Living in a foreign country can often be a bureaucratic nightmare. But there is an organisation in Cyprus that helps Brits find their feet and make sure they have the right documents

By Philippa Tracy

Three founding members of the Cyprus Residents Planning Group (CRPG), have been recognised for their services to the UK community in Cyprus. The organisation was set up in the aftermath of Brexit, with funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO, or FCO as it was then) and a lot of good will. The aim of the organisation, and its associated fund, initially, was to help British nationals living in Cyprus to get legal residency documents before the UK left the EU. It now offers free advice on many aspects of living in Cyprus, from tax and pensions to healthcare, house purchases and welfare.

How did it start?

Chairman of CIFSA, (Cyprus International Financial Services Association) and one of the founders of CRPG, St John Coombes says that by 2019 the association had identified an issue with many of the 50,000 UK nationals living in Cyprus who did not have the appropriate residency documents. The Foreign Office was also aware of the need to ensure that UK nationals, and in particular vulnerable members of the community, had access to guidance and help. Members of the Cyprus Pensioners Focus Group Pam and Mike Groves were the backbone of the project, working with the British High Commission in Nicosia. They have since been awarded the British Empire Medal for their work on behalf of the British community in Cyprus.

In the early stages, Wendy Nash joined as a coordinator, running a help desk, as a point of contact for UK nationals. In 2017, Wendy was on holiday in Cyprus when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a few months here during which she was successfully treated, she and her husband decided to stay. Being relatively new to the island, Wendy “had a unique insight”, that perhaps people like St. John “took for granted”, having been in Cyprus most of his life. Wendy, Mike and Pam put together a team of nearly 30 volunteers across the island who were trained by another key member of CRPG, Bryan Tolladay, in all areas, including safeguarding.

Is residency the key issue?

“In the early stages it was all about residency,” says Wendy, and initially the group was called the Cyprus Residency Planning Group. At the time, Covid lockdowns provided an opportunity to co-ordinate, consult and plan. While the immigration office in Nicosia stayed open as a vital service, Pam and Mike made many a journey there to submit applications on behalf of vulnerable UK nationals. And when restrictions were lifted, with Wendy working full-time, they hit the ground running.

They “bombarded” the island with posters and other forms of advertising. The main priority for the group was, and still is, the vulnerable. They wanted to target those people who, for whatever reason, were not able to navigate the application forms or get to immigration themselves. They used the mukhtars in the villages to help identify individuals who might need support. Volunteers would go out to people’s houses and ease the way by taking them through the process: help with the paperwork and taking them to immigration, if necessary.

This completely free service, funded by the FCDO, CIFSA and individual donors, has already directly supported nearly 2,000 vulnerable people and assisted in ensuring some 53,000 UK nationals resident in Cyprus have access to the appropriate residency documents. All of this would have been impossible without the support of then British High Commissioner Stephen Lillie, vice-consul Christina Smith and the CRMD (immigration), which, according to St. John, did “literally pull out all the stops”.

What has changed since Brexit?

It seems a lot fewer Brits are coming here to settle now; it is a much harder process as a third country national. And, eligibility for residency under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, is still an issue. Anyone living in Cyprus before December 31, 2020 has their rights protected under that agreement. Anyone who did not claim those rights at the time but had a home here in 2020 is termed as being “in scope”.

For anyone wishing to claim the right to residency that that involves, they would need to prove ownership or rental of a residence here in 2020 (it doesn’t matter which). They also need to prove that they were actually on the island as a resident, not a tourist. At the time, Brits could, of course, exercise their right to come and go under the EU’s Article 50 (Freedom of Movement) as often as they liked. However, they also need documents to prove it. This can still be claimed through the MUKW3 process.

Obviously during Covid lockdowns in 2020 a lot of people didn’t visit the island as they were trapped either here or in the UK. Immediately after, during the whole of 2021, “the Cypriot authorities were very generous in their interpretation of the rules,” says St. John. Anyone who came back after Covid and applied for residency was basically treated as if they had been here before December 31, 2020. After that, the paperwork is a lot more rigorous.

Will residents need a biometric card when ETIAS is introduced?

This is something St. John says they get asked a lot. “The biometric card is your ETIAS and Schengen visa; it is the same thing.”By August 2026, anyone with an old-style residency document, such as a yellow slip, MEU or any other type of currently valid document, shouldexchange it for a biometric card.

St. John and Wendy

A paper document is not recognised at EU border crossings. Even though at the moment, you can use a yellow slip to travel to and from the UK to Cyprus, that will change. Italy and some other EU countries, no longer recognise an MEU. If you have the biometric residency card, you will not need an ETIAS. And, as checks are done when you leave a country, if you do not have a biometric residency card and Cyprus is your final destination, you may be stopped from boarding the plane after August 2026.

Cyprus is currently only an associate member of Schengen, so with residency status you can currently spend as long as you like in Cyprus as well as any 90 days in a six-month period in the Schengen area. There are now Schengen police at customs at the island’s airports training Cypriot customs officers. When Cyprus becomes a full member of Schengen, you will need to show biometric residency cards on the island too. And it is possible other rules may change too.

The biometric card also gives people access to administrative services in Cyprus, such as healthcare through Gesy. The point of the biometric card is that the data systems in Cyprus will be linked, including Gesy, tax and other services to make everything simpler and easier for everyone. But “to be part of that system, you need to have a biometric residency card,” says St. John.

What is CRPG’s focus today?

Wendy’s focus is clearly on reaching as many vulnerable people as possible. “We would like to provide a bigger, better service for UK nationals, particularly the vulnerable.” The development of care facilities and care in general in Cyprus is one area where there is a real need. The organisation wants to get information to those that are isolated. “We know there are a lot of people who are isolated, and we need additional funding to help us reach more people,” she says.

CRPG is looking to offer partnerships through the website and through the book. St. John stresses the philanthropic nature of the organisation that it has already “proved its value in helping British nationals here.” There are lots of ways for people to get involved. They don’t necessarily need volunteers right now. Most staff give their time for free. The legal work is also done for free. But if a few wealthy Brits on the island could donate, it would be very welcome, he adds.

Where can people find advice about residency in Cyprus?

The CRPG book, The Cyprus Companion, is a wealth of information on this topic, and many other aspects of living in Cyprus. CRPG has an advantage over many other sources of information, because the information they have is gathered from primary sources such as the High Commission and CRPG’s wealth of knowledge on the ground. And more importantly, as St. John says, their advice “is so good because it has no vested interests.”

The book includes all the information on the CRPG Website and more. Contact Wendy (Help Desk Email) for a recently updated copy, €17 plus postage