Waiting for ID cards

Hi, it has now been over 4 months since we got our temporary residency sorted. But, we are still waiting for our ID cards. How long have people generally waited for ID cards after getting temporary residency.


I have tried phoning immigration in Paphos and the phone is always engaged. I have also been advised that there are occasional problems with people from the Congo causing immigration to close down in Paphos so not to go without an appointment, but it could still be closed.


I have also tried the immigration SMS service but that was useless as the reply you get tells you nothing as the message is just too generic.

my company did it for me and it took a month for ID card.

Suggest to take an appointment and check or hire a good lawyer who will follow up and guide as required.

It should be ready after 4 months. Best to go there directly. Good luck.

my company did it for me and it took a month for ID card.
Suggest to take an appointment and check or hire a good lawyer who will follow up and guide as required.
-@Akhilesh Sawant


Why waste money on a lawyer, when you can do the work for free yourself?

All the work etc has been done the OP just wants to collect the cards

@Toon Thanks Toon you are correct, everything has been done just waiting to collect the cards. Maybe my post was not clear enough 1f609.svg

@MacGeorge8035 i think you must bite the bullet and go to the dept and hold your ground till you get in to collect your cards .


However considering your position.... Maybe it would be a good idea to contact your immigration assistant see if they can help .. I just hope that it wasn't the late Melanie's.. as it may be difficult to contact here replacement assuming one has taken over her cases.


But good luck George.


On another note we made it to Carabao Cup final.. so looking forward to that 

I have been here 3 years and didnt realise that there was an ID card for temp residency1f60a.svg  We just use the yellow paper when asked for proof of residency.  Is it too late now to get the cards?

No you can apply for one anytime .. but you are not currently obliged to do so .. yet .. my gut feeling is that legal yellow slip owning residents will be required to do so as the EU step up the enforcement of non EU nationals identification documents ie that they become a common biometric ID across the whole of EU. It was to be due by 2026 but i think it will happen much sooner

I applied for permanent residence under the Brexit (Article 50) withdrawal agreement in March last year. I used an immigration attorney as I thought that would guarantee faster service. But nope... still waiting... nearly a year later. :-)

@gwynj wow a year .. have you tried to get the cards by collection ..it makes me wonder why they don't post them out to the holder

@Toon Sadly it was Mel who was looking after us but I have spoken to someone who has taken up her mantle and she is on the case.

Hi,

im Yvonne McDonald.

I applied for a residency card through Melanie last January and am still waiting. Hadn't realized Melanie no longer doing this, do hope that she is well. Could you let me have details of person who is now taking up your case. Many thanks!

(Hi I'm brendan mcdonald, the account holder - my wife is using my account with my permission, to make this contact)

@Brendan McDonald  I am sorry to say Mel died a couple of months ago. If you PM me I can pass on the contact details of the person looking after Mel's clients.

Thank you for sharing this unexpected, very sad news. Mel came across as a lovely, honest hard working person in the brief interactions I and my husband Brendan shared with her.

We were very pleased with the service she provided for us.

My email address is [link under review] and mobile number *****

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@gwynj wow a year .. have you tried to get the cards by collection ..it makes me wonder why they don't post them out to the holder
-@Toon


In Austria, its been known to take 18 months!

It's highly likely that it's down to cost of sending them out ... 

Its the same when changing your homeland driving license to Cyprus driving license ...they say they will notify you when ready but they never do...

@Toon

Thank you for sharing this unexpected, very sad news.

Mel came across as a lovely, honest hard working person in the brief interactions I and my husband shared with her.

We were very pleased with the service she provided for

US.

please pass our details on to the person managing Mel's portfolio.

@MacGeorge8035

Thank you for sharing this unexpected, very sad news.

Mel came across as a lovely, honest hard working person in the brief interactions I and my husband shared with her.

We were very pleased with the service she provided for

US.

please pass our details on to the person managing Mel's portfolio.

