Gesy registration mess is totally unacceptable

I have been living in Cyprus for over 30 years, am British and am married to a Cypriot.

I have been paying social insurance and tax for over 30 years, but Gesy does not accept my ARC (Alien Registration Card) number and so I cannot register.

Although I have sent countless messages to them, when they do finally reply, they tell me that I have to get the immigration department to update the social insurance department, or ‘if I wish’, I can apply for Cyprus citizenship and give me the contact numbers of people to find out how!

It is no longer possible to contact the social insurance department directly by phone, and when I spoke with the citizen central call centre, they informed me that I would have to go to the social insurance office in person.

I then phoned the immigration department, and although there were strikes going on, I finally managed to speak to someone who informed me that it was not their problem, and that the system of Gesy should be able to recognise and accept people in my position who are married to Cypriots and had a ‘Native Stamp’ put at the back of their passports confirming that they no longer need to follow immigration formalities.

So basically, Gesy are telling me to contact immigration/social insurance, and they are telling me that Gesy need to fix the problem. Apparently, there are other people in my situation.

I would call Gesy directly, but the helpline number they give in their messages never answers.  You select various automatic options and then the line hangs up…

Having paid social insurance and tax for over 30 years, and now having Gesy contributions also deducted, I find it totally unacceptable that I cannot register and probably will not find any doctors still available once they decide to address the problem.

Name and address withheld