VISA REQUIREMENT (who needs a visa to enter Cyprus?) [see footnote 1]
Anyone looking to enter Cyprus requires an Entry Visa issued in advance UNLESS they fall in one of the following categories:
1. Nationals of EU member States, on the basis of a valid national passport or ID document (bearing photo).
2. Third country nationals (non EU) holding a valid residence permit from any other EU member State (excluding the UK and Ireland)or from Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein [see Footnote 2].
3. Third country nationals holding a valid and activated Schengen Visa, covering the duration of their intended stay in Cyprus [see footnote III]
4. Nationals of the following countries, provided the validity of their passport exceeds the duration of their intended stay in Cyprus by at least three months:
Albania (only holders of biometric passports), Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina (only holders of biometric passports), Brazil, British nationals (overseas), Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (holders of biometric passports.), Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong (holders of a “Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” passport), Israel, Japan, Macao (holders of a “RegiaoAdministrativa Especial de Macau” passport), Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro (holders of biometric passport), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Salvador, San Marino, Serbia (holders of biometric passports), Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, St. Kitts and Nevis, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela.
5. Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports from a number of countries (you may contact the Embassy to check for a particular country).
6. Flight crew members in possession of a Flightcrew Member’s License or a Crew Member Certificate issued under the Chicago Convention.
The list above is not exhaustive, so if you are unsure please contact the Embassy. Anyone falling in at least one of the categories listed above may travel to Cyprus and stay for up to 90 days without requiring a visa.
PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING A VISA
STEP 1: If you are planning to visit Cyprus and do not fall in one or more of the categories above (or you are in doubt as to whether you do), you should contact the Embassy either by phone or by email. Our staff will be able to confirm whether or not you need a visa and, if necessary, give you an appointment to visit the Embassy in person in order to submit the application.
STEP 2: Prior to your appointment, you should preferably print out the application form for an Entry Visa (from the ‘Forms’ section of the menu) and fill it in. If you are invited to visit Cyprus as a guest, your host should do the same with the form entitled ‘Assumption of Responsibility to Host’. When you visit the Embassy you should ideally bring one or both, accordingly, of these forms duly completed to you, together with any supporting documentation our staff will have indicated in your earlier communication.
STEP 3: You then visit the Embassy at the date and time arranged and submit your application.
STEP 4: In most cases your application will be processed within a few hours and your visa will be issued on the same day. On some occasions however, 3-4 working days will be needed for the processing to be completed. It is therefore advisable to be prepared and plan ahead so that your application is submitted in good time, at least one week before the intended date of travel. Please note that the processing of applications by Turkish citizens may take up to 20 working days, so it is advisable to apply in good time.
VISA FEES
On 28/05/2019, in accordance with the Accession Treaty of 2003, the Cyprus Republic submitted a Declaration of Readiness for a Schengen Evaluation.
After the European Commission's Schengen Evaluation that started in November 2019 and the following relevant recommendations, in direct compliance with the Schengen acquis and Article 16 of the Visa Coda, as of 01/12/2022 visa fees will be increased as follows;
| Airport transit Visa (Category A) | 600 DKK (80 euro) |
| Short-stay Visa (single entry – valid up to 90 days) (Category C) | 600 DKK (80 euro) |
| Children between 6-12 years | 300 DKK (40 euro) |
| Children under 6 years | 0 DKK (0 euro) |
| Visa issued at the border (Category C) | 300 DKK (80 euro) |
| Nationals of: |  |
| Albania*, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Georgia*, Moldova*, North Macedonia*, Serbia*, Ukraine* | 262 DKK (35 euro) |
*Visa fee applicable only for holders of non biometric passports
Biometric passport holders do not need a visa
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Footnotes:
I This information applies to the areas of the island of Cyprus which are under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Travelers entering Cyprus territory via any airport or port in the Turkish- occupied areas in the north, which are considered illegal/closed under International Law, will be in breach of national legislation of the Republic of Cyprus. You are therefore strongly advised to ensure that you will be travelling via the recognized airports and ports of entry. The lawful points of entry to Cyprus are the airports of Larnaca and Paphos and the ports of Larnaca, Limassol, Latsi and Paphos, which are all situated in the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
II Does not apply to Turkish nationals.
III Does not apply to Turkish nationals
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National Visa Information System (N-VIS)
Technology can play a key role in improving and reinforcing external borders. Over the past years, Cyprus has been operating a large-scale IT system (N.VIS) for collecting and processing visa applications.
What is VIS?
The National Visa System (N.VIS) allows the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to process data and make decisions relating to applications for short-stay visas to visit, or transit through, the Republic of Cyprus. For this purpose, the N.VIS is connected to the stop-list of the police. At this stage, 38 Embassies and Consulates use the N.VIS.
What is the purpose of VIS?
(a) The N.VIS enables the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to check if a visa applicant is file as a forbidden immigrant in the national stop-list.
(b) It enables border guards to verify that a person presenting a visa is its rightful holder.
(c) It assists in preventing, detecting and investigating terrorist offences and other serious criminal offence.
How does it work in practice?
Visa applications are submitted in paper form. In some countries, visa applications are submitted to External Service Providers (ESPs) who then forward them to the contracted local Cypriot Embassy/Consulate. Once the applicant’s details are entered in the N.VIS, a number of checks are run, including for determining if the applicant is filed in the national stop-list as an illegal immigrant. Clear of all checks, the visa is issued to the applicant.
Who can access VIS?
Access to VIS data has only authorized personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the purpose of visa application management. Competent visa authorities (the Police) may use the VIS for the purpose of examining applications at the points of entry and/or for Visa extension at district Police Immigration Offices.
The authorities responsible for carrying out checks at external borders and within the national territories have access to query the VIS for the purpose of verifying the authenticity of the visa.
Legal Background
The main acts constituting the N.VIS legal framework are:
· Regulation (EC) No 767/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 concerning the VIS and the exchange of data between Member States on short-stay visas (VIS Regulation), OJUE L 218, 13.8.2008, P. 60.
· Council decision 2008/633/JHA of 23 June concerning access for consultation of the VIS by designated authorities of Member States and by Europol for the purposes of the prevention, detection and investigation of terrorist offences and of other serious criminal offences, OJUE L 218, 13.8.2008, P. 129.
How is my data in VIS protected?
All personal data processed in relation to visa application management are protected by the European Union data protection legislation (The General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR) and the implementing national data protection legislation. Access to N.VIS data is limited to authorized staff in the performance of their tasks. They must ensure that the use of N.VIS data is limited to that which is strictly necessary, appropriate and proportionate for carrying out their tasks.
Although VIS is not accessible from the internet, any person has the right to be informed about his/her data in the VIS. Any person may request that inaccurate data about him/her is corrected and unlawfully recorded data is deleted.
The lawfulness of processing N.VIS personal data is supervised by the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection who is the National Supervisory authority.
What are my rights?
Each individual has the following rights regarding the processing of their personal data in the N. VIS:
· The right to ask about the data relating to them in the VIS,
· The right to request that inaccurate data relating to them in the VIS be corrected,
· The right to submit a complaint to the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection.
Whom can I contact for more information?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who can advise data subjects in relation to the exercise of their rights. The DPO can be contacted at dpo@mfa.gov.cy.