Waiting for ID cards

We have been waiting since June last year, been into Larnaca immigration on plenty of occasions and it's not there, I have sent 8 emails since before Christmas and not a response from one, I can't get through on the phone it just goes to voicemail saying leave a message which I have and no return phone number, will need to reapply again in June 😂😂😂, got to laugh

@Toon

Thanks - will do

We have been waiting since December 2022! When we had our ARC renewed in December 2023 we were told that the immigration service had not done anything to process our application over the previous 12 months - we are wondering what the record is for getting the biometric card ?

Are these cards all for the pink slip route and not linked to cat F routes .... I assume that they are.

@Toon

My wife and I are both on the cat F route,this is what we were advised to do when we moved to Cyprus in September 2022. We are retired and meet all the requirements for immigration to proceed . We are renting our second property since arriving in Cyprus and will probably continue to rent as we wish to live in various areas of Cyprus.

What other method is there in applying for temporary residency? We were told that cat F was our only option.

    We have been waiting since December 2022! When we had our ARC renewed in December 2023 we were told that the immigration service had not done anything to process our application over the previous 12 months - we are wondering what the record is for getting the biometric card ?
   

    -@L and M

You would think email in this day and age would be the best and quickest way to communicate, but for some reason, no one likes to do it. Malta and Austria are just the same. You are best going into the office, or phoning them up.

As you have to have a temporary visa to stay whilst waiting to be cat F approved then I guess a temporary visa pink slip is the route to take.. bear in mind very few If any cat F permits have been issued since 2018 2019.. .

@MacGeorge8035  ours took from 3 February last year till mid August.

@SimCityAT

We have emailed and phoned - emails are ignored and phone calls are not answered.

I was told it will be posted but we all know that's not going to happen so check at the same office the immigration appointment was. I was also told by the lawyer I used that she was told they are not issuing the cards for the 1st year only when you renew😕 I have the 2nd year renewal appointment on the 20th Mar 2024 so let's see what happens.

HI

My friend went to renew her visa on Friday and was going to ask about the ID card situation.  She'll also update me on Monday when we meet up.

    @NeilGoldman Well I guess if you ever get pulled over by the police and asked why you never exchange your license you can explain it was not for trying I will not bother going until I get the ID card which is probably another 3 months away.
I am on first name terms with Maria and Maria 2 at Paphos customs. Savvas as well sometimes. All are very nice and I never have to wait to see them. Normally in and out in 10 mins including pleasantries.  Been there many times to extend the car and motorcycle. I started the process in Jan 2023 and they have said due to the backlog it might be a year! Each time I go they ask for some new document or another copy of one they already have as it is lost in their pile of files. At least I am not paying the road tax for a 5+ year old diesel.
   
HO, I do miss seeing Maria 1 and Maria 2 lovely ladies.

One thing they do need at customs though is some English signage, I nearly gave up trying to find that office last building 1st floor on my first visit!

-@phildraper

@timhuntington

They don't make it easy that's for sure

Allow me to pay homage to the uber-efficient and highly-motivated Cypriot Government Worker...

Year 1 - 2021

Submitted my initial application for Temporary Residency (Visitor) at the Paralimni office. Took 3 days to get all the required paperwork stamped and certified.

Day 0 - got rental contract certified from Mukhtar - 20 EUR.

Arrived Day 1- was told I needed a stamp on my rental contract. An actual 5 EUR stamp from the post office to pay the stamp duty. How quaint.

Returned Day 2 - was told I needed the rental contract to be certified by the Tax Office since it was over 500 EUR a month. Another 10 EUR.

Returned Day 3 - was told I needed a stamp for the certification. Back to the post office . He didn't look surprised I was back, but gladly took my 5 EUR...

Moved to Limassol district 4 months later when Covid lifted and the tourists flooded in.

Not so quaint.

Asked the nice lady at the Paralimni office what I was to do. She advised I should send new rental contract to Nicosia for them to update my address so they could send me the notification that the card was ready for pickup.

Got rental contract certified by new Mukhtar. He asked why? I said because and asked him "how much"? He again asked why and said "go away, it's lunch time"

2 months later, still no letter. I visited the Limassol office to inquire.

He asked "do you have a letter?"

I said "no"

he said "then we haven't got it"

2 months later, another visit, same process.

2 months later, I was in Larnaca, and stopped in at the Larnaca office to ask someone new.

He said "it's been ready for 4 months". Go to the Paralimni office to get it.

2 months later, I was in Paralimni . He said "have you got a letter?"

"no"

"then we haven;'t got it."

"Well, actually - you do"

"says you live in Paralimni, wny did you ask Larnaca?"

" I moved mid-year, sent change of address to Nicosia, etc)

"fine, sign here."

2022 - 1st renewal

submitted renewal to Limassol office. Should also note that this was the time they made an appointment website which never actually granted an appointment. Tried for 3 months, was about to give up and tell the island to shove it when an appointment 3 months after my due date was available.

So I took it and lived in fear I was overstaying my welcome.

Application was rejected as the bank statements were not deemed to be "statements". Had to go to Bank of Cyprus to get full year of transactions (also not a statement, but I paid 5 EUR for an official signature, so they accepted it).

Came back to Limassol office 30 minutes later and got application submitted.

4 months later, no letter.

another 2 months, no letter.

2 months again. diddly.

finally in month 10, I received the letter, but didn't bother to get it since I had my renewal appointment in 2 weeks.

Picked up the card and submitted the renewal same day.

2023 Renewal

Never received the letter. Most likely because they never sent a letter.

Went to the appointment for renewal and she looked up from the computer and said - "your application was never processed".

