Paphos Life

For those that don’t have Facebook I have copied the text in below. I hope it comes through to you in an orderly format and that the hyperlinks work!



Brexit: Most Frequently Asked Questions by UK nationals in Cyprus

UK in Cyprus - British High Commission Nicosia·Wednesday, 6 March 2019

Following from our live Q&A session on Facebook, we have gathered the most frequently asked questions by UK nationals in Cyprus in a single note for easier access. We hope UK nationals in Cyprus find this document useful.

1. How do I regularise my status in Cyprus to ensure I can continue to live and work here

Cypriot law states you have to register as a resident if you spend more than 90 days in Cyprus. You will apply for what is called an MEU 1. This means you are accepted as someone with the same rights and entitlements as a Cypriot national and you will have access to all the services and support provided by Cyprus.
If you have already been registered as a resident for 5 years, you should apply for permanent residency known as an MEU3. You can find both application form on the Ministry of Interior Civil Registry and Migration Department’s website here: http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/crmd/crmd.nsf ... enDocument
You will need to apply at your nearest Immigration Office. A list of address for these offices can be found here. Please note there may be long waiting times for appointments (at least 2-3 months at the time of writing). It is best to start the process now to ensure that you are registered as soon as possible. If you have been waiting for more than four months then the advice is to contact the Ministry – as this might suggest there is a problem with your application.

In a No Deal, the Cypriot government has publically committed to protecting the rights of UK nationals in Cyprus. We are working with the Cypriot authorities to clarify further important details including any deadlines for getting your residency documents. We remain confident that in the event of a No Deal, the Cypriot government will allow a “Grace Period’’ to allow UK nationals to apply for residency after 29 March 2019.

2. How will I be able to access healthcare in Cyprus post-Brexit?

In a Deal scenario, as long as you have regularised your status in Cyprus by applying for residency (obtaining an MEU1 or MEU3), British nationals will be able to continue to access the healthcare system in Cyprus on the same basis as other EU citizens. This includes the use of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) card for those of you who are studying in Cyprus or who are not resident here.

The UK Government is seeking reciprocal arrangements to maintain peoples’ healthcare rights in a no-deal scenario. We hope to formalise an agreement shortly. But as a fall back, if you are planning to visit Cyprus after 29 March 2019, you should continue to buy travel insurance so you can get the healthcare treatment you need, just as you would if visiting a non-EU country. More information on healthcare in Cyprus can be found at: https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/health ... in-cyprus/
Cyprus is soon to launch its new public healthcare system. After 29 March, Britons in Cyprus, who have regularised their status and have either an MEU1 or MEU3 and who work will be able to access the Cyprus’ new health system through social insurance contributions.

3. Can I continue to use my UK driving licence in Cyprus?

If you are a resident in Cyprus (i.e. if you reside here for more than 90 days), you are obliged to convert your British licence into a Cyprus driving licence, which shows your address in Cyprus. Irrespective of Brexit.
If you exchange your licence before 29 March there is no need to pass a Cypriot driving test. Those of you with Cypriot driving licences can drive in the UK on this licence in both a deal and no deal scenario.
Currently, Britons who come to Cyprus for temporary visits can drive on their UK driving licence. If there is a signed Withdrawal Agreement, the UK driving licence remains valid up until the end of the Implementation Period, i.e. 31 December 2020. Agreements on mutual recognition of licences between the UK and the EU after this point will form part of the negotiations on the future relationship during the Implementation Period.
In the event of a No Deal, after 29 March, the UK driving licence may no longer be valid by itself when driving in Cyprus. The Government recommends that if you are coming to Cyprus for a short visit, that you will need to obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive after 29 March in a No Deal scenario.
You will need to apply for the 1949 Convention International Driving Permit, which is the relevant one for Cyprus. Applications need to be made in person at a UK Post Office. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prepare-to- ... ter-brexit

4. Will I need a visa to travel to Cyprus after 29 March?

If the UK leaves with a deal, travel to the EU will remain the same as now until at least 31 December 2020. Britons do not need to apply for a visa to travel or work in the EU during this time.
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the rules for travelling or working in Europe will change after 29 March 2019. The European Commission has proposed that in a no deal situation, if you are a British Citizen, you would not need a visa for short stays in the EU. You would be able to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. However, if you are intending to stay in Cyprus for longer than 90 days, and do not hold a residency document, you may need to get a visa before you travel.
Deal or No Deal, from the 1 January 2021, the EU Commission has confirmed that UK citizens will have to pay 7 euros to enter the EU. Once received this will allow you to undertake multiple trips within a three year period.

5. Where can I find more information on Brexit?

More information on Brexit can be found in our Living in Cyprus guide: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-cyprus.
We also encourage you to visit gov.uk/EUExit for further guidance on preparing for exit day. The website has tools to help UK nationals in the EU, and EU citizens in the UK, to find the guidance that they need. Please also follow the BHC’s Facebook and Twitter pages to keep up-to-speed on developments.

