GESY personal doctor in Cyprus: choosing and changing

Health in Cyprus Checked: 20 October 2026 Changed: 27 October 2023

In short

Who it applies to: Everyone already registered with GESY: without a personal doctor the system will not let you see a specialist or go to a lab. Every family member needs their own, and a child under 15 needs a paediatrician.
What it costs: A visit to your own personal doctor during normal hours is free — there is no co-payment for it. From 20:00 to 07:00, at weekends and on public holidays the doctor may charge a supplement of up to €25, and it does not count towards the annual co-payment cap. The GESY weekend on-call doctors are free.
How long it takes: A request sent through the portal waits 7 days for the doctor’s answer; if there is none, it lapses and you choose again. The visit completes the registration: the doctor checks your document and you both sign the mutual acceptance form.
Where to apply: The list of doctors contracted to GESY is on the ΟΑΥ website (gesy.org.cy, “Αναζήτηση Παροχέων”) and on the Πύλη Δικαιούχων. You apply on the Πύλη Δικαιούχων or go to the doctor in person, who registers you directly. Questions — the GESY Contact Centre, free on 17000.
If your case differs: Each doctor sets their own surgery hours — the ΟΑΥ does not fix them, but since 2023 the doctor must declare them. When away, the doctor appoints a GESY replacement and must tell their patients.

Your case

If you are choosing a personal doctor for the first time

Find a doctor in the ΟΑΥ list and send a request on the Πύλη Δικαιούχων — you can do it in the same session as your GESY registration. Within 7 days the doctor accepts or asks you to come in first; until you do, you are not on the list. If the doctor already has 2500 people including pending requests, the request will not go through — pick another. You can also skip the request: go to the doctor, who registers you directly. Either way, at the first visit the doctor checks your ID card or ARC and you sign the “Αμοιβαία Αποδοχή Εγγραφής” form — one copy is yours. If the doctor refuses to register you, you may complain to the ΟΑΥ.

If you want to change doctor

You can switch 12 months after registering with your current doctor. Send a request to the new doctor on the Πύλη Δικαιούχων or go to them — the system asks for the reason, and your previous doctor is told it. There is no separate “leaving” step: once the new doctor registers you, you are removed from the old list automatically. Only one request can be pending: a new one cancels the previous one. Before a year is up: a baby under 3 months can switch at any time, a child from 3 months to 2 years once every 3 months; a 15–18-year-old moving from a paediatrician to an adult doctor at any time; and if the system assigned your doctor — within 6 months.

If your doctor removed you from the list or left GESY

A doctor may remove a patient but must give the ΟΑΥ a reason, which you are not told. You get a notice and have 15 days to choose a new doctor — the 12-month rule does not apply here. Until you choose, the old doctor keeps seeing you. If you miss the deadline, the system registers you with a doctor and tells you the name; you can leave an assigned doctor without waiting 6 months. If you disagree with the removal, complain to the ΟΑΥ in writing within 3 months of learning about it; the doctor answers the ΟΑΥ within a month, and the ΟΑΥ decides within 3 months of the complaint. The same period and procedure apply if the doctor’s GESY contract ends or they leave the practice they worked through.

If the doctor is for a child

Up to 15 a child is registered with a paediatrician; from 15 to 18 with a paediatrician or an adult doctor, and the teenager’s view is taken into account. A parent submits the request for a child under 18 from their own Πύλη Δικαιούχων account. If there is no GESY paediatrician nearby, the child can be registered with an adult personal doctor on application. A newborn without an ID or birth certificate can already be seen by the personal doctor the parent chose: once the document is issued, the baby goes onto that doctor’s list. Before 18 the parent gets a reminder; if the child is still with a paediatrician, the system moves them to an adult doctor. A child under 2 can change paediatrician without waiting 12 months.

If you need a doctor in the evening, at a weekend or on a holiday

Your own doctor may see you at these times, but from 20:00 to 07:00, at weekends and on holidays may charge a supplement of up to €25 — even people exempt from co-payments pay it. Free of charge are the GESY on-call doctors: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 11:00 to 17:00, by phone appointment only; the doctor asks about the problem first, then gives you a time the same day. Numbers for October 2026: Nicosia 22502019, Limassol 25200194, Larnaca 24636343, Paphos 26848113, Famagusta (Paralimni) 23849400. On-call doctors treat sudden problems — pain, high fever, a flare-up — but do not issue repeat prescriptions or referrals. If life is at risk — 112 or the emergency department (ΤΑΕΠ) without a referral.

