Persons who are married to a Cypriot national can apply for a Cyprus spouse visa. This document grants several rights to its holder: 1) the right to permanent residency, 2) the right to work in Cyprus, 3) the right to acquire Cypriot citizenship.
Our Cyprus immigration lawyers can help foreigners apply for a suitable visa and obtain any other immigration documents that can be required after the relocation in this country.
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Who can apply for a Cyprus spouse visa?
The Cyprus immigration law prescribes 2 main categories of foreign persons who can apply for a visa based on the marriage with a Cypriot citizen. The 2 categories refer to foreigners who are married and who live in Cyprus, while the 2nd category refers to foreigners living abroad.
For the 1st category, the following 2 conditions must be met (at the same time) in order to qualify for the right to apply for the visa:
- minimum 3 years of marriage at the moment of the application;
- minimum 2 years of having a Cypriot residence permit.
For the 2nd category, the foreign spouse can apply for the visa after completing 3 years of marriage as well. However, there aren’t any requirements concerning residency (the spouse is permanently living abroad).
What documents are necessary for the Cyprus marriage visa?
The law on immigration to Cyprus requires foreign nationals to apply for suitable visas. Exemptions from applying for a visa are available in the following cases: 1) for the nationals of the European Union (EU), 2) for short-term stays, in the case of visa waiver states.
Other than this, third party nationals must obtain a visa suitable for the purpose of stay. The Cyprus spouse visa is a document that can be issued to foreign nationals who are married to Cypriot nationals.
Please mind that there isn’t a specific Cyprus marriage visa, but rather a visa application through which the foreigner receives a residence permit on the grounds on marriage with a local citizen.
For this, the foreigner must submit a set of documents, as regulated by the Cyprus immigration law. Our immigration lawyer in Cyprus has prepared a short list of the main documents to be submitted in this case:
- the visa application form, completed and signed by the applicant;
- a recent passport size photo, which respects the standard requirements for a passport photo;
- the applicant’s passport or a copy of the identity document;
- the flight reservation and the travel arrangements in Cyprus;
- the original marriage certificate (copy of the certificate, if the marriage took place in Cyprus or a legalized copy of the marriage certificate for marriages concluded in the EU);
- a copy of the identity documents of the Cypriot spouse.
What is the procedure for the visa application in Cyprus?
The application based on the marriage with a Cypriot citizen follows the same procedures applicable to other categories of visas, once the application file has been prepared. The Cyprus immigration law states that the applicant must submit the application with the Migration District Unit.
The applicant must submit the paperwork with the unit operating in the region where the person has the current residency. It must be noted that the Cypriot authorities do not automatically grant permanent residency based on marriage with a local citizen, a situation which is applied in most of the European countries.
Initially, the applicant for the Cyprus spouse visa will be issued with a temporary residence permit. Usually, the residence permit has a validity of 1 year, and, upon its expiration, the document can be renewed for another year.
At the end of the 2 years of stay, the applicant can be entitled to apply for permanent residency, which can open the pathway to citizenship in Cyprus, provided that the foreigner is interested in acquiring it.
It also must be noted that, in certain cases, permanent residency can be granted from the initial application. This can be the case when the couple has children or if they have been married for many years. For a correct assessment of your residency rights, our immigration lawyer in Cyprus remains at your service.
What is the procedure to obtain permanent residency in Cyprus for spouses?
The Cyprus spouse visa grants the right to become a permanent resident and a citizen, if certain basic requirements imposed by the law are respected by the foreigner.
For foreigners who are married to Cypriot nationals, the following must be met in order to become permanent residents based on the marriage with a local citizen:
- if the foreigner has children with an age below 18 years old, they will be included in the application;
- pay an application fee of EUR 120;
- those who have arrived here under a Cyprus spouse visa are entitled to work, by applying for a work residence permit – MCYE2 permit;
- those who will obtain permanent residency are entitled to apply for citizenship after 3 years since the marriage was registered;
- it is also necessary to have 2 years of residence in this country.
Documents for citizenship application required for spouses of Cypriot nationals
As a permanent resident, the foreign spouse of a local citizen can apply for citizenship in Cyprus. The procedure can be completed by submitting the Form M125 and submitting all the supporting documents. The application should contain duplicate documents (the same files, twice).
There must also be 2 M125 Forms completed and each of them should contain a stamp with a value of EUR 8,54. The supporting documents required are:
- the birth certificate of the applicant (original document);
- a police clearance certificate;
- the marriage certificate (in original);
- if the couple has children, then it is necessary to submit the children’s birth certificates/passports/identity cards;
- the identity document of the applicant (passport or identity card) and the identity document of the Cypriot spouse;
- a declaration of harmonious cohabitation.
For spouses who live together in Cyprus, the file must contain a statement of cohabitation issued by the local authorities. For situations where the foreign spouse lives abroad, this requirement does not apply.
Our Cyprus immigration lawyer can further advise on other legal matters that should be taken into consideration when initiating any immigration formality based on the marriage with a local citizen.
Our lawyer can present the situations when you are required to renounce your initial citizenship when starting the process for Cypriot citizenship.
Please mind that if you are a student and you are married in your country of origin, different procedures will apply. Persons who arrive in this country for study enrollment can apply for a student visa.
A Cyprus student visa with spouse is not regulated under the immigration law. However, if you plan to arrive here under a Cyprus student visa with spouse, the latter can apply for a suitable visa prescribed for family reunification.
This means that 2 different visa applications procedures will have to be followed. It is recommended to verify the conditions imposed by the Civil Registry and Migration Department.
If you need legal assistance our Cyprus immigration lawyer can also help you; you can rely on our attorney if you need a Cyprus marriage visa, or any other type of visa (for employment, family reunification, etc.).
Please contact our team for additional advice on how to obtain the Cyprus marriage visa and the documents that must be included in the application file.
As we mentioned above, being married to a Cypriot national can provide the right to citizenship in Cyprus following much simpler rules compared to other ways of acquiring citizenship.
Our team can present the overall procedure, based on the location of the applicant (residing in Cyprus or in another country). Please mind that you will need to pay a processing fee of EUR 300.
For applicants who want to start the citizenship procedure and who live in this country, they need to comply with certain residency requirements. Thus, at the moment when the application is made, they need to be the holder of a residence permit in Cyprus.
They need to show evidence on the fact that they have been living in Cyprus for minimum 2 years and to provide evidence on being married for minimum 3 years.
