Linving in North Cyprus

Anyone wishing to live in Northern Cyprus for more than three months at a time will require temporary residence status. Those who wish to retire to North Cyprus or live permanently on the island can apply for permanent residence status after five years.

To obtain residency in Northern Cyprus there are many steps to take, procedures to follow and forms to fill in and this is a guide to getting residency in Northern Cyprus.  We would recommend that you always refer to your lawyer as the laws can change.

Basically the first step on the road to residency is applying for the visa as soon as you know you’re going to be in the country for more than three months. For every single day you reside in Northern Cyprus after your three month visitor’s visa is up you will incur a fine of around TL 66 a day (which equates to about GBP 28 per day depending on the fluctuating Lira/Sterling exchange rate) – this fine will be incurred unless you have at least applied for your temporary residence visa.

Once you’ve decided to apply for residency in Northern Cyprus, obtain around 6 or 8 passport photographs and a dozen stamps and then you will need to visit the local counselor in the area of TRNC where you are residing – the counselor or Muhtar (pronounced muk tar) will need to see proof of your residence in the form of a rental or purchase contract as well as bank statements showing that you have sufficient money available to sustain you
The Muhtar will provide you with a Resident’s Certificate after filling in a form with information about you, your parents, your place of residence in Northern Cyprus etc. Then you should go to one of a number of licensed clinics in Girne (Kyrenia), Gazimagusa or Lefkosia (Nicosia) for a blood test. The names of clinics accepted by the immigration authorities are available from the immigration offices in Girne and Lefkosia. A blood sample will be taken then it is necessary to have a chest x-ray and check-up done in a licensed clinic and the fees for all of these tests comes to between GBP 100 and GBP 160 per person.

The clinics where the tests are done will provide the applicant with a receipt. With the receipt, Resident’s Certificate, proof of address and income, passport, more stamps, pictures and photocopies of all documents in hand the applicant should visit immigration and apply for residency. Most offices involved in the whole process are only open between 8.30am and 12 noon. A number will be written into the applicant’s passport by immigration officials and photocopies of all documents will be taken.

After about 2 weeks all the medical tests will have been completed and an applicant can pick up their results which will be in a sealed envelope – do not open the envelope or break the seal!!! The applicant should then hand deliver these results to immigration in Lefkosia and wait for all police checks to be completed and all medical results to be analysed. The current fee for a temporary residence visa in Northern Cyprus is TL 214 but there has been talk that this may be reduced to YTL 130.

Labour in North Cyprus is very inexpensive. Personal recommendation is usually the best way to go, so get to know other expatriates and local people and ask them for their advice. If you need any specialist furniture then you will find craftsmen to make it for you...just like you’ll find incredible iron work available hand made, and skilled craftsmen to build you a dry stone wall or a beautiful archway in your garden for example.

The main supermarkets here are Lemar, Tempo and Astro and they tend to all sell similar produce for similar prices, most supermarkets are open until 10pm.

Health and medical facilities are good and relatively inexpensive - especially for the more routine problems and procedures. Few people have medical insurance in North Cyprus as the insurance, exceptions and excess can cost more in a year than your visits to the doctor and dentist.