Persons who want to immigrate to Cyprus from Lebanon will first have to start the immigration process with the Cypriot consular mission, which is currently located in Beirut. The most simple way to have access to the Cypriot territory is by applying for a visitor visa. There aren’t any visa exemptions for the citizens of Lebanon who want to move to Cyprus.
This means that, regardless of the purpose of stay and the duration of the stay, a type of visa must be obtained and this implies starting the immigration formalities in accordance with the Cypriot immigration law. For in-depth advice on the documents you must prepare, we invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in Cyprus, who can also provide you with the necessary legal assistance in this process.
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What is the process of obtaining a tourist visa for Cyprus?
The tourist visa is one of the simplest visas that can be obtained by foreigners. This is given by the fact that the visa can be used for numerous purposes, outside the purpose of visiting the country. It grants the right to temporary residency in the country and it can also be used as a way to develop business activities in this country for a limited period of time. The Cypriot immigration law requires the following:
- prepare a complete and signed application form – for minors under 18 years old the signature of the parents/legal guardians must be included in the form;
- prepare 2 photos taken in the last 3 months prior to the application, which must have the standard size of 3,5×4,5cm;
- the travel document or a copy of the travel document (passport), which must have a validity date with at least 3 months longer than the duration of stay in Cyprus;
- the visa is generally issued for a period of 3 months (or 90 days) but Lebanese citizens can use this document to extend their stay and to move to Cyprus as temporary residents (due to the political, economical and health issues that Lebanon currently faces);
- those who apply for a temporary residence permit during their visitor visa validity can relocate to Cyprus for a period of 1 year.
Who can apply for a tourist visa in Cyprus?
The tourist visa is an immigration document available for a wide category of foreigners. The document can be obtained by those who work as employed persons, as well by those who work as self-employed. Persons who will immigrate to Cyprus from Lebanon under this legal ground will have to present evidence – the salary slip and the details of the employer in Lebanon, by obtaining an excerpt from the Chamber of Commerce in Lebanon.
For those who are self-employed other documents must be added to the file, and our immigration lawyer in Cyprus can offer in-depth details; persons who work as the domestic staff of other persons who will relocate to Cyprus can also arrive here under this visa type – here, we refer to necessary staff for the person relocating, such as the nanny of a child, the housekeeper, the driver and other similar staff.
One can also immigrate to Cyprus from Lebanon as a student; for this, enrollment documents have to be presented; the document is available for business purposes – applicable where a Cypriot company or a foreign company operating in Cyprus invites a person from Lebanon to stay here for a limited period of time to discuss/establish various business projects.
Although the visa can be issued in numerous cases, the applicant has the legal obligation to inform, from the beginning, regarding the accommodation arrangements made in advance, as the local immigration authorities will need to know where the foreigner will live for the entire stay in Cyprus.
For this, one can use hotel reservations or, in the case in which the person will live with close family members or friends, a document that is signed by the Cypriot municipality where the person lives – the Assumption of Responsibility for Hosting. Another legal obligation for those who immigrate to Cyprus from Lebanon is to provide details attesting the financial situation of the applicant.
All applicants must be able to show that they have sufficient financial funds that will cover the duration of stay for which they intend to immigrate to Cyprus from Lebanon; our immigration lawyer in Cyprus can present which are the current thresholds based on the particularities of the case (the sum can vary based on the duration of stay and the number of dependents).
If you want to know further information, for example, how to immigrate to Cyprus from Lebanon on a long-term basis or for permanent residency purposes, please contact our lawyer. Our immigration lawyer in Cyprus is ready to help you in any immigration matter, including in citizenship law.
We invite you to contact our lawyers in the case in which you are interested in citizenship in Cyprus. The standard procedure requires foreigners to live in this country for a period of 2555 days in order to have the right to apply for citizenship.
This is the minimum requirement for applicants who can acquire citizenship by naturalization, which is the most common legal pathway foreigners can use.
For this, you will need to be the holder of a residence permit in Cyprus that was issued on a permanent basis. Please mind that with 1 year prior to the application for citizenship, the foreigner is required to live in the country on a continuous basis.
In the previous years of residency, more relaxed rules apply, in the sense that the foreigner can be absent from Cyprus for more than 4 months a year.