2024 Renewal

Added wife to process as she was now "retired" and needed a place to live. and our furniture needed a place to live as well.

Renewal process went surprisingly well considering mine was a renewal and hers was a first application.

6 months later, we crossed into the North, and was asked why we didn't have our cards.

"Never received a letter"

"thank you - carry on."

2 months later, I flew back in to Larnaca and was asked the same question by the immigration officer.

"Never received the letter"

"says here in my system that your card is ready and you should really go and pick it up"

Stopped in at Limmasol office on way home and got the card.

2025 Renewal

Submitted application.

2 months later, was crossing back from the North, and was asked by the immigration officer if our application had been approved.

I said "I don't know , haven't received a letter- can you tell me?"

"No"

2 days ago, received a letter.

"you have 15 days to provide more information about your financial status or your application will be rejected"

It arrived in my mail box on Day 15.

Currently awaiting rejection letter...

From what you have said it sounds like you did not use a professional for all this. I know there are some bad ones out there and they do cost a bit but I processed my temp visa in Paphos and it did take a while even using a so called professional and I had to keep popping into Paphos Immigration to ask for the biometric card. It did finally turn up but it was 18 months after my 1st immigration acceptance.

The process in Cyprus is slower than slow and the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. My MO now on any official things is always go in person and keep going until I get the desired response!  Same thing had to be applied to the driving license swap. AND take every document you have with you on every occasion. I keep a big file with everything document in and replace util bills and bank statement each time I recv one so they are always current.

All in all it has taken 3 years to get thru the vehicle import, visa, driving license and biometric card stuff. Just waiting to know if the 5 year PR is going to be reduced to 3 and I will make the PR application so I have that done and dusted lol

We did most things ourselves. We took every bit of paper, plus more,  with us every time. In 9 months we got married, got visas, GESY, driving licences, TIN and bought a flat. Yes, it has been frustrating with the slowness of the authorities. Only the tax to sort out now, which we will do next week.

We smile at the inefficiency.  Frustrating yes, but we have kept our sense of humour.

I can't give advice, other than keep smiling and phone the authorities  regularly for updates. And bring every certificate, paper possible.

@Neptune3

Sound advice

@notlost-justlookingaround

Omg...that's a nightmare ..am so glad we did all our stuff when UK was in EU......how things have changed....

I received a letter Friday 1st August via post informing  me that my residence permit has been issued and to collect within 30 days.

The letter dated 24 July but states card issued 9 May. I had collected the biometric card approx middle of May.

The purpose of the note is to say don't wait for communications. Call into immigration and check.

@Drambuie

Yes I agree dont wait for the letter.

@notlost-justlookingaround

As an update to our 2025 Temporary Residency Permit saga:

1 - No rejection letter was received. I fired off an email stating our financial situation proving "sufficient" funds were available to live here, and asked for clarity on how much money we actually had to have moved into a Cyprus bank every year so we didn't get nasty-grams from Nicosia every year. There was of course no answer from them.

2 - We did not transfer the "required" 24,000 EUR + 20% for dependent spouse into the Cyprus account this year since we had enough funds in the account to "survive" the next year, and I explained the reasoning to the immigration official in Nicosia who sent us the nasty-gram that we did not transfer the "required" amount into our Cyprus account since they do not pay interest and we preferred to keep our money where it actually makes money and not send it somewhere to die.

This obviously satisfied her as the applications were both approved shortly thereafter.

I still have no idea how much we are supposed to have in our Cyprus account when we submit our renewal application. I have "talked" to 3 different  immigration officials this year to get clarity, and I have received 3 different answers.

3 - Actually, no letter was received to update our status. I got tired of waiting and went to Limassol immigration office this week to get an update since the Bank of Cyprus sent me a nasty-gram stating my ARC had expired and to provide the bank with a new ARC before they closed down our account. (Which was odd since the ARC does not expire).

Lo and Behold our new residency cards were at the office waiting for us to come and visit. Again, no letter had been sent to state our application had been approved (or denied)

The bank was actually looking for our new cards since our accounts have a "resident" status vs. non-resident status label on them.

4 - Residency permit expires 1 year after the approval date, and not the application date which was the case in previous years.

Literally a 12 month residency permit, but effectively 16 months since we had the magic stamp on the application receipt for 4 months while they were reviewing our file.

Still a mystery how the system works, but common sense seems to be creeping in to the cracks.

Welcome to the mysteries of Cyprus

Never wait for driving licence biometric card immigration appointment GESY medical card. Just visit the department and keep going until it arrives lol

My Moto is Cypriots always need a visit to arrange anything or obtain anything. Face to face works. Do this and you can't go wrong. And be prepared to make lots of visits and wait when required. Everything is slow 😬

Ahh someone is learning. Lived here for 9 years. Speak th language and it is bloody easy. VISIT and one visit should be enough if one can charm the girls.

I used the text messaging service a few times (send STATUS + application ref no/the year 2025 etc) and when it changed from "in process" to "Your permit is valid" then i went a picked it up from immigration office.

In Larnaca they have put a man at the front gate of immigration and he has boxes and boxes of ID cards waiting to be collected. I wasn't phoned about mine being ready. I just asked the man at the gate when I walked past immigration, and he gave it to me.

Customs let us know at he airport they were ready for direction

@Toon

Long time no speak!!! how the devil are you. Will agree 100%. We may be old timers here but everything was so easy in the old days. Now need nothing and live the quiet life.

Still meet up with the girls at Paralimni Immigration for a drink now and again.

One bit of advice for the NEWBIES --- try and learn the language-- it helps a lot.

Toon, the type and number of visas available boggles the brains.

Take care mate and give us a call at some time.