From abroad
Travelling for surgery
A significant number of the patients treated here travel from abroad. This page is about the part of that which is not surgery: what has to happen before you book anything, where you will actually be, how long the trip realistically needs to be, and what happens once you are home again.
The practice would rather talk you out of a badly planned trip than have you arrive for an operation that was never going to fit the time you set aside.
How it works
The order matters more than the dates: consultation first, a plan with dates second, flights last.
- A video consultation. A first conversation on EIPS Virtual, with photographs if useful. It is enough to decide whether to go further, not enough to decide on an operation.
- A written plan. The proposed operation, where it takes place, the fee and the dates, including how long you should stay.
- Book your flights. Only once the plan has dates. A flight booked first puts pressure on decisions that should be made without it.
- An in-person consultation and examination before the operation, with the pre-admission tests for your procedure. Arrive two days before the operation.
- The operation. Most procedures are day surgery; some, such as a facelift, need one night in hospital.
- The review before you leave. A splint comes off, sutures or drains come out, the wounds are checked, and you are told in plain terms that you are fit to travel.
- Follow-up from home. By video, with photographs sent securely, and a number to call if anything changes.
Where you will be
Two addresses matter and they are not the same one. Consultations and follow-up are held at the clinics — Nicosia, Limassol, Athens, Malta, the last of these hosted at Clinica Joia. The operation is performed at The Surgery Center 3i, Tseriou 188, Strovolos, 2044, Cyprus, or in surgical facilities in Athens and Malta.
Where your operation takes place is agreed at the consultation, so a trip built around surgery is planned around that address. Accommodation is worth booking near the operating facility rather than near the clinic you consulted in.
We can help you arrange a hotel and transfers from the airport. Ask when we send your plan.
- Nicosia, Cyprus
- Larnaca
- Limassol, Cyprus
- Larnaca or Paphos
- Athens, Greece
- Athens International
- Sliema, Malta
- Malta International
How long to stay
Plan on one week after surgery. Long-haul flights need a little longer, usually ten days, and abdominoplasty about two weeks.
The interval for each operation is set out in the article below, and the figure for your own operation is confirmed at your review.
Book flexible tickets if you can. Recovery is not always on schedule, and a changeable return is worth more than the fare saved on a fixed one.
Bring someone with you
Travelling alone for an operation is possible but not ideal. Someone who can collect you, carry things, and notice if something is not right is worth more in the first days than any arrangement made in advance — particularly in a country whose health system you do not know.
Bring your medical history, a list of every medicine you take including anything bought without a prescription, and your insurance documents if a claim is involved. If a translation is needed for any of it, arrange it before you fly.
- Results of recent tests, if you have them
- Loose clothing that opens at the front
- Enough medication for a delay, in hand luggage
- Travel insurance that covers complications of elective surgery. Many standard policies do not.
Follow-up once you are home
Aftercare does not end at the airport. Reviews after you have travelled home are handled remotely, and the practice will tell you what it needs to see, when, and how to send it through a route that treats it as the medical information it is.
If something is worrying you, say so immediately rather than waiting for the next scheduled review — and if it is urgent, use the emergency service where you are before you contact the practice.
Cost, insurance and paperwork
No prices are published on this site. A written quotation follows the consultation, once it is settled what the operation actually is. If you are flying in and need a sense of the range before you commit to the trip, ask — you will be told rather than left to find out on arrival.
If an insurer is involved, contact them before you travel and bring the paperwork with you. A claim held up by a missing form is the most common reason a surgery date moves, and it is a worse problem when you have flown in for it.
Calling from outside Cyprus
From anywhere in the world
+357 22 283130 from abroad
The Nicosia office. Every enquiry, from every clinic, is answered here.
Once you are in Cyprus
70088002 free from within Cyprus
This number is free, but it only connects from inside Cyprus. It will not work from abroad, with or without a country code — use the first number until you have landed.
Checking a surgeon and clinic abroad
Guidance for patients considering surgery in another country, such as that from the NHS and the Royal College of Surgeons of England, suggests a set of checks. These are our answers.
Are the surgeons qualified and registered?
Both surgeons are specialist plastic surgeons, registered with the medical councils of Cyprus, Greece and Malta and with the UK General Medical Council, and both are Fellows of the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (FEBOPRAS). Dr. Stavrou is an International Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Is the operating facility accredited?
Operations in Cyprus take place at The Surgery Center 3i in Strovolos, which holds CHKS accreditation.
Will the surgeon I meet perform my operation?
Yes. The surgeon who sees you at consultation performs your operation personally.
Who gives the anaesthetic?
Always a specialist anaesthetist.
How much time do I have to decide?
The decision is made at home, before anything is booked. After the video consultation you receive a written plan, and flights are booked only once you have had time with it. The in-person consultation before surgery confirms the examination and the plan.
What if a problem appears after I fly home?
If it is urgent, be seen where you are, by an appropriate doctor or the local emergency service. If it is not urgent, send it to us: we review it and, where possible, suggest a solution that can be carried out in Cyprus.
Which languages?
Consultations, written documents and aftercare are available in English, Greek and Russian.
Common questions
Where is the surgery actually performed?
Operations are carried out at The Surgery Center 3i, Tseriou 188, Strovolos, 2044, Cyprus, or in surgical facilities in Athens and Malta. Consultations and follow-up happen at the clinics; the operation itself does not.
How long will I need to stay?
Plan on one week after surgery. A long-haul flight usually needs ten days, and abdominoplasty about two weeks. The figure for your own operation is confirmed at the review before you leave.
Can I be reviewed once I am home?
Yes. Follow-up after you have travelled home is arranged remotely, and the practice will tell you what it needs to see and how to send it safely. If something needs examining in person, you will be told that plainly.