Contingency Planning for changes......
The Greek government has clarified that with effect from 1st January 2021, all existing residence certificates for UK citizens will need to be replaced with biometric residence cards currently issued to “3rd country” residents. (Brexit deal or no deal).
I own a second home in Crete, and spend on average 5 months a year there in the summer. I also have a beige residents certificate, and used my EHIC card to satisfy the requirement of having comprehensive healthcare. I have not yet reached state retirement age.
The best case scenario when I exchange my residence certificate for a biometric residence card, is that I will just need to provide my existing residence certificate, a current photograph, have fingerprints taken and provide my signature - all of which will be captured electronically and transposed to a biometric residence card. A clean criminal record will also be a prerequisite, and presumably a database search will check for criminal convictions.
However, I envisage that I will also need to reconfirm that I have adequate private healthcare. My EHIC will no longer be valid, but in the event of medical emergencies, I will use my travel insurance which is valid for periods of up to 3 months in any one trip. Any other health problems would be addressed by my UK GP & NHS. This won’t satisfy “proof of healthcare” during the process to obtain my biometric residence card though.
A workaround will be to take out a healthcare insurance to satisfy the residency requirement, then cancel it before the 2nd month’s premium becomes due.
Also, I will need to ensure that I spend at least 6 months and one day in Crete each year to satisfy ongoing validity of residency - my time spent in Crete will be captured upon passport scanning at boarder controls when I enter and leave Crete (passport stamping will be obsolete), So my annual 5 month stay will need to be increased to 6 months.
Some feedback would be welcome to confirm my assumptions are correct, and any other suggestions / loopholes to get around the dummy healthcare requirement I may need. I’m conscious that I will still be able to spend 6 months each year in Crete WITHOUT a biometric residence card, but the “90 in 180” days rule wouldn’t suit me - I don’t want to spend 3 months in the summer and 3 months in the winter.
P.S. Piraeus bank are advertising healthcare insurance with annual premiums starting at €360 - seems too good to be true?
Source...
https://www.piraeusbank.gr/el/idiwtes/a ... eia-ygeias