We have a meeting with Immigration......

[Cheshire Lad]

Morning,

Having recently retired to Cyprus, we've been down the track of importing the cars, and joining the Healthcare system, and we've done this under our own steam, with the support of our friends locally.

It's now time to meet Immigration this month.

I'm hearing anecdotes which suggest that we should have a Greek speaker - Lawyer or Red Tape expert - with us for this important meeting.

Has anyone had recent dealings with that department and could describe the experience or has anything to share?

Regards
CL

[darrow]

we did everything ourselves. 8 years ago. i believe the whole system is easier now. our first visit to immigration was just to make an appointment although we didn't know that at the time. you will need your passports at that time. i seem to remember they needed bells and whistles, proof of income, (so you are not going to be a burden) or proof of a job, proof of a home, proof of medical cover. if you are retired the DWP give you that. not sure about working age people. However, if you don't have everything they need they will ask you to come back, but we were provided with a list of the items they wanted to see. i suspect people who tell you you need someone to do it, got someone to do theirs. we never had any problems doing the whole lot ourselves, including importing our car. Go for it!

[PolemIan]

All the staff speak good English in my experience. You need to take your passport with you when you call into make your appointment. Depending on your circumstances they will give you a piece of paper and tick what papers they need you to bring. Take as much paperwork with you as you can think of though, they seem to like to try and find something they want you to produce! One items will almost certainly be a bank statement for your Cyprus bank, this must be printed, stamped and signed by the bank, on my visit it was a couple of days old so I was sent out to get one on the same day as the appointment in case I'd spent all the money in the last couple of days. They also wouldn't accept the email of my medical insurance policy - after all that's how the rest of the world works - so I had to charge to the insurance office and get that stamped. A few months later when we did the one for my wife, was prepared for that and sailed though, it helped that the lady who processed that application was from Polemi so we had a nice chat. Try and learn some Greek numbers in case when they come out of the office they call your appointment number in Greek. Your appointment will tell you the number so as long as you recognise that you should be ok.

[Poppy]

Agreed that you don't need any one with you. They speak excellent english and I would have thought that the importing of your car and joining the Health system was much more difficult than this!

Good Luck!

[Royal]

You don't need anyone with you. When you make the appointment, you will be given a list of items you need to bring with you for your interview. Make sure you bring originals and photocopies where necessary to the interview. You no longer need to bring in passport size photos - they have a digital camera which will populate the yellow slip. They are civil servants, so will not appreciate some of the inappropriate attire which some expats seems to favour - open toe flip flops, short shorts with singlet type T shirts are not de-rigueur in Government offices! Treat them with respect and it will be reciprocated.

[memory man]

I'm sure you also need photocopies of ALL documents you produce.

[Dominic]

We had this done in October and it was fine. We didn't need anybody with us. As well as all your paperwork, and copies of all your paperwork, bring a book. You might have to wait for a bit.

[LouiseCastricum]

Take your passports when making the appointment. And indeed, documents to be original and copies. Very easy, very friendly.

[PW in Polemi]

Unless the system has changed dramatically from when we did it just over 8 years ago, both of you need to attend immigration with your passports in order to make the appointment - don't know why, but then hey ho, this is Cyprus and things get done the Cypriot way!

With the date of your appointment, you should be given a list of the documents you are required to bring. Basically, proof of who you are, photos of each of you, proof that you have accommodation (purchase contract or tenancy agreement), proof of income (letter from employer/pension provider/bank statements), proof of health cover (private medical insurance/social security payments/arrangements with UK Pensions), wedding certificate (if applicable) and a whole forest's worth of photocopies of everything requested.

Plus of course, a bucketful of patience and, as The Aquila says, a smile.

[MacManiac]

A very simple procedure. After making your appointment then go along with the required documents. Your Cypriot bank statements need to be stamped at your bank, which ours did on the spot. Your UK bank details can be photocopies. All the documents required need to have photocopies. My wife put all of ours in the order they were on the form you get given and we just handed the bundle over to the very pleasant young woman. We smiled and I even used a bit of my fledgling Greek.

We paid our fee (something like €17,00) and had our yellow forms. Time taken from walking into her office to having a celebratory coffee across the road ... 11 minutes.

There is anecdotal evidence (and recommended by our Cypriot friends) that you should not really turn up in beachwear. When I had a problem with Cyta (they wouldn't connect to the house without a telephone number, which didn't exist) I asked a Cypriot friend to help. He was digging in his garden at the time. He told me he would be down at our house in twenty minutes. He appeared, shaved and showered and wearing a suit. Problem solved at Cyta in five minutes. Good luck.

