Yellow MEU3 form not the older MEU1..

[JimX]

Yellow MEU3 form not MEU1 form is recommended for UK ex-pats or UK residence on Cyprus is supposed to be the way we should now go, this will mean a visit to the Immigration office, do members know anything about this new requirement, we have the older (17 years) also yellow MEU1 slip. (see Paphos POST front page) for more information.

I guess this topic is covered by Dominic's post on the UK High Commissioner's visit to Paphos, but interested in members opinions.

[galexinda]

From the recent meeting held by BHC at Kamares on Wednesday 7 March:

Questions from the floor

I read in the Cyprus Mail about the Brexit talk by the High Commissioner and a few people have commented that it is not clear whether expats permanently resident in Cyprus have to convert their yellow slip [MEU1] to the MEU3 before the UK leaves the EU or after the UK leaves. There were various questions on this topic and the answers have been condensed into one area for ease of understanding.

It is important to ensure that you have your paperwork up to date before Brexit happens.
The first step is the yellow slip [MEU1] if you do not have one. If you have the MEU1 then
you will need to upgrade to the MEU3. The information that you will need is available on
the website:

http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/crmd/crmd.nsf ... enDocument
There is also information available on the EU site regarding permanent residency:
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/r ... -nationals
permanent-residence/index_en.htm

Please note that the High Commission has a meeting arranged shortly with the
Immigration Department regarding procedure for upgrading to the MEU3 so it is
recommended that you wait until further information is available on this issue and
possibly save yourself a frustrating non-productive visit to the Immigration Department.

Please note that the issue of residency/registration is owned by the Cypriot Government.
Once you have your yellow slip [MEU1] then after 5 years residency you qualify for
permanent residency and the MEU3. Proof will be needed that you have been here,
resident for that period and Immigration will decide what documentation you need to
produce.

If you have an ARC stamp in your passport you need to convert this to an MEU1 and, if you
have been here for 5 years, immediately apply for the MEU3.
Regarding Cypriot citizenship, you can apply for this once you have been here for 7 or
more years and can prove the items stipulated by the Cypriot Government.
UK and Cyprus allow dual nationality and you can apply to be a Cypriot national once you
have been here for 7 years. The criteria are stipulated on the Cypriot Government
Immigration website. To qualify you do not need to be Cypriot by descent.
Where people had stamps in their passports, those passports have since been renewed
and replaced so those affected need to go to Immigration, and go through the MEU1 then
MEU3 route. It is likely that you will have to produce all your documentation again.
There are reports that some branches of Immigration are saying they cannot do the
upgrade to the MEU3 until after Brexit, or ‘not for the time being’. There is a meeting
shortly to clarify this, agree that transfers can proceed and in what format the transfer
will be [ie with or without appointment and paperwork needed].
MEU1 and MEU3 if you have lived here less than 5 years are your rights less? Once you
have achieved your 5 years’ residency even if after Brexit, you will still be able to apply for
the MEU3.

The most important thing is to ensure you have started the paperwork – it is
recommended that you apply for the MEU1 if you do not already hold this.

[trevnhil]

Yellow MEU3 form not MEU1 form is recommended for UK ex-pats or UK residence on Cyprus is supposed to be the way we should now go, this will mean a visit to the Immigration office, do members know anything about this new requirement, we have the older (17 years) also yellow MEU1 slip. (see Paphos POST front page) for more information.

I guess this topic is covered by Dominic's post on the UK High Commissioner's visit to Paphos, but interested in members opinions.

As far as I am aware the MEU3 form is Not a Requirement..

I would be interested to see anything that says it is..

[Alewfin]

The MEU3 gives the right to reside in Cyprus whereas the MEU1 does not.

My understanding (and reading between the lines) of what the High Commissioner said at the Kamares Club is that after Brexit the MEU3 provides a right and a protection for a British Expat to reside permanently in Cyprus as the MEU3 is a 'PERMANENT RESIDENCE CERTIFICATE' whereas the MEU1 is 'REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE'.

Is it a requirement ? For peace of mind it probably is.

[Alewfin]

Austin,

The High Commissioner was quite explicit about rights. Any rights acquired before Brexit will remain after Brexit, hence the need for a MEU3. He said it was agreed in the Brexit divorce negotiations.

[josef k]

But Austin 7 makes a valid point. The MEU 1 and the MEU3 only apply to EU citizens, and states so at the top. After Brexit there will be a need to either have a transition period where UK citizens can still be covered by their MEU form, or an immediate replacement of the MEU form by another form (currently in use by 3rd country nationals or a new one specifically for UK citizens).

