If you are planning on a short-term stay in Cyprus, you should know beforehand whether or not you will need a visa. EU/EFTA nationals are exempt from visa requirements and temporary residence permits, while other nationalities will require a visa to enter Cyprus and stay for more than 90 days. For now, the requirements for UK nationals will remain the same as those for EU/EFTA nationals.
For EU/EFTA nationals
If you are a national of the EU/EFTA or a holder of a Schengen area passport (Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) you don't need a visa to enter Cyprus. Indeed, you are free to move there and enjoy the same rights with Cypriot citizens: you can start your own company, find work or engage in any kind of economic activities. After three months in Cyprus, you should apply for a Registration Certificate for EU Nationals, colloquially called, 'the yellow slip'.
The complicated case of UK
Cyprus has a long and complicated history with the UK. The island was militarily occupied by Great Britain in 1914 and considered an official Crown Colony until 1960. As a result, there is a vast, British https://www.expat.community on the island and English is the semi-official second language. As more and more Brits have been considering moving to Cyprus after Brexit, you should check the UK Government's official website to stay abreast of any changes in requirements. As of now, Brexit is not affecting the rights of UK citizens to move to Cyprus.
For third-country nationals
If you are not an EU/EFTA citizen or a citizen of one of the sixty countries Cyprus has a visa exemptions agreement with, you will need a visa to enter Cyprus. There are two types of visa for Cyprus, depending on the length of your stay and your reasons for visiting: the short stay visa and the long stay visa.
The short-stay visa, also known as travel visa, is valid for a total of three months in any six-month period, which means you can arrange multiple shorter stays if you like, and the issuing fee is 20 euros
The long stay visa, usually chosen for business purposes, can be one-time entry (meaning you enter Cyprus and stay there) or a multiple-entry visa. The multiple-entry long stay visa will be valid for one year but can be extended up to five years. The issuing fee is 60 euros.
Check out the application form required for visas here.
Good to know:
Visas are generally issued by the Embassies and General Consulates of the Republic of Cyprus worldwide. In some cases though, because of Cyprus' history with the UK mentioned above, you can also get your visa in certain British High Commissions or Embassies. The countries where something like that would be possible, are listed below in alphabetical order:
- Argentina
- Bahrain
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Switzerland
- Sudan
- United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi)
- Uzbekistan
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
