following benefits:
- sickness benefit
- maternity grant
- maternity allowance
- benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases, including temporary incapacity (injury benefit), disablement benefit and death benefit
- invalidity pension
- unemployment benefit
- old-age pension
- widows’ pension
- orphans’ benefit
- funeral grant
Employed persons are entitled to all the above benefits.
On the other hand, self-employed persons are not entitled to unemployment benefit or to benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases. Voluntary contributors working abroad for Cypriot employers are not entitled to benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases. Finally, other voluntary contributors are not entitled to maternity allowance, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, invalidity pension or benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases.