Re alien status

alisonrich1958 · 2024-11-27T19:53:40+01:00

Re alien status Expatriate forum forum. Find answers to your questions in the expat forum. Blogs, pictures, forum for expatriates on expat.com

alisonrich1958 Active member

Member since 16 June 2021

alisonrich1958Active member27 November 2024 17:53:40

Hi all

I would be extremely grateful if there is anyone out there who can answer my question

For the past 2 yrs we have gone through immigration via the pink slip but my husband has now qualified for his Irish citizenship which meant we could apply for a MEU1 and 2 for me.. Everything was going well until his citizenship certificate along with our apostled wedding certificate and his birth certificate have gone missing in Cyprus through the postal system

We need to fly to Spain on 19th Dec due to family issues but my question is are we able to come back into Cyprus if we are unable to apply for MEU1/2 if the certificate etc isn’t found or do we have to wait 90 days before we can come back. it’s an absolute nightmare for us through no fault of our own!

Any information will be greatly appreciated

Alison

michelle014 Active member

Member since 16 August 2024

michelle014Active member27 November 2024 18:31:49

@alisonrich1958

Wouldn't the citizenship certificate have come from an Irish office?

gwynj Bulgaria Expert

Member since 30 June 2020

gwynjBulgaria Expert28 November 2024 06:11:19

2415

@alisonrich1958

Congratulations on your husband's new citizenship! You are absolutely correct that it's much easier and quicker to apply as EU citizens (or an EU citizen and non-EU spouse). So any document issues should be a hiccup rather than a disaster.

You might get more helpful response than I can provide if you repost in the Cyprus forum.

Does he have his new Irish passport already? If not, I would ask for it. If he does, then I'd guess that immigration would accept that for his EU Citizen Registration (MEU1), rather than requiring his citizenship/birth certificate. The marriage certificate is needed for the 2nd application, Family Reunification (MEU2).

From your post, your current status is a bit unclear. Do you have the "pink slip" and you are legal residents there? Or it was still in process, or expired? Did you file some modification to this (EU change), or submit a completely new application based on EU citizenship? Were your documents lost before or after you submitted a MEU1 application?

If you have a current legal residence status (based on your original non-EU status) then there's no problem travelling. If not, then you should observe the days limit for visa-free entry (90 in 180). I don't know how many days you've been in Cyprus, but, yes, it's possible you need to have a break before re-entering. It's also possible that you've overstayed your 90 days. I don't know the Cyprus rules on overstaying, and whether it's a minor issue, or not. And whether you should stay in the country until your residence application (if either your non-EU one is in process, or if your new EU one has been submitted) has been resolved. If you're in contact with immigration regarding the lost documents, then perhaps they can advise you directly.

Your original documents are very important and should be replaced ASAP. I recommend that they are delivered personally with an application, or sent by courier, as I wouldn't trust them to ordinary mail! However, it shouldn't be terribly difficult to get new official copy certificates issued, and get them apostilled/legalised.