@Brendan McDonald you need to private message MacGeorge

@Toon


Well, turns out that Cyprus Immigration is not to blame in this story. Instead, it seems I had a deadbeat attorney who lost my application receipt... and all interest in my application, as he had already been paid. :-) I recently emailed the Migration Department with details of my case, and after a couple of weeks someone got back to me. And said my residence card was issued a few weeks after my application - way back in May 2022! So I just need to pop in and pick it up - as you suggested.

Great news that you got your card....

@SimCityAT Last time that I visited the Police Hq in Limassol for some paperwork, I was surprised by the number of official diy forms that were annotated FREE in big red letters!

Received notice to pick up my temporary residence card. My appointment was 08/29/2022. Notice was dated was dated 10/05/2023. Signed by Director on 15/05/2023.

Received in PO Box on 19/06/2023.

Nice! just in time for a renewal lol

Thanks for the information

Last year it was issued one month before my renewal appointment. The young guy

who took my info burst out laughing when he saw it on the computer.

So they are improving??????

Still waiting for mine, 2 months until renewal.

This time next month del

@MacGeorge8035 My husband was waiting for a letter to pick up his residency card.  None had arrived, so last week we were nearby and called in to find out what was happening.   She looked him up on the system and then gave us his card.  There is a row of hundreds of cards waiting to be picked up.  Would still be waiting for the letter if we hadn't called in.

@MacGeorge8035 When did you get your temp residency? I have had mine since Feb and the immigration professional goes every day for her work on other clients. She said she checks every day and mine is not there.

Mine and my wife's still haven't arrived from 21/12/22 and last week i went to the TOM to get a Cypriot driving licence as I am almost 70 and my UK licence expires next month and was told they won't process it without the card even thougth I have the yellow slip for temporary residency which is accepted everywhere else. My solicitor chased it up and came back saying it takes 5 to 6 months but it was already 6 months!

I've had to apply for a new UK licence as I would be unable to drive otherwise.

Oh what a mess. My partners UK license expires in sept 2023 so I am get ready to renew as it all sounds like we will not have our id card until dec 2023! I was not told we would need the id card to get the Cypriot license so may be this is yet another change to procedures lol

Just had a look on the TOM website (w w w . mcw. gov.cy/mcw/RTD/rtd.nsf/All/4BDCB741D9609ABFC225782400350797?OpenDocument) to see if they have updated the requirements to replace ARC for ID card and this is what I found. I appreciate that if you arrived there and they refused it probably would be futile to argue the point but just goes to show how confusing everything is here!

Conversion of Driving License from foreign to Cypriot:

• Application for a driving license (TOM 7D).

• A recent photo of size 45x35 mm, for more information click here.

• Identity Card (for Cypriot Returnees or Alien Registration Certificate (for foreigners) (original and one photocopy).

• Passport (original and a photocopy of the first page with the applicant's details).

• Foreign driving license (original and a photocopy of all pages). (The foreign driving licence is sent to the competent authority of the issuing State).

• Translation of your foreign driving license unless it is in English or Greek. The translation must be done by the Press and Information Office through authorised translators (original and a photocopy).

• The application along with all relevant documents must be presented in person at the local District Driving Examiner Offices, for relevant inspection and approval of the conversion.

• Proof that the applicant has his/her habitual residence in the Republic.

I was told by the man who refused the ARC to go and see his bossw. I went to another office saw him and he  wasn't interested and  told me it's illegal for them to process the licence without the card. I did explain i'm using the ARC everyhere else and he wasn't interested even though I already used it at the TOM to get the registration docs.

Nothing makes any sense in Cyprus i'm still waiting for customs clearance on the car and have to go every other month to get an extension on the customs document. Last time i said how difficult is it to process when I have bought a house given you copies of the title deeds shown you utility bills cypriot bank statements and she said it could be a holiday home so I said yes and i fly into Paphos every other month to come and see you for an extension on a car that now lives in Paphos. You couldn't make it 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 1f609.svg 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.

An upside to a downside ..... Proved mlud

@Ktowns22


I'm also waiting for my ID card.  Where is it you have to go to pick it up personally?

@Ktowns22


Hi, I've been waiting since last October for my ID card.  Where is it you have to go to pick it up? Is it in Pafos or Nicosia?