The High Commissioner doesn't know any more than his last briefing from London. I am reminded of the response I received from the High Commission some time ago when I raised my concerns regarding what would happen to my (non-EU) wife as a result of Brexit. That response said it was a matter for Cyprus. Nothing else, just that. Well he was wrong, it is a matter to be considered in the exit negotiations. Personally I take much of what he says with a pinch of salt.

[ApusApus]

It is highly unlikely that an MEU3 will be rescinded after it has been issued while the UK were part of the EU, that would probably be illegal! Also, it is highly unlikely that those with an MEU1 will be deported lock, stock & barrel when B****t finally happens! However, as mentioned by HiC earlier it does make complete sense to apply for your MEU3 if you in a position to do so!


Shane

[Kili01]

I went to the High Commissioner’s talk at Kamares a few days ago. The room was packed with people keen to find out what the situation is where the Brexit is concerned. Having listened to what he and Christina Smith (his deputy) had to say. Their abdvice is as Lloyd and Alewfin have already written. It is up to each individual to make his /her own decision. But 2 things seem clear in the advice which we were given. Anyone who does not have at least an MEU 1 after the Brexit will be in a precarious position without any EU protection. If caught, he will be an illegal and liable to immediate deportation. People with an MEU 1 who have been resident here for 5 or more years, should apply for the MEU 3 the residents permit. We are told that if you have this before the date of the Brexit, it will be honoured.
I have also been to immigration wth my passport. I have the necessary paperwork and like Lloyd have an appointment at Immigration in 2 months time. For me peace of mind and feeling secure are very important.

Dee

[Tremigirl]

I have now been told this MEU3 form is nothing to do with Brexit but a Cyprus Gov. thing and it will cost each person one hundred euros to get it. Another way of the government to raise some money.

[Kili01]

No, we were told it will cost €20 when submitting your paperwork. Hopefully what ‘someone’ has told you is just a rumour! As I wrote previously, once Brittain has lef the EU, we will not have the protection of EU laws, so the MEU 1 won’t be adiquate. If you have been here for 5 yrs continuously, the advice from the BHC is to apply for the MEU3. But it is entirely the choice of the individual.

Dee

[Alewfin]

I have now been told this MEU3 form is nothing to do with Brexit but a Cyprus Gov. thing and it will cost each person one hundred euros to get it. Another way of the government to raise some money.

It has everything to do with Brexit.

At the moment all EU citizens have the right under EU law to reside in any EU country.

After Brexit British citizens will no longer have that right under EU law.

However, any rights acquired by EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU before Brexit will be honoured. Therefore, completing the MEU3 before Brexit secures the right of a British citizen to permanent residence in Cyprus after Brexit.

[MacManiac]

However, any rights acquired by EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU before Brexit will be honoured. Therefore, completing the MEU3 before Brexit secures the right of a British citizen to permanent residence in Cyprus after Brexit.

This is an interesting statement. I have not yet been to one of these meetings (one is being arranged in the Polis area, I understand) but friends who attended a similar meeting, where the High Commissioner was speaking about this, came away with the impression that the honouring of the agreement was an opinion and not a fact. Do you possibly have a link to this? I would be very pleased if it was the case.

[Mrblobby]

Photo copying 5 years of bank statements is a bit of a task .

Two pages a month equals 120 , that will keep me busy , if I decide to bother .

[Alewfin]

However, any rights acquired by EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU before Brexit will be honoured. Therefore, completing the MEU3 before Brexit secures the right of a British citizen to permanent residence in Cyprus after Brexit.

This is an interesting statement. I have not yet been to one of these meetings (one is being arranged in the Polis area, I understand) but friends who attended a similar meeting, where the High Commissioner was speaking about this, came away with the impression that the honouring of the agreement was an opinion and not a fact. Do you possibly have a link to this? I would be very pleased if it was the case.

I very much doubt the High Commissioner would have given his personal opinion. Foreign Office officials don't do this in public unless you are Boris Johnson.

The High Commissioner would almost certainly have followed the UK official line and quoted the joint UK / EU document issued on 8 December 2017 on the section headed Citizens' Rights. The document is in the public domain. The text starts:

6. The overall objective of the Withdrawal Agreement with respect to citizens' rights is to provide reciprocal protection for Union and UK citizens, to enable the effective exercise of rights derived from Union law and based on past life choices, where those citizens have exercised free movement rights by the specified date.
7. To date, both Parties have reached a common understanding on the following.

