Cyprus long-term resident status after five years
Cyprus long-term resident status after five years
By Marios Konstantinou
Updated: February 20, 2024
Long-term resident status in Cyprus and throughout the EU is granted to promote stability and fundamental rights. With long-term resident status, non-EU nationals enjoy access to work, social services and educational opportunities. At the same time, they hold uniform rights and are treated with equality and non-discrimination. In this guide, you will find all the necessary information concerning the long-term residence permit for the Republic of Cyprus.
Key Takeaways
- Long-term resident status in Cyprus is conferred for five years. Afterwards, it can be regained or renewed. In some limited circumstances, the long-term residence permit may be withdrawn.
- The long-term residence permit applies to third-country nationals (“TCNs”), persons who are not citizens of the European Union (“EU”).
- The law applicable in Cyprus is based on the Aliens and Immigration Law (Cap. 40) and Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents (“the Directive”). A new Directive on the matter has been proposed by the European Union and is expected to pass in the next few years.
- The applicant needs to pass a Greek language test (A2 level). The examination centre is the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (“the Ministry of Education”).
- What is a long-term resident in Cyprus?
- A long-term resident is any TCN with long-term resident status: a TCN who has resided legally and continuously in the Republic of Cyprus for five years before applying. “Legally” means with a valid residence permit.
According to the Directive, a TCN is any person who is not a citizen of the Union.
European Union citizenship is defined in Article 20 of TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union). According to Article 20, “every person holding the nationality of a Member State is a citizen of the Union”. Citizenship of the Union is additional to national citizenship. It does not replace it.
Therefore, any person not holding the nationality of a Member State is a TCN.
What conditions must I fulfil to get long-term residence in Cyprus?
If you are a TCN applying for long-term residence status in Cyprus, you must have lived legally and continuously in the Republic for five years before submitting your application. Periods of absence of less than six consecutive months and less than ten months before applying are not considered.
You must have a stable and regular source of income, health insurance and a clean criminal record.
The application (form MLT1) must be accompanied by specific documents. These documents should either be in Greek, or English or officially translated. A translation is official if it is done in Cyprus by certified (sworn) translators or your government authorities.;
All public authority documents from your country must be apostilled. Suppose your country still needs to sign the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. In that case, the documents must be certified by your Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consular authority of Cyprus in your country. Note that the Cyprus Republic exempts public documents from Russia or Serbia. They do not need other certifications if they are correctly signed and sealed.
Biometric data (photographs and fingerprints) and signatures need to be taken. You will give biometric data to the Civil Registry and Migration Department or the closest police station.
You will pay a fee of EUR 30.
There is a list of documents to accompany your application, proving that you satisfy all the criteria and have a regular and stable source of income.
The waiting period is 6-12 months, and the long-term residence permit lasts five years.
Reference
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Marios Konstantinou
