Etias beginning 2023 for Cyprus

With temporary residency you are allowed a maximum absence from Cyprus of 6 months absences of more than that the residency permit can be revoked....

Cyprus ETIAS - European visa waiver for Cyprus
Visiting Cyprus? Quite possibly you may require a visa waiver soon if you are not a citizen of the E.U. If you have been to Cyprus (the Southern part) or anywhere in the E.U. before, did you have to apply for a visa in advance before? If you didn't it was because you were a citizen of one of the visa-exempt countries, and you may soon be affected by a new European visa waiver like system that the European Union has introduced. It is called the E.U. Travel and Information Authorisation System or ETIAS. It will work like the existing American visa waiver system called the ESTA. Basically, if it applies to you, you just go online and apply for your ETIAS before you travel to Europe. You will have to pay a fee, but the whole process shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes and you will still get 90 days in the Schengen zone once you arrive in Europe. See below for more details about what that means!

I heard that Cyprus is not in Schengen. What does that mean?

That is correct at the moment. Cyprus is a full member of the European Union, one of 28 countries. However, it is not yet in Schengen, although it is expected that it soon will be. The Schengen Agreement is meant to provide freedom of movement for all member countries, some of which are not in the E.U. The immigration rules for non Schengen citizens are standardised, so if you are given permission to visit one Schengen country you can visit all of the others. You get 90 days in all of Schengen in each block of 180 days. In theory, the Schengen “clock” starts ticking when you first enter a Schengen country, but in practice some border officials either turn a blind eye or do not take any interest in anyone's passport anyway. The ETIAS system is supposed to tighten these irregularities up.

Is it worth visiting Cyprus once you need to apply for a Cyprus visa waiver?

It is not expected that the introduction of ETIAS will make much difference to the number of visitors wanting to go there, especially given the relatively low fee of the ETIAS (7 euros). Cyprus remains a very attractive all year round destination. It has a mild winter climate, and is hot in summer. That's great for beach lovers, especially if they come from Northern Europe or Russia where summers are inconsistent.

Cyprus is not just about beaches and the sun. It has Greek food and restaurants and a Greek ambience. Nicosia, the capital, through which runs the Green Line, separating the Northern Turkish Cyprus with the South, has a lot of architectural interest, while intriguing and charming villages are found dotted throughout the countryside. Many people like to go hiking in the Troodos mountains, refreshingly cool in summer, snowy in winter.

So who will actually need a Cyprus ETIAS?

The E.U Commission announced the ETIAS proposal in November 2016. The system will be up and running by 2023 and will only affect people who do not need a visa for Europe in advance and are not E.U. or Schengen citizens. The fact that Cyprus is not a member of Schengen may make a difference at the start. This may be something that the Cyprus Government will have to work out quite soon. The best advice if you are thinking of going to Cyprus, or any other part of Europe for that matter, is to keep abreast of ETIAS developments. When the ETIAS becomes a required travel authorisation, it will be well advertised and airlines and travel agents will be aware of the new regulations quite quickly.

Yep! What about myself and others who have MEU1 and flit between countries,, many do in Cyprus.

If temporary resident meu1 then 6months maximums absence...I really don't know how strict they are at passport control ...

Not sure how things are impacted as we now all have until August 2023 to change the old certs  for the new biometric residency cards  which have WA protected rights but again as its new nobody will know until it actually happens

Is it now compulsory to exchange your paper MEU1 to a bio metric as it originally was optional?

Yes it was announced in August 2021 they must be exchanged by August 2023 if for those British non EU  meu1 and 3 holders whereas  EU meu1 and 3 holders have untill 2026.

UPDATED having read through this a few times am still not sure if and when it relates to non-EU ..with meu1& 3 with no expiry dates

Thanks for info, how do you exchange it, do you know? Thanks

You need to book an appointment through the immigration department portal ...it's not easy as they control the issue of available appointments and currently they are booking for may .... But the appointments are issued slowly and minimal  slots are offered every 10- 20 mins

NB You can Just book Up to max 3 month upfront. Start from 7:30 and reload the Page If you dont find repeat at 7:50, 8:10, 8:30...... If tomorrow does Not Work in 2nd February try for 2nd of may

Hi again

MEU1

I'm really confused as on the Cyprus Gov immigration site it seems a bit conflicting, in the section covering applications for MEU1 under the withdrawal agreement it states that it is voluntary to exchange existing documents to the new cards. Then in the Announcements section it says about replacing ID cards that have no expiry date before 2023 or 2026 but this seems to be applicable to EU citizens??   Any thoughts anyone?

It was announced in August last year that it is mandatory to change to the biometric cards .. there is a separate subject on this with the source  links

Is this the announcement Toon? 2021
   

The Civil registry and Migration Department announces that old types of identity cards, which do not bear an expiration date, will cease to be valid on August 3, 2026. In this regard, holders of ID cards, which do not bear an expiration date, are requested to replace them by August 3, 2026 at the latest.
The above is mandatory and a result of EU Regulation 2019/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019, on strengthening the security of identity cards of Union citizens and of residence documents issued to Union citizens and their family members exercising their right of free movement
It is emphasized that all other types of ID cards, which bear an expiration date, continue to be valid until their expiration date.

That's one of them but there is another which states the date of August 2023...

FURTHER

Circulation of a new versions of residence documents for EU citizens and their families - 05/08/2021
   

The Civil Registry and Migration Department announces that from 02/08/2021 the new versions of residence documents for EU citizens and their family members are put into circulation. The new versions comply with the requirements of EU Regulation 2019/1157 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019, on strengthening the security of identity cards of Union citizens and of residence documents issued to Union citizens and their family members exercising their right of free movement

The commencement of the issuance of the new types does not affect the procedures followed, applications and fees.

For residence documents, issued before 02/08/2021, according to the above Regulation, the following apply:

(a) The Certificates of Registration and Certificates of Permanent Residence of Union citizens and their family members who are also Union citizens remain valid and their replacement is not required.

(b) Residence Cards and Permanent Residence Cards of a family members of Union citizens who are not themselves Union citizens, which expire after 3 August 2023, will cease to be valid on that date and their holders must replace them in due course by submitting a relevant application..

I think it needs some clarity

Source  http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/CRMD/crmd.nsf … enDocument

I wrote to the immigration dept a few weeks ago about this but still have not had a reply which is unusual..

I guess a nudge is in order lol

ETIAS is valid for 3 years, so it doesn't seem like a big deal. It is for all "VISA-EXEMPT NON-EU CITIZENS" which includes us Brits. However, there is an exemption if you "have a residency card or residency status in an EU country".

A valid residency document...  Eventually a biometric card with an expiry date rather than the current yellow A4 sheet of paper without an expiry date .

But yes I agree ETIAS isn't such a big deal

Thank you @Toon! I did not know it had no expiry date! I have a yellow slip from many (15 ish) years ago, so that explains why I'm still in the system as a resident.

And, as I understand it, there is no cut-off date yet set for getting an Article 50 biometric residence permit, based on the Brexit withdrawal agreement, and "having acquired residence rights" before the end of the transition period.

But... if I can get an appointment... I guess I'll find out soon...