Visa on arrival

Guidance on obtaining residence permit. As soon as you decide to acquire a private or a commercial immovable property the next question you might have is how to get the resident permit in order to enjoy your property in any time of the year. Here our guidance will come handy. Visa on arrival. Regularly you are granted a visa up to 90 days (depending on the purpose of your visit) upon your arrival, it is important to have proof that you will leave the country within the specified period and fulfil other conditions in the Regulation ( see Visa types granted by the TRNC A). Exception to this regulation: citizens of the republic of Armenia, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Arab Republic of Syria are required to obtain a visa from the TRNC Representative Offices abroad, by declaring the purpose of their visit. No visa is required from those who have legal residence status or have a residence permit exemption. The length of stay granted cannot exceed 90 days within a period of 180 days. The regulations on Residence Permits and Visas, which entered into force on 23 October 2019, states that the citizens of the countries that have a representative office in the TRNC and the citizens of the EU countries must have a passport valid for at least 2 months and the citizens of the other countries mist have a passport valid for at least 6 months to be able to apply a visa upon arrival. Visa types granted by the TRNC

A) Tourist visa– for people who come to North Cyprus for a touristic visit and will stay in a hotel or another accommodation facility and those who rented a dwelling for this purpose and declare this, can be issued a visa for a maximum 30 days. However, if they can submit documents showing that a prior payment has been made for accommodation, a visa up to 90 days may be granted. A visa up to 60 days can be granted to those who arrives in the country for the purpose of family/ relative visit and stay in relative’s house. A visa up to 90 days may be issued to those who come for official visits, business meetings, conferences, seminars, meetings, festivals, fairs, exhibitions, sporting events, cultural and artistic events, health tourism and similar purposes.

B) Work Permit Visa– granted for a period of 30 days to foreigners who have come to the country with preliminary permit in accordance with the Law on Work Permits of Foreigners. The citizens of the countries who does not have an embassy, consulate or another representative office in the TRNC are required to have a passport valid for at least 2 years to be able to apply for a visa.

C) Business Establishment Visa– foreigners who come to the country for the purpose of starting a business can be issued a visa for a period of 30 days provided that they have the fund to start a business.

D) Residence Permit The following types of visas may be issued to foreigners who will enter the country in order to apply for one of the residence permits: Visa for Family Residence Permit– foreigners who will apply for a family residence permit can be given a visa for this purpose up to 90 days upon their arrival. Visa due to Ownership of Immovable Property– a visa can be issued up to 90 days for those who have a title deed document indicating that they own an immovable property.

Visa for Student Residence Permit Application– foreigners who come to the country to obtain a student residence permit may be granted a 60-day visa upon submission of a student registration or pre-registration certificate. Visa for Judicial and Administrative purposes– those who come to the country upon the request or decisions of judicial or administrative authorities may be granted a valid visa for the term of their duty. Visa for Scientific Research– those who come to the country for scientific research purposes may be granted a valid visa for the duration of the research. Visa for Graduates from Universities in the Country– students who have studied and graduated from any of the two-year higher education programs or have studied at least 3 years in any of the four-year higher education programs in the TRNC can be granted a visa valid for 30 days. 3. Resident permit If you want to stay in North Cyprus for more than 90 days within a period of 180 days, you will have to apply for resident permit.

The applications are first evaluated by the Immigration Authority of the District Police Directorate and then submitted to the Immigration Department within 10 days, with a reasoned opinion whether it is appropriate to grant a residence permit or not. The information and documents required for each type of residence permit are determined by the Department and published on the official website http://icisleri.gov.ct.tr/. Short-term Resident Permit It is issued, each time, for a period of maximum 1 year. The duration of the short-term residence permit is decided based on the person’s request, reason and other issues related to residence permit. You are eligible to apply for a residence permit if you own immovable property or according to your income.

Who also can obtain a short- term residence permit: The foreigners who came to the TRNC for scientific research or archaeological excavation; The foreigners who came for to the TRNC for vocational training or an internship; The foreigners who came to the TRNC for treatment of a medical condition that does not pose a threat to public health; The foreigners who complete their higher education in a 2-year program or studied and graduated at least in three years from a higher education program that lasts four years or longer can be issued a one-time residence permit for maximum 6 months if the apply within 60 days of their graduation; The yacht owners or leaseholders, who arrive within the context of yacht tourism, as well as the crew and the passengers can be issued short-term resident permit up to 6 months within a 12 months period provided that they have submit the relevant documents regarding the duration of their stay in the TRNC harbour where their yacht is anchored; The foreigners who arrive for shooting a movie/ documentary can be issued short-term residence permit each time they apply for a period of maximum one year if the visa that they were granted in the first place proved to be not sufficient for shooting to be completed.