Deadlines and conditions

a request to a doctor waits 7 days for an answerΚΔΠ 186/2019 (internal regulations on personal doctors), reg. 9(2): a request submitted through the system “ισχύει για επτά (7) ημέρες”. ΟΑΥ FAQ on doctors’ lists: while the request is pending your place on the list is held; with no answer the request is cancelled.
one personal doctor’s list holds at most 2500 peopleLaw 89(Ι)/2001, s. 24(3): a personal doctor’s list “δεν μπορεί να υπερβαίνει ανά πάσα στιγμή τους δύο χιλιάδες πεντακοσίους δικαιούχους”; s. 24(4): the ΟΑΥ may allow more by decision. ΟΑΥ FAQ: pending requests count too; the exception is a sibling of a child already with that paediatrician.
you can change personal doctor 12 months after registering with themΟΑΥ FAQ on doctors’ lists: “Μπορείτε να αλλάξετε ΠΙ αφού περάσουν 12 μήνες από την ημερομηνία εγγραφής σας” (general rule). ΟΑΥ announcement of 11.08.2022: from 31.08.2022 the period went from 6 to 12 months, you state a reason when switching, and the previous doctor is told it. The law (s. 26(4)) still says six months — the year rests on ΚΔΠ 187/2022.
removed from a list or your doctor left GESY — 15 days to choose a new oneΟΑΥ FAQ on doctors’ lists: if a doctor removes you, “θα κληθείτε να εγγραφείτε σε κατάλογο δικαιούχων άλλου ΠΙ εντός 15 ημερολογιακών ημερών”; until you register elsewhere you stay with the old doctor; if you do not choose, the system assigns one (αυτόματη κατανομή). The same period applies when the doctor’s contract with the ΟΑΥ ends.
a referral to a specialist lasts 6 months and covers 2 visitsΚΔΠ 333/2023, Annex I: a referral to a specialist (other than radiology, cytology and pathology) lasts “6 μήνες από την ημερομηνία έκδοσής του” for 2 visits; to a lab — 6 months unless the doctor sets otherwise. Annex II: for frequent long-term follow-up — up to 12 visits over 12 months. Until 27.10.2023 the period was three months, with three visits (ΚΔΠ 186/2019).
evenings, nights, weekends and holidays the doctor may add up to €25ΟΑΥ regulations on co-payments and contributions I and II (ΚΔΠ 36/2019; Annexes I and II replaced by order ΚΔΠ 215/2019 of 28.06.2019), Annex I, Second Table: a personal doctor visit in the Annex II hours — “0-25,00”, the amount set by the doctor. Annex II: weekdays 20:00 to 07:00, Saturday and Sunday, 15 public holidays. Reg. 6(3): the supplement does not count towards the annual cap; reg. 5: those exempt from co-payments still pay it.

Evenings and weekends your own doctor may charge up to €25 — on top of the annual co-payment cap, even if you are exempt

What follows from this:

the doctor sets the supplement, from zero to €25, and the system prints the amount before you pay — ask in advance
the annual co-payment cap (€150, €75 for children) does not cover the supplement, and a co-payment exemption does not spare you from it
on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays the free alternative is the GESY on-call doctors from 11:00 to 17:00, by phone appointment only
a portal request to a doctor lapses after 7 days without an answer — check its status rather than waiting for an email
registration with a doctor is not complete until you have visited and signed the “Αμοιβαία Αποδοχή Εγγραφής” form
a specialist referral lasts 6 months for 2 visits — the old “3 months, 3 visits” rule was replaced in 2023

What the personal doctor does and does not do

issues referrals to specialists, labs, imaging, physiotherapists and hospital; without a referral a specialist costs €25 a visit, with one €6
a specialist referral lasts 6 months for 2 visits; for long-term follow-up the specialist can request a “chronic” one — up to 12 visits over 12 months
does not refer you to a named doctor or clinic — whom you see with the referral is your choice
prescribes medicines from the GESY list and hands you the prescription on paper
you can go without a referral only to the emergency department (ΤΑΕΠ) and, for women from 15, to a gynaecologist
issues codes to link your account to your medical record on the Πύλη Δικαιούχων: one printed, one sent by email, both valid 24 hours

Sources

Ο περί Γενικού Συστήματος Υγείας Νόμος 89(Ι)/2001, sections 24–26www.cylaw.orgThe 2500-person list limit and the ΟΑΥ’s power to raise it; the doctor’s duties; free choice of doctor, paediatrician and geriatrician by age, changing doctor, complaints about refusal and removal.
ΚΔΠ 186/2019 — Εσωτερικοί Κανονισμοί (Προσωπικοί Ιατροί) του 2019www.gesy.org.cyA request to a doctor is valid for 7 days (reg. 9(2)); a newborn without documents is seen by the doctor the parent chooses (reg. 8(γ)); doctors set their own hours (reg. 11).
ΚΔΠ 333/2023 — amendment to the personal doctor regulationswww.gesy.org.cyReferrals: validity and number of visits (Annexes I and II); doctors must declare their hours; the ΟΑΥ publishes the list of doctors; a newborn’s visit within 6 months of birth.
ΟΑΥ regulations on co-payments and contributions I and II (2019)www.gesy.org.cyA €0–25 supplement for personal doctor and specialist visits in the evening, at night, at weekends and on holidays; outside the annual cap; exempt groups still pay it.
ΟΑΥ — FAQ: Personal Doctor List Managementwww.gesy.org.cyRequest and visit procedure, the “Αμοιβαία Αποδοχή Εγγραφής” form, one pending request, removal and 15 days, automatic assignment, change after 12 months and exceptions, the 2500 limit including pending requests.
ΟΑΥ — FAQ: Personal Doctor Serviceswww.gesy.org.cyWhat the doctor does and where they refer; no referral needed for ΤΑΕΠ and gynaecology; no naming a specific provider; doctors set their hours; cover during absence; no paediatrician nearby — adult doctor on application; codes for the medical record.
ΟΑΥ — Personal Doctor On-Call Services (page and FAQ)www.gesy.org.cyOn-call on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 11:00 to 17:00, by phone appointment only, free; what is and is not handled; phones and addresses by district.
ΟΑΥ — announcement of 11.08.2022 on changing personal doctorwww.gesy.org.cyFrom 31.08.2022 — 12 months instead of 6; you state the reason for switching, and the previous doctor is told it.
ΟΑΥ — Χρηματοδότηση (co-payments and Contribution I)www.gesy.org.cyNo personal doctor visit in the co-payment table; specialist with referral €6, without €25; annual cap €150 and €75.