However the rights are not a fact until they become legal. And to again quote the document:

Under the caveat that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,

[Mrblobby]

Thanks Lloyd , the mukhtar route is not open to me . I have been a bit of a gipsy in the 8 years I have been here and moved about a lot , only been at my present address 2 years .

[Robert]

Background - I plan on being in (still working in the UK) and having my MEU1 by Brexit day - will likely land in August 2018 - so don't have the option of an MEU3.

This (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... rights.pdf) might be of benefit. Point 12 is an important one for me and others on MEU1's (I think). I interpret that as post Brexit providing I meet Article 16 of the referred Directive (ie 5 years of continuous and lawful residence as a worker/self employed person, student, self-sufficient person) I could apply for an MEU3 (or similar). I interpret that as 5 years pre and post Brexit because of the words "with periods of lawful residence prior to the specified date included in the calculation of the five year condition." It's the word included that I think is important.

For those concerned about State funded healthcare or EHIC's then Point 47 might be useful.

Of course nothing is agreed until everything is agreed but it's given me enough confidence to come to Cyprus in the next few months and not be fearful of being kicked out.

[MacManiac]

However, any rights acquired by EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU before Brexit will be honoured. Therefore, completing the MEU3 before Brexit secures the right of a British citizen to permanent residence in Cyprus after Brexit.

This is an interesting statement. I have not yet been to one of these meetings (one is being arranged in the Polis area, I understand) but friends who attended a similar meeting, where the High Commissioner was speaking about this, came away with the impression that the honouring of the agreement was an opinion and not a fact. Do you possibly have a link to this? I would be very pleased if it was the case.

I very much doubt the High Commissioner would have given his personal opinion. Foreign Office officials don't do this in public unless you are Boris Johnson.

The High Commissioner would almost certainly have followed the UK official line and quoted the joint UK / EU document issued on 8 December 2017 on the section headed Citizens' Rights. The document is in the public domain. The text starts:

6. The overall objective of the Withdrawal Agreement with respect to citizens' rights is to provide reciprocal protection for Union and UK citizens, to enable the effective exercise of rights derived from Union law and based on past life choices, where those citizens have exercised free movement rights by the specified date.
7. To date, both Parties have reached a common understanding on the following.

However the rights are not a fact until they become legal. And to again quote the document:

Under the caveat that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,

This I had read. The High Commissioner was giving the government's opinion, as I understand it. As nothing is set in stone, then I - for one - would want to adopt a "belt and braces" approach and apply for the MEU3 form, and trust that the UK government (or the EU) does not reach the point where there is a "sod it ... we're off" petulance, and then all bets would be off.

This is a worst case scenario I realise. But I have never trusted politicians of any nationality, and never will.

[galexinda]

Indeed Mrblobby, if you have lived at one address for at least five years, held the same bank account for five years etc then it is an easy process.

However, ''Please note that the High Commission has a meeting arranged shortly with the Immigration Department regarding procedure for upgrading to the MEU3 so it is recommended that you wait until further information is available on this issue and possibly save yourself a frustrating non-productive visit to the Immigration Department''.

[Lofos-Jan]

And whilst I have the greatest respect for the Offices of the High Commission, if you read the full text of the 'Brexit' meeting on the link below, you get the sense that they have no idea yet. There are a lot of inconclusive statements. It also (incorrectly) says that if you live here, you must change your driving licence for a Cypriot one which we know is not the case until your current one expires. It isn't the first time that I have read inaccurate info from the BHC and sometimes on the UK Gov website itself (which I reported to them).

I think it really is a case of wait a bit longer, make sure you at least have the MEU1 (including those that have an ARC stamp who they are now advising should be converted to MEU1). In my opinion, it would be a nightmare scenario to have to convert all those existing MEU1 holders who live here, pay tax here, have businesses here etc., to a visa system. If you have held your MEU1 for 5 years and want to remain here, I can't see why you wouldn't want to apply for they MEU3A which can only offer extra security.

For those that believe there will be special rules as we are in the commonwealth, It was interesting to read that benefits currently offered are only UK to Cypriot. There are no benefits currently afforded by Cyprus to UK Citizens.

http://talanews.blogspot.com.cy/2018/03 ... .html#more

Jeanne

[Kili01]

HIC, yes I agree with your statement about getting into the queue to get an MEU 3, assuming that you have lived here for a least 5 years. I think its our best source of protection assuming some sort of Brexit goes ahead. It seems sensible to have a residents permit, especially if you own property here or have a business or both! It costs €20 to get one.
Dee