[Polemi Dave]

For those that got their yellow slips 5+ years ago, you really should be thinking about upgrading to "permanent residency". No requirement to do this but when Brexit happens you could be sorry that you did not do it. None of us know what is going to happen post Brexit, sure everything will not carry on as before. A permanent residency now should protect against bureaucracy later.

I read that in UK lots of Europeans are applying for British permanent residency.

[Houdinibun]

Yup we did ours in October,you go to the migration department first to make an appointment and they give you a chack list etc.

For the appointment take everything they have on the checklist plus the completed forms and photocopies of everything. They take people in according to your number on a list 1-28 most days so if you have a low number then you will be seen early make sure to be at the office when it opens. I definitely wouldn't pay to take a third party with you - why bother? It really is straight forward if you have all the documents and photocopies - you will have your photo taken at the office, pay your fee and leave with your yellow slip.
Good Luck

http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/crmd/crmd.nsf ... 20MEU3.pdf

[Polemi Dave]

Polemi Dave--Note your comments. We are due over permanently in 2 years, bang on the time, all will be up in the air. I am told that we can stay because of a Commonweath Agreement dating back to the early sixties and because we have a permission from the Council of Ministers when we bought our house in 2005--- I will believe it when we get all the right pieces of paper. Assuming we can.

Termites Dream
Unfortunately even Mrs May has not got a clue. The only think you can assume is that you had council of ministers approval in 2005 to buy your house as we did before Cyprus became a full member. It would not be in the Cypriot best interest to renege on that. In fact it would be economic suicide to start asking Brits to leave. However Cyprus will have to conform to whatever transition deal is reached with the full EU. Previous commonwealth agreements and health cover agreements no longer apply as they are superseded by EU directives. Any deal will be the same in all 27 EU countries.

Failing any deal and presuming you arrive after Brexit then you will be a 3rd country national (like Russians) and subject the same immigration requirements as they are. The Russians manage, blame the Brexiteers

[Cheshire Lad]

Thanks everyone.

A wealth of information there, and we feel reassured about the upcoming meeting.

Very much appreciated

Regards

Ian (CL)

[David]

We got ours today, did you get yours yet?

We only waited about five weeks for today's appointment and they even called us thirty minutes prior to confirm our attendance. Myself and Mrs David, suited and booted, in at 9.30 and back on the street at 10am.

We all shuffled paper, they photographed us and the technology did the rest, (and printed receipts for €20.00 each).

Just us two, no Greek speaker. In fact, no-one addressed us in anything other than fluent English at any time. I feel so dumb sometimes.

A recommendation for our car insurers (Abbeygate-please delete if considered advertising) they supplied Private Health Insurance, complying with Immigration, for €165 each and helped with photocopies.

Everyone we have dealt with so far has been professional, efficient, friendly and charming.

P.S: Where can you buy single, or low-quantity, photocopies if you haven't yet thought about a copier /scanner?

[Royal]

A recommendation for our car insurers (Abbeygate-please delete if considered advertising) they supplied Private Health Insurance, complying with Immigration, for €165 each and helped with photocopies.

Fine for obtaining Yellow Slips, but probably not worth the paper they're written on for medical insurance.

[PW in Polemi]

David, most (if not all) stationery shops sell photocopies, as perhaps will your local community office - if Skoulli has one, that is, and it's not the muktar's wife's kitchen table where the paperwork is done!

[Jim B]

It took me over a year to get my Permanent Residency Slip so don't delay.

Jim

[Keith]

Where are the offices please?

Keith

[PW in Polemi]

Keith
If you're coming from up in these hilly parts, directions to Immigration are:

Drive down the hill, down Mesoghi Avenue/Polis Road past Carrefour, past Costas Tyres and Garden of Eden. When you get to the traffic lights with Papantoniou's Supermarket on your RHS, turn left. Follow this road and Immigration is on your RHS, a building with pinkish pillars above a sanitary ware shop, if I remember correctly. The entrance is on the main road, behind the RHS of the building, and the offices are upstairs.

If you are coming from Pegeia, go up the main road to and through the Kennedy Square roadworks, up through "Gasoline Alley" to the traffic lights. Turn right. Follow this road and Immigration is on your RHS, a building with pinkish pillars above a sanitary ware shop, if I remember correctly. The entrance is on the main road, behind the RHS of the building, and the offices are upstairs.