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INFORMATION FOR A SHORT STAY VISA TO ENTER CYPRUS
REQUIREMENTS:
Citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran require a visa to enter and stay in Cyprus. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, only Iranians who got a Special Permit can currently apply for a visa (for the Special Permit, information can be received from the title "News - Current Issues").
An application form for a visa to enter Cyprus should be completed, signed and submitted only to the Consular Section of the Embassy.
For the issue of a national Cyprus visa, the following documents are needed:
- Passport of the applicant which should be valid at least six months.
- Two recent, coloured and not retouched photographs (6x4) of the applicant.
- Reservation of a Round trip air ticket for Cyprus.
- Reservation of accommodation in a hotel in Cyprus.
- Medical Insurance for the duration of the trip for individuals born before 1945.
- Certificate or letter of applicant’s employment in English or translated into English, stating also the monthly salary, exact position/profession and starting date.
- Recent bank account statement of six months.
- Copies of applicant’s passport including the previous granted visas.
- Previous passport(s) of the applicant with copies of the second and third pages of passport including the granted visas.
- Copies of all pages of applicant’s Birth Certificate presented along with the original. In case of new Birth Certificates then a copy of the National ID of the children along with the original document must also be submitted.
- Property owners in Cyprus need to submit also the title of their deed, along with the contract of sale. In case the title of deed has not been issued as of yet then the payment receipts made so far or a payment certificate issued from the selling company, according to the contract of sale, have to be submitted in this regard.
- Individuals traveling to Cyprus, for business purposes, have to submit as well an invitation from the Cypriot enterprise they are visiting stating the duration, purpose and subject matter of their visit.
- For the purpose of attending Conferences, and, other stay collective activities, apart from the written confirmation of attendance, in this regard, the full detailed program in English, where applicable, has to be submitted as well.
- Individuals invited to visit family members/ relatives in Cyprus are waived from the hotel accommodation requirement but they need to submit instead of this: (a) Invitation letter, (b) Copies of Passports, IDs and Birth Certificates of the persons inviting them. Finally, where it applies, (c) An Assumption of Responsibility and/ or Bank Guarantee from the persons who are inviting them.
- Persons travelling to foreign Embassies in Cyprus, for interviewing, they need to submit, also, in this regard, written proof of their interview, along with all necessary documentation justifying the purpose of their visit to the said third country.
FEES:
The Consular fee for a single entry visa is twenty euros (€ 20.00) and for a multiple entry visa is sixty euros (€60.00), and should be paid in cash in euros at the same time when the application is lodged to the Consular Section of the Embassy. An official receipt will be issued by the Consular Section of the Embassy to the applicant. Consular fees paid by the applicant are not refunded in case of refusal.
REMARKS:
- The above–mentioned documents are non exhaustive and more additional documents may be requested according to the case of each individual.
- The documents in Farsi should be translated into English by a licensed official translator by the Ministry of Justice. Furthermore, official documents issued by the Government departments or other institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran should be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran.
- Applicants are asked to show the original documents when they submit photocopies.
- The Consular Section reserves the right to invite applicants for a personal interview.
- Written consent of the father is also required in case of a spouse travelling alone with minors.
- Applicants should take into consideration that the process of examining a fully completed application is three (3) working days and therefore should apply for visa well in advance of their planned trip to Cyprus.
- Applicants should have in mind that lodging the application along with the above mentioned documents does not guarantee the issuing of a visa to enter Cyprus.
- Applicants should also bear in mind that the Immigration Officers at the ports of entry of Cyprus have the right to refuse their entry into the country
- Holders of Iranian Diplomatic and Service Passports do not require a visa.
- Holders of valid Schengen visas may enter Cyprus without obtaining Cyprus national visa.
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 Information System (N.VIS) allows the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. to processes data and make decisions relating to applications for short-stay visas to visit, or to 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 filed 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 offences.
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 2008 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 offence, 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.
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