Paphos Life

Hello everyone, thank you for a very informative forum.

I am a UK citizen in the process of relocating to Cyprus and I have my MEU1 interview mid February.

Ideally I would have liked to live for approx 3 months in Paphos , Limassol and Larnaca so that I could decide where I would initially settle. However, due to the uncertainty around Brexit I thought it prudent to try and get my MEU1 before the end of March, just in case !

Therein lies my problem. I have not yet decided where is best for me to live so I have been taking short term lets for flexibility. For the MEU1 it states that I need a rental agreement and it needs to be stamped by the local Mukhtar. Does anyone have any guidance as to what is the minimum type of rental agreement that is acceptable ? i.e. month 2 month , 3 month / year long contract etc. How do I reconcile my desire to investigate other parts of the island with the need for a long term rental contract ? Also it states that the copy of the rental contract needs a 2 Euro stamp. Is that a regular postal stamp or some other official stamp ?

I am able to satisfy the other requirements for the MEU1 (non-working / self supporting). It is just this accommodation issue that I need guidance with.

Many thanks for any help.

Mike

Hi Mike

I think all you can do is produce a record of the accommodation you have had. The rental or sales agreement is just proof of where you are living. If they are not happy with what you provide, they will need to advise you accordingly given your personal circumstances. If they insist on a tenancy agreement, you can asked them if a short term - 3 months for example - is acceptable. Tenancy agreements can be stamped at the main government building (you but the special stamp form the cashiers office and then go to another office for the stamp to be stamped!

Jeanne

I was told at the time (2016) that a lease contract for more than one month is sufficient. Didn´t have to test that though as I had found a permanent place before my interview.

Thank you all for the suggestions so far.

I expect I will try and get a longer lease to satisfy the requirements. Any suggestion of where to look would be most appreciated ( or where / who to avoid ! ). There is just me so I am OK with a furnished studio or 1 bed flat initially.

Does anyone know if there are any legal ramifications if you terminate a six month / year long lease early. Since I want to explore other cities this may be my only option! I presume I would lose any security deposits.

Hi Jeanne, you mentioned that the tenancy agreement can be stamped at the main government building. Where would that be and is it the same place for all 'villages' around Paphos ?

Many thanks again
Mike

Thanks for the info re contractual law.

I guess I should be asking if it possible/ normal to have a 30 day notice of termination clause in the rental contract. Any examples of typical rental contracts would be much appreciated. What do tenants do if they find they have very bad neighbours etc ?

Thanks again
Mike

mjh512 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 30, 2019 8:50 pm Thanks for the info re contractual law.

I guess I should be asking if it possible/ normal to have a 30 day notice of termination clause in the rental contract. Any examples of typical rental contracts would be much appreciated. What do tenants do if they find they have very bad neighbours etc ?

Thanks again
Mike

You could try to negotiate a unilateral right to give notice. It´s unusual but not unheared of. I managed to get a 20 year lease like that with a unilateral option to terminate with 2 months notice whereas the landlord waived his right to give notice as long as I fulfill my obligations.

mjh512,where ever you decide to rent, check your neighbours out for barking dogs.We have been here on the island for fifteen years and love it but a big problem here and most of the members will agree there is,has,and always will be a problem with barking dogs. Unless of course you have a barking dog yourself,and not in need of a good nights sleep....good luck

Hi Mike, I've sent you a pm


Shane

Hi Shane,

I did not receive any pm.

Mike

Hi Mike

Not 100% sure but there maybe a restriction on pms until you've reached a certain number of posts, I will try again!


Shane

We received our MEU1s today. We had a 12 month rental contract in English which was then stamped and signed by our Mukhtar. We didn't have the other EUR2 stamp you mention.

The stamps are available at the Post Office.

Jim

Robert wrote: ↑Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:15 pm We received our MEU1s today. We had a 12 month rental contract in English which was then stamped and signed by our Mukhtar. We didn't have the other EUR2 stamp you mention.

I had no stamps at all. Haven´t even known that a lease contract is supposed to have stamps.

Hudswell wrote: ↑Fri Feb 01, 2019 8:31 pm For a lease to be official it needs to be stamped by the appropriate authority, if they aren’t then they are not worth the paper they are written on. And if applying for registration/residency with a rental agreement then it should be authorised, it will be rejected as proof, unless you are lucky.

Now you tell me . oh well my application for meu3 went in yesterday with unstamped rental agreements .

When I joined the Cyprus tax system I did get my rental agreement stamped ....50€ .

Hudswell wrote: ↑Fri Feb 01, 2019 8:31 pm For a lease to be official it needs to be stamped by the appropriate authority, if they aren’t then they are not worth the paper they are written on. And if applying for registration/residency with a rental agreement then it should be authorised, it will be rejected as proof, unless you are lucky.

Strange that the lawyer I paid € 170.- to check whether my lease contract is okay never mentioned that.

I learnt the hard way about getting documents Apostille'd and Notorised always get stamps. Usually the Notary will have stamps available but you will have to provide the €5 stamp for Apostille'd yourself which you get from the Post Office.
Only the other week I took a Power of Attorney letter to Limmasol for an Apostille Stamp and it was rejected because it wasn't signed and stamped by the District Officer in Paphos. Got it stamped and signed and went back the following morning and it was Apostille'd with a €5 and €2 stamps.

Jim

Just a quick catch up and a thank you for all of your suggestions.

My MEU1 was approved, no problems. A total of about 10 mins in the interview.

I ended up with a 3 month rental contract with short notice to terminate. That suited both myself and the owner, who will be returning soon. No problems with the immigration once I explained my situation.

No need for Cyprus bank account. I just showed income in my foreign bank statements.

The most difficult task was finding the local Mukhtar. For anyone in Kato Paphos it is Mr 'Har-ti-des' 99458679. I eventually had to go and ask immigration. They didn't know but gave me another number to call 26801101. The 2 Euro stamp was indeed from the post office, but not a postage stamp.

By the way alot of Cypriot numbers will not connect when called from a UK mobile. Seems to be '99' numbers. So get a Cyprus SIM!

Now just to decide where to stay!

Thanks again for you help and suggestions.

MikeH

mjh512 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 23, 2019 3:52 pm By the way alot of Cypriot numbers will not connect when called from a UK mobile. Seems to be '99' numbers. So get a Cyprus SIM!

You need to dial the country code +357 as well. At least I have to when using my German SIM card.

I got my yellow slip yesterday one year rental agreement with no mucktar or stamp but they do check for the appostile in the marriage certificate you can get that direct from the foreign office for £35

The stamps to ask for are revenue stamps; 2 Euro for a Notary document and 5 Euro for Apostille. Jeba is correct when saying to dial a Cyprus number in Cyprus with a UK phone use 00357 or connecting to a UK phone use 0044.

Jim