The Civil Registry and Migration Department recently announced some important amendments to the visitor’s residence permit, regulations and necessary supporting documentation.
Reasons for the issuing of visitor’s temporary residence permit
As per the Aliens and Immigration Regulation 14, a visitor’s temporary residence permit is issued to a third-country national to enter the Republic for the following reasons:
- Touring
- short or long-term holidays, or
- investigating the possibility of settlement in the Republic
The Republic of Cyprus requires that the holder of such permit cannot carry out any economic activity or be employed in the Republic. Instead, any financial income must derive from income sources abroad.
The temporary residence permit has a 1 (one) year validity [1] and must be renewed before its expiry.
The latest categories of eligible applicants are:
- Visitor- Autonomous visitor permit
- Visitor – Dependent Spouse Visitor
- Visitor – Dependent Minor Child of Visitor
- Visitor – a cleric (Priest, Monk or Nun) of the Orthodox Church or one of the minority Churches in Cyprus
- Visitor – Dependent Adult Family Member of TCN with Immigration Permit. Meaning a family member of a third-country national who is legally allowed to stay in the country with an Immigration Permit and requires the financial support of the main applicant. (Direct ascendant/direct descendent)
- Visitor – Dependent Partner of a Cypriot citizen with a duly proven permanent relationship for marriage. This specific temporary residence permit is issued for three months. This permit concerns foreign nationals who maintained a duly proven long-term relationship with a Cypriot citizen (for at least one year) and who entered the Republic by a legal entry with a visa. It also applies that they did not stay in the Republic for longer than three months after the expiry of their visa.
Required documents and amendments:
As per the recent amendments, there are some additional supporting documents that each applicant must submit with their application. The latest amendments have also brought some clarifications. These include:
- An original Clean Criminal Record Certificate from the country the applicant originates from or resides in formally certified and translated into either Greek or English (necessary only for the first permit application).
- Official and original medical examination certificate (blood tests) affirming that the applicant does not have hepatitis B or C, syphilis or HIV. Also, a chest X-ray for tuberculosis with a doctor’s opinion approved by a professional medical practitioner from the Cyprus Republic (necessary only for the first permit application).
Requirements for when submitting the first application for a residence permit
When submitting the first application for a residence permit, the applicant needs to provide a detailed statement showing transactions in a bank institution in the Cyprus Republic from the date of opening the account, whereas for a renewal permit, a detailed statement showing the said transactions for the last 12 months demonstrating the outward payments made by the applicant.
The said payments should not correspond to an amount less than €2,000 for each month or €24,000 annually per single individual. This amount increases:
- by 20% when the applicant adds a dependent spouse to his/her application, and
- by 15% for each dependent (minor) child.
During the first permit application process, a payment of 10,000 euros or more from an overseas bank account of the applicant or by cash, will also be accepted. It should be noted that, in the case of making a cash deposit, the applicant is required to complete and submit a cash declaration form at customs.
Other requirements include the following:
- A letter of guarantee (in original) from a Cyprus banking institution with a ten (10) year validity. (This letter of assurance should cover any possible repatriation costs associated with the applicant and must be issued from his/her bank account with a Cyprus banking institution. )The value of the guarantee amount varies depending on the place of origin.
- A title deed or a Sale Agreement which has been deposited in the District Land Registry Office or a Rental Agreement (duly stamped and in duration for the entirety of the applicant’s stay in Cyprus) or a Host Declaration for the provision of suitable accommodation (if applicable).
- Proof that the applicant has stable and sufficient financial resources deriving from a steady or satisfactory income outside the Republic. Such income may include salary, pension, rent(s), deposits in a bank account abroad, dividends, interest on deposits or by exception from dividends from a company in Cyprus (with certification by the Company’s Accountant that he does not receive any income from his position) or rent in Cyprus, or from income in the applicant’s bank account in the Republic of Cyprus from a salary from his last employment with at a company owned by people from outside the country of Cyprus.
Amendment to the renewal of temporary residence permit
Another substantial amendment to the regulations is that when applying for the renewal of the visitor’s permit, the applicant must demonstrate a balance in their personal Cyprus bank account, which must be a minimum of €6,000 (six hundred thousand Euros). This balance should be equivalent to three months’ worth of income, regardless of the size of the applicant’s family members.
It should be noted that to estimate the amount of sufficient funds, the bank statements shall be accompanied by the following:
(a) a statement or declaration indicating the number of people within the applicant’s family will be provided with financially in the Republic and
(b) a summarized account of income.
[1] except for the category: a cleric (priest, monk or nun) from the Orthodox Church or one of the minority faiths in the Republic of Cyprus
The above article is of informative nature and does not correspond to legal advice.
For further information and the provision of specialised legal advice, please get in touch with your regular contact at Michael Chambers & Co. LLC, or send us an enquiry at info@chambers.law.
