Expat Brits On Cyprus Now Have Another Year To Apply For Residency

Should a no-deal Brexit be the end result, British expats in Cyprus now have until December 31, 2020 to register for legal status.

Wednesday’s announcement of an extra 14 months’ deadline for legal status applications was made on the island’s Migration Department website and will help to calm British expats’ fears as a no-deal exit from the EU looms ever nearer. Initially, residency permit applications could be made up until October 31 for the MEU1, MEU2 and MEU3 permits, with the island’s British High Commission welcoming the extension as it gives more time for Britons to confirm their rights to live and work after the UK/EU divorce is finalised.

All British expatriates living, working or retiring in Cyprus are entitled to apply for residency, with the MEU1 permit covering those who arrived up to three months ago and the MEU3 covering those who’ve been on the island for five years. The MUE2 is aimed at non-EU family members and expats resident in Cyprus for over seven years are able to apply for citizenship. The arrangements are reciprocal, as Cypriots living in Britain or are arriving before October 31 will also be allowed the same time period up until December 2020.

The UK’s many Cypriot communities are long-established and represent at least 30,000 individuals who’ve been as concerned about their futures as is the British expatriate community on the island. After Brexit, Cypriots will have the unequivocal right to work or study as well as to access government services and benefits, thus ensuring their lives will continue as normal despite Brexit. The British government has welcomed Cyprus’s initiative, adding other EU member states should also guarantee protection of rights for their British expatriate communities.