So, it's 90 days every 6 months - which I think is across the EU - otherwise potential for Visas (fixed)

Presumably if you have an MEU1 or MEU3 this dosent apply?

If you are referring to question 4, it states 90 days not 30?


Shane

At the risk of stating the obvious I assume that both MEU1 and MEU3 are"Residency Documents"in the context that the HC letter refers?

ApusApus wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 5:21 pm If you are referring to question 4, it states 90 days not 30?


Shane

Of course you are correct

Some of the items are puzzling. One in particular..
" Deal or No Deal, from the 1 January 2021, the EU Commission has confirmed that UK citizens will have to pay 7 euros to enter the EU. Once received this will allow you to undertake multiple trips within a three year period."

My wife and I live in Cyprus and we both have a residency certificate, and we both have UK passports..
If we holiday in the UK will we need a visa to come home to Cyprus ie the EU ??

For heavens sake how can anything be so complicated.Like thousands of others out here we have been here for over fifteen years we have paid our Cypriot taxis,utility bills, had a Cypriot bank account for fifteen years,got a coveted MUE1,anything that has to been done here we,ve done it and more as well.....DO WE OR DO WE NOT NEED a MEU3??????????...There,s a beer or a glass of wine waiting for anyone who can solve this for us once and for all ( I,m so generous ) ….Oh, I collected a speeding ticket twelve years ago!!!

MEU1 and MEU3? - a bit of a grey area. By like you HIC and, for the sake of €20, it gives me peace of mind and, as you say, that extra insurance. Why would you not, it’s no big deal!

The authorities are not likely to come banging on your door if you haven't yet got an MEU3, we have the current MEU1 and have grown accustomed to the siga siga approach, we are not panicking like some newbie Brits just waiting till the dust settles till we make a move.

Can anybody spell out clearly what EXTRA the MEU3 gives me above the MEU1(which I have)

TandC wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 10:16 am Can anybody spell out clearly what EXTRA the MEU3 gives me above the MEU1(which I have)

That's going to be a hard one to answere TandC,,,how ever HIC will come up with something

But my MEU1 allows me to stay in Cyprus dosent it?

People who say, dont worry nothing will not change, no need to get this or that are in for a shock, wait until you leave or enter Cyprus after Brexit, you will then see why you need this and that when you are flagged up at the airport passport control.

Hudswell wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 12:48 pm A bit like the people who say the sky is falling in you mean?

If you think you will be able to wizz in and out of the country, as we all can now, you are in for a shock, you will be treated the same as the rest of non EU nationals, with more checks etc, but feel free to keep your head buried in the sand,

Hudswell wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 1:04 pm I actually “whizzed” into the country last night and with the new passport checks in place it probably took twice as long anyway....the non Eu passport owners breezed through...it’s not having your head buried in the sand it’s applying a degree of common sense...tourists from the UK make up largest visitors to the country, if you think that entry will be made significantly more difficult I think you may be surprised.

Who mentioned Tourists, keep up we are talking after Brexit, not last night.... Im talking about people living here, it will flag up, and if you are legal or not.

Hudswell wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 1:31 pm I don’t think anybody has ever suggested that if you live in Cyprus you should not be legally registered, which means at least have an MEU 1, you would be extremely foolish not to have one. What the future holds for all Expats in Cyprus is unclear, I wouldn’t say uncertain because I actually suspect little will change. Again from what I understand, in the future we will all be required to “apply” for new documentation, MEU 1 or 3, it would seem if you have a MEU 3 then it will probably be a one for one swop, if you have an MEU 1 then the process to obtain “Residency” will be similar to that to obtain the MEU 3. If you have an MEU 1 but have not completed 5 years then you apply for the new form when you do qualify. Again from what has been suggested in the press, the 90 day rule will still apply for the “swallows” as it does now and it seems likely visas, deal or no deal will not be required. Much is made of entry for Non EU citizens, in the past we have arrived back from the UK at the same time as non EU flights, maybe I wasn’t really taking notice but the Non EU citizens did not seem unduly delayed when passing through passport control. As an aside, the new machines they have installed which check your passport and issue a “entry slip” which you then produce at passport control have certainly increased “in processing” and I am not convinced will survive the “tourist” influx to come.

Good post, but as for the non EU citizens you mentioned, they might not be delayed, because they have applied and have necessary visas?.

There was a really helpful post by Penny Purple in the comments section of this letter in the Cyprus Mail from Sunday that explains the difference between MEU1 & MEU3 and why anyone who has been here 5+ years should apply.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2019/03/03/we-e ... overnment/

I can only speak as I find but our some of our family are non-EU Citizens and last time they arrived it took the two girls nearly two hours to clear immigration. There's no special treatment for TCNs and it will be the same for us British.

Jim

And of course,for those that use an agent,it,s a lot more than 20 euro,isnt it?