PrEP in Cyprus: Free for Everyone, No Insurance Required

Cyprus has one of the most unusually inclusive PrEP setups in Europe. The medication is completely free and, crucially, access has nothing to do with GeSY — the national health insurance system. You don't need to be registered, you don't need a personal doctor, you don't need residency status. If you need PrEP, you walk in, and the state covers it. The trade-off is that the prescribing infrastructure is thin: two hospital clinics for a country of under a million people, and a programme that's relatively recent. Knowing which door to knock on makes the difference between getting sorted quickly and running in circles.

👤 Who Can Get It

The Cypriot PrEP programme is open to anyone at elevated risk of HIV, regardless of citizenship, residency, or insurance status. There are no demographic hoops to jump through. The clinical criteria are broad:

• Men who have sex with men (MSM) engaging in condomless sex
• Transgender individuals at elevated risk
• Partners of people living with HIV
• Sex workers
• Anyone with a recent STI or prior PEP use
• Anyone assessed by a physician as benefiting from HIV prevention

You do not need a GeSY registration or a personal doctor. You need a form of ID (passport or national ID) to open a patient file, and the service is fully confidential.

🗺️ How to Get It

PrEP is dispensed through the infectious disease units at two public hospitals. Call to make an appointment — no referral required.

• Larnaca General Hospital — Grigorios Clinic (the primary centre for HIV and PrEP in Cyprus): Tel: +357 24 800 363
• Nicosia General Hospital (infectious disease unit): Tel: +357 22 603 550

The process at either clinic:

1. Book your appointment. Call directly and ask for a PrEP assessment. Explain you are seeking PrEP for HIV prevention. No referral needed.
2. Baseline tests. The clinic runs comprehensive blood work at your first visit: HIV (you must be negative to start PrEP), kidney function, Hepatitis B, and an STI screen.
3. The prescription. If tests are clear, the doctor prescribes the medication. The pills are dispensed directly from the hospital pharmacy at no cost.
4. ID. Bring a passport or national ID card to register. The service is confidential.

The programme currently operates out of these two specialist clinics. Future phases may bring prescribing into primary care (GeSY doctors) and retail pharmacies, but as of 2026 the hospital clinics remain the access points.

⏳ If You Can't Get an Appointment Quickly

Cyprus PrEP Point — Your First Call: If you feel anxious about phoning the hospital directly, or want to understand what to expect before you go in, contact the Cyprus PrEP Point, run by the AIDS Solidarity Movement (ASM):

• Phone: +357 99 607 005
• Website: asmcyprus.org

They provide non-judgmental information, can explain the process in detail, and have navigated the system enough times to smooth the edges. If you're based in Nicosia and the Larnaca clinic feels far, they can advise on whether any closer access options are currently running.

Private route: A limited number of private doctors in Nicosia and Limassol can prescribe PrEP, but you'll pay out of pocket for the consultation and medication (generic TDF/FTC at private pharmacies). Given that the public programme is free and open to everyone including non-residents, the private route is mainly useful if hospital wait times are a barrier.

Importing by mail: Cyprus is an EU member and applies EU pharmaceutical import rules. Ordering prescription medication by mail from outside the EU is illegal, and packages will be intercepted by Customs. There's no need to self-source given universal free access — but if you're considering it for any reason, don't rely on mail delivery.

Test before you start. Never start PrEP — from any source — without a confirmed negative HIV test. Starting PrEP with an undetected HIV infection risks creating a drug-resistant strain of the virus, making future treatment significantly harder. This is non-negotiable regardless of how you access the medication.

🔄 What Happens After (Monitoring)

Once on PrEP, the clinic schedules follow-up appointments every 3 months. You must attend these to receive your next prescription — miss them and your supply lapses.

The quarterly visit covers:

• HIV test (4th gen) — confirming you remain negative while taking the medication
• Full STI screen — syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhoea. Ask the clinic specifically for three-site testing: swabs from the throat, genitals, and rectum. A blood test or urine sample alone misses most bacterial STIs in MSM. If the clinic doesn't offer three-site swabs by default, ask explicitly.
• Kidney function — creatinine/eGFR checked at every visit. Standard oral PrEP (TDF/FTC) is processed through the kidneys, and this is the monitoring that catches early renal changes before they become a problem.
• Vaccines — your first appointment is the moment to ask about Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, HPV, and Mpox. Check your vaccination status and ask what's available free of charge through the programme.

All follow-up tests and consultations are free within the public programme.

💊 What's Available

• Daily oral PrEP: The standard. Generic TDF/FTC (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate / emtricitabine). One tablet every day.

Daily oral PrEP takes 7 full days of consecutive use to reach maximum protective levels in rectal tissue. Use condoms during that first week.

• On-demand (2-1-1): Two tablets 2–24 hours before sex, one 24 hours after, one 48 hours after. EACS guidelines support this for cisgender MSM. If you prefer not to take a daily pill, say so at your appointment — the clinic will assess whether it suits your situation.

• Injectable PrEP (CAB-LA / Apretude): Not currently funded or available within the Cypriot public programme as of 2026. Oral pills remain the standard of care here.

📊 Routes Compared

Related: