National Insurance in Crete

In Crete there is a national health service just the same as in the UK and you need to pay into this service to get free medical attention it all depends on your personal circumstances.

If you are not a pensioner or a visitor to Crete then you must have your own insurance.

Working in Crete is a good option as you can join the health service via your employer, who should pay for your IKA stamps.

Working for yourself with your own business you will have to pay for your own insurance.

Working in Crete is not easy as there is a difficult language to learn and the majority of Greek employers will insist on fluency in Greek. This applies to all jobs in Crete, from office work to buiding work.

We have included below some of the exclusions:-

If you are a visitor to Crete, you can obtain the new a E111 form from your Post Office in the UK, which entitles you to routine medical treatment in Crete. This form is valid until the end of this year, having applied for this form you will automatically receive the new European Health Insurance Card, if you tick the appropriate box.

Pensioners who intend to live in Crete can get a form E121 from the Department of Health and it should be issued to the local IKA office (National Insurance), it provides health cover and does not need to be renewed.

Living here permenantly and not a pensioner, you need to find your own private insurance, there are polices you can take out in the UK for Health cover anywhere in the world, and there are many insurance companies here in Crete.