Thinking about Moving to Cyprus

[maxiy]

Hello All,

This is my 1st Post in this forum,

I’m an Egyptian (Non EU) spouse to a UK Citizen living together in Egypt,

- I have visit Cyprus before in Jan 2006 and I have fell in love with this wonderful country,
It was a business + some pleasure visit.

- I have made a lot of friends and Enjoy the easy going life in the Island , as I spent all the time in Limassol

- We think about moving to Cyprus as it will be much easier for me now because my wife

- we would like to have more details about the process of moving to Cyprus and apply for a EU Residence.

- How much the cost of living have changed from 2006 till today.

- We have a 1 year Old son also a British Citizen and we need more info about health care , education.

- The Main reason for relocating to Cyprus will be the easy going rules for staying in Cyprus when compared with
The UK tuff laws for Residence specially for the Spouse Visa.

Also the Easy access to Europe , any one here have an experience with getting Visas to Europe from Cyprus for Non-Eu

Waiting your feedback , inputs and experience,

Thank you

[BabsM]

Hi Maxiy and welcome to the forum.
I suggest you contact your Embassy in Nicosia and ask what regulations apply to you as a couple. I also suggest your wife contacts the British High Commission in Nicosia and asks the same thing. Your wife has a right, as a citizen of the EU, to live and work anywhere she likes in the EU. As her husband I would think it would be easier for you but I don't know for certain. Hopefully there other forum members can help.

As regards the cost of living, there are several threads on the forum that discuss the cost of living. I suggest you have a look and see what you can find.

As regards your son, how long is it since your wife lived in the UK and paid National Insurance? You will probably need to get private health insurance but there is the possibility that your wife would be able to apply for her and your son's UK National Insurance cover to be moved to Cyprus. I suggest she investigates on the UK's Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) website.

As regards travel within Europe, if you succeed in getting residence in Cyprus and become a Naturalised Citizen then you also become a resident of the EU and acquire rights of free movement within the Euro-Zone.

[Cleo Shahateet]

Hi Maxiy,
I was in the same place you were about 3 years ago when I moved here. My wife has an Irish passport and I am not from the EU, we also had a 1 year old at the time. We had our second baby here and I would say things did a little more expensive since the Euro became the official currency. The medical system seems to be very good here, much better than I expected. We have paid less than 1000 euro per year for med. insurance for the whole family. I was born in Jordan.

[maxiy]

Dear Cleo Shahateet,

Thank you for your reply and all the information.

Will you please let me know about the requirements for the registering of the EU National in Cyprus and their non-eu spouse

- How much money they will need in the bank ? as we will apply as a “Self Sufficient “
- Do they will Health Insurance ?
- What is the minimum time to stay in Cyprus in order to keep the residence

What other papers they will need

Thank you Indeed for your cooperation

[Aase]

We have just applied as residents under the 'Self Sufficient' cathegory. We are EU / EAA nationals but they still require quite a lot of information.

Comprehensive health insurance covering us and our children
Proof that you have money in the bank (not sure how much, have heard 20.000 Euros) or income from other sources, at least 1600 Euros per month to cover family of four (I was amazed at this low amount as there's no way we could live on that amount here!).
Rental agreement or proof that you own property here
Marriage certificate
Children's birth certificate.

There may be other documents, I can't remember right now. You need originals and copies of everything.

Good luck!

[BabsM]

We also had to provide copies of all bank statements. The Cypriot statements had to be certified by a bank official no more than 48hrs prior to our Immigration interview.

I believe that Non-EU citizens have to have some kind of blood test to prove they do not have hepatitis, TB or AIDS. But I have only been told second hand so I don't know any details.

We were told EU citizens need at least €8000 each in the bank to qualify as self-sufficient. I don't know if the same thing applies for Non-EU citizens.

According to Cyprus immigration, if you intend to stay in the country for more than 3 months when you arrive then you have to tell immigration within a week of your arrival. You then have to apply and obtain a temporary residence permit within four months of your arrival, unless you have a visa that says something different.

All people coming to Cyprus to stay have to have comprehensive medical cover. What that means depends on where you come from, but for most, it means Private Health Insurance.

[Cleo Shahateet]

They do require for the Non E.U spouse, health insurance. There is no specific amount but an amount in the region of 5000 to 10000 Euros, would be sufficient.
The Non E.U spouse, will be granted one year residence renewable. The European spouce will be granted a residence permit for a longer period.
They will need to take their passports, evidence that they stay in a property they bought or rented and evidence about their income.