Please read carefully the following regulations issued by the Ministry of labour.

If you need more information or assistance with applying, you can call us at 22205959, find us on Viber/WhatsApp at 97767329, or email us at : info@helprefugeeswork.org.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: If you are a self-employed person and your income is affected because of the Covid-19 pandemic, you might be eligible for a Self-employed Special Benefit.

Note: This is an unofficial translation of the document found at: https://www.mof.gov.cy/mof/gpo/gpo.nsf/All/187002C2E3368D89C225853A004549F0/$file/5231%2029%203%202020%20PARARTIMA%203o%20MEROS%20I.pdf

Terms, Conditions and eligibility test for receiving the Self-Employed Special Benefit:

1. The Self-Employed Special Benefit is payable only upon submission of the electronic application posted on the Ministry's website (www.coronavirus.mlsi.gov.cy).

2. The Self-Employed Special Benefit is payable only upon the submission by the applicant of the online ESA Statement. 6 "BANK ACCOUNT DECLARATION" (https://www.pay.sid.mlsi.gov.cy/CovidForms/FormEea006Servlet) which
refers to the statement of account details to which the benefit will be deposited.

3. The application for the Self-Employed Special Benefit shall be made by:

i. Self-employed workers who have completely suspended their work in accordance with Decrees of the Minister of Health and the relevant decisions of the Council of Ministers which are posted at www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus and have not been differentiated the nature or manner of their operation, or

ii. that have partially suspended their work, that is, reduced their turnover more than 25% in the month of March 2020 and foresee a corresponding reduction in the cycle and for the month of April 2020, compared with its corresponding months last year and their decline in turnover is solely due to state of their business due to the coronavirus pandemic. If the company did not operate in the previous year then the comparison will be made with the months preceding March 2020.

4. Only self-employed natural persons which do not pursue any of the following professions may participate in the Special Plan for Self-Employed:

-Pharmacologists, microbiologists and similar professions
-Doctors (dentists are excluded)
-Veterinarians
-Pharmacists
- medical devices and equipment operators
-Insurers, insurance agents / dealers
-Kiosk, grocery, mini market sellers
-Manufacturers of dairy products
-Teachers of state institutes (their remuneration will be paid by the Ministry Education, Culture, Sport and Youth)

The reason for not including the above occupations is that their economic activity has not been particularly affected.

5. The Self-Employed Special Benefit (weekly) shall be equal to 60% of the weekly amount of the insurable remuneration for which the payee was obliged to pay contributions to the Social Insurance Services for the fourth quarter of 2019.

6. The Self-Employed Special Benefit may not be less than € 300 if it is for a period of four weeks and with a ceiling of € 900 if it is for a four week period.

7. Self-employed persons will need to submit the Complete or Partial Suspension Form for their employees and not this application. Information about the complete or partial suspension plan can be found here: https://www.coronavirus.mlsi.gov.cy/

8. The Self-Employed Special Benefit is not granted for a period during which the applicant receives unemployment benefit, special sickness benefit, special unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, Child Care Special Leave Benefit or other similar benefits from the Social Insurance Services.

9. The basic condition for the provision of the Self-Employed Special Benefit is that the applicant should not have dismissed any employees since 1 March 2020 and, if this application is approved, will not dismissed any of its employees for all the period for which he/she will receive the Self-Employed Special Benefit plus an additional period equal to the period for which he/she will receive the Self-Employed Special Benefit plus one additional month (except for reasons when dismissal without notice is justified).

10. This application must be submitted by the self-employed or its authorized representative.

11. The Special Self-Employed Plan is valid from 16/03/2020 to 12/04/2020, taking into account the dates of the Decrees of the Minister of Health or the Decisions of the Council of Ministers for mandatory complete suspension of work, and may have an earlier date than 16 March where the mandatory suspension decision was taken before the 16th of March.

12. Beneficiaries of Minimum Guaranteed Income who work as self-employed, can also benefit from the Special Self-Employed Plan. The Self - Employed Special Benefit will be taken into account for purposes of calculation of the income considered for the payment of the Minimum Guaranteed Income, for the period of payment.

13. The Self-Employed Special Benefit will only be granted after a written affirmation / authorization by the applicant by which:
(i) certify that the information entered is true and the consequences of a false declaration of a fine up to € 40,000 or imprisonment up to 2 years or both in the case of conviction for false reporting, are accepted
(ii) The Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance in cooperation with other competent authorities of the Republic or abroad and with Organizations / Entities / Businesses will be authorized to verify any data contained in the application which are deemed necessary for the examination of the application and for the grant of the Benefit.

(iii) Explicit consent will be given to the processing of personal data for purposes of enforcing this Decision, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter III of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals against the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data.

14. For the period for which the Special Self-Employed Benefit will be granted, the self-employed person will be exempt from his/her obligation to pay contributions to Social Insurance Services.

15. The period of payment of the Special Self-Employed Benefit shall be considered as a period of assimilated insurance for purposes of calculating contributions to the Social Insurance Services and will be credited accordingly in the beneficiary 's insurance account.

16. This Decision shall enter into force on 16 March 2020.