Cyprus Extends Time For British Expat Residency Applications

Recently-arrived British expats on Cyprus appreciate extra time for arranging residency.

Cyprus is now joining with a good number of other EU member states in giving British expats more time to arrange their residency status in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Both new arrivals and established Britons will now have at least a year to get official residency status, a move which is being strongly approved by the UK government’s High Commission on the island.

Some 70,000 British expats are living either full or part-time on Cyprus, with the strain of not knowing whether or not they will be allowed to stay already taking its toll across the popular retirement destination. Cypriot bureaucracy can be daunting, with the year’s grace possibly needed in full to ensure no-one’s left out who should be included in. Posting on social media, the British High Commission have already thanked the island’s authority for their welcome attempt to safeguard British expats’ rights.

According to British High Commissioner Stephen Lillie, British nationals needing more information about their long-term status should follow the Commission’s Living in Cyprus guide as well as both its social media channels Twitter and Facebook for up-to-date information on Brexit and related issues. Britons are entitled to one of three separate residency statuses, with the MEU1 for those resident on Cyprus for over three months a year, the MEU3 for those who’ve been resident for over five years and the citizenship application for those who’ve lived on the island for over seven years. Applications for one of the MEU registrations should be done as soon as possible in order to guarantee lawful residence and protect expats' rights post-Brexit.