You wake up in Heraklion with a fever and a pharmacy that opens at 9. Which doctor do you call? In Greece the answer depends on a number that you do not yet have. The Greek health system is built around the AMKA, and between your arrival and your first appointment there is a chain of three papers. It is short, but it has an order.
How does healthcare work in Greece?
Public care is organised by EOPYY, the national health service organisation, and delivered in public health centres and hospitals. Your right to it comes from one of three sources: contributions from a job in Greece, an S1 form issued by another EU country, or private insurance. The AMKA is only the identifier that ties you to the system.
Once you are covered by EOPYY, covered care in public facilities carries no co-payment. At a private doctor, laboratory or clinic with an EOPYY contract, and for medicines, you pay a fixed participation set by the regulation of health services. A contracted provider cannot ask for more.
How do you get your AMKA?
- Get your registration certificate first. The police certificate is required. See residence registration in Greece.
- Go in person to a local e-EFKA office (Τοπική Διεύθυνση e-ΕΦΚΑ) or a KEP (ΚΕΠ, a citizens' service centre). It is not available online. It is free and takes 15 to 30 minutes on site. You leave with an AMKA certificate (Βεβαίωση ΑΜΚΑ).
Bring: proof of residence in Greece (a lease, a hosting statement, a tax residence proof or another accepted document); the registration certificate; an ID; and, depending on your situation, an employment certificate, a contract declared in ERGANI, a notice of start of activity, a student certificate, or an S1 or A1 form. If someone does it for you, they need a power of attorney with an authenticated signature.
The validity of the activation depends on your situation. If your basis changes (end of contract, expired S1), check that your AMKA remains active.
How do you register with a personal doctor?
The προσωπικός ιατρός is the gatekeeper of the public system. Registration is free and takes about 15 minutes, or 11 online. You can register:
- online, with your TAXISnet codes or a European digital identity;
- at a public primary-care structure;
- at the private practice of the doctor you choose;
- at a pharmacy, where the pharmacist records your choice.
You need your AMKA, an ID and a phone number or email. You can only register with one doctor, in your municipality, a neighbouring one or your regional unit, and you can change only twice a year, on a reasoned request. Do not choose a doctor too far from home.
What if you are a pensioner?
Ask the institution that pays your pension for an S1 form before you leave. It proves your home country pays for your care. Present it in Greece: it is one of the documents for activating the AMKA. With an S1, you are attached to EOPYY and receive an EU-AMKA, which you show to the doctor, hospital and pharmacy. EOPYY refers S1 registrations to e-EFKA at tm.asfikan@efka.gov.gr or its international relations office at gd.international@efka.gov.gr.
What if you work in Greece?
If you are an employee, your registration in the e-EFKA insured register is done with your registration certificate, your employer's hiring certificate and your AFM. Contributions then give you access to public care.
Is the EHIC enough?
For a holiday or a short stay, yes, for care that cannot wait. It is not designed for people who live here. If you settle without a job in Greece and without an S1, you will probably need cover in the country where you live: see Your Europe's explanation of health cover when living abroad. Many expats take a private policy for the first months, or permanently for faster appointments. Check that it covers everything and not only emergencies, because the police registration for non-workers requires full cover.
What are the usual mistakes?
- Thinking the AMKA is insurance. It is a number.
- Skipping the order. Certificate, then AMKA, then doctor.
- Living on the EHIC alone.
- Choosing a doctor far from home.
- Not telling anyone when your basis changes. Check that your AMKA stays active after a job loss or the end of an S1.
What is different for British and Swiss citizens?
Swiss citizens follow the same route as EU citizens, and a Swiss S1 is registered by writing to e-EFKA at the addresses above. For British citizens, GOV.UK says you need a Greek residence permit to access EOPYY services, and the GHIC covers medically necessary public care in the EEA for a temporary stay only. A British pensioner may be covered by a UK-issued S1. See moving to Greece from the UK.
What does healthcare in Greece cost?
Once you are covered by EOPYY, the public system charges nothing for covered care in public primary-care centres and hospitals. At a private doctor, laboratory or clinic that has a contract with EOPYY, and for medicines, you pay a fixed participation set for each service by the health services regulation (EKPY). A contracted provider cannot ask you for more. Private providers without a contract set their own prices, so ask before you book. If you rely on a private insurance policy, read what it excludes before you need it.
How do you get care before your AMKA is active?
During the first months, your European Health Insurance Card covers care that cannot wait during a temporary stay. For an emergency, call 112 or 166 (ambulance); 1016 is the number for doctors on call. The AMKA and the family doctor come after the police registration, so do those steps as soon as the three months have passed; the moving to Greece checklist gives the order. Healthcare in Greece is hard to use without the number, and easy once you have it.
Where can you ask for help with healthcare in Greece?
For an S1 or other cross-border situations, write to e-EFKA at tm.asfikan@efka.gov.gr or gd.international@efka.gov.gr. For the AMKA, use your local e-EFKA office or KEP. For a doctor, use the online registration with your TAXISnet codes or a pharmacy. If your case is unusual, such as a change from one basis of cover to another, ask the e-EFKA office before the old one ends.
What should you check about private health insurance in Greece?
If you choose a private policy, read five things: whether it covers everything and not only emergencies, which is required for the police registration of a non-worker; whether pre-existing conditions are excluded; the limit per year; whether you can see the doctor of your choice or only a network; and whether the policy is valid for residents of Greece. Ask for the conditions in writing, in a language you can read, before paying the premium.
Can you keep your doctor from home?
You can, for a visit, and many expats do for specialist care. For everyday use, the Greek system expects you to register with one personal doctor in your area and to be referred from there. Keep your medical records in a form you can hand over, with a translation of key documents, and know the generic name of your medicines, since prescriptions in Greece use them.