Temporary Residence Permits

How to obtain a residence permit

If you plan to stay longer than 90 days, you must apply for a Temporary Residence Employment (TRE) permit at your nearest Immigration Office (listed below).

After five years, you can apply for permanent residence.

• Larnaca – Larnaca Police Station, Piale Pasia, Larnaca (Tel. 24-804 242);
• Limassol – Limassol Police Station, Kyrillou Loukareos, Kakos Center, Limassol (Tel. 25-805 200);
• Nicosia – Nicosia Police Station, Parodos Leoforou, RIC, Nicosia (General Information: Tel. 22-802 334, Registration: Tel. 22-802 348);
• Paphos – Paphos Police Station,Ypolohagou N.Papageorgiou, Polykatikia, PA.SY.DI First Floor, 8011 Paphos (Tel. 26-806 200).

There are several kinds of TRE permit, including the following:

• Category A – Self-employed in agriculture;
• Category B – Self-employed in mining;
• Category C/D – Self-employed in a trade or profession;
• Category E – Offered permanent employment.
• Category F – Not working (e.g. retired).

For a Category F permit, you’re required to prove that you can support yourself financially, and you won’t be allowed to do work of any kind once you have this type of permit. The official wording is: ‘Persons who possess and have fully and freely at their disposal a secured annual income, high enough to give them a decent living in Cyprus, without [their] having to engage in any business, trade or profession.’

Make sure that you complete the correct form when applying. If you’re in doubt, your lawyer or the Immigration Office staff will advise you.

If you’re looking for a job but haven’t found one when you need to apply for a TRE permit, the Immigration Department may want to see evidence that you can support yourself financially until you find a job. Each case is considered on its own merits; if you can supply bank statements to prove your financial status, your application will be looked upon more favourably.

A TRE permit should be applied for at least a month before the end of your first 90 days in Cyprus. The following is a guide to the documents required to obtain a TRE permit, but always check with the relevant Immigration Office (see above) for up-to-date requirements:

• Your passport, valid for at least a year;
• Four passport photographs;
• Your birth certificate(s) and, if appropriate, marriage certificate;
• Evidence of income or financial self-sufficency, including bank statements from a bank in Cyprus showing average balance or pension payments, where appropriate. Note that your annual income should be in the region of CY£6,000 per person, plus around CY£3,000 for each dependent person, although there are no set limits and each case is considered on its own merits.
• Evidence of medical insurance cover (if you aren’t covered by Cypriot social insurance);
• Evidence of residence in the form of a title deed or sale or rental contract;
• A completed application form and CY£25 in cash;
• Copies of all the above documents;
• Separate copies of documents and application forms for all dependants.

If you have a job offer, you should also submit confirmation of this from your prospective employer or a certificate of employment stamped by the Labour Department. The certificate is included with the application form you will be given at the Immigration Department. It states the type and duration of work you’ve been employed to do.

A lawyer can prepare the required documentation on your behalf (and will charge you around CY£75 for doing so) or you can go several weeks in advance to the Immigration Office for the area where you live, collect the necessary forms and make an appointment for the issue of your permit. Appointments must be made in person, and you must take the completed forms and other documents in person, either on your own or with your lawyer (in which case you don’t need an appointment).

Once you’ve submitted your application, you will be given an Alien’s Registration Certificate (Form P74) and your TRE permit (sometimes known as a ‘pink slip’) will be issued within a maximum of six months. It’s valid for not less than five years from the date of issue and is usually automatically renewable on request, although after five years you can apply for permanent residence. If applicable, you may start work while your application is being processed.

Further information about TRE permits and a downloadable application form can be found on the Ministry of Interior’s website (www.moi.gov.cy  – go to the bottom right corner of the home page for a link to information in English, including the application form).

This article is an extract from Buying a Home in Cyprus from Survival Books.