At a meeting with the British High Commissioner, Mr Stephen Lillie, on 8 October, the following brief notes were discussed:
1 Citizens Rights for those already resident in Cyprus have been protected - citizens can remain in Cyprus under the same terms as currently. Cyprus was the first European country to publish their Citizens Rights Agreement.
However, it is imperative that those who are resident here obtain their MEU3 [or the MEU1, yellow slip, and then upgrade to the MEU3] as otherwise the Cypriot Authorities cannot guarantee your status if you do not register. If you do not obtain a residency permit, then you do not qualify for the Citizens Rights Agreement.
There is currently a 3 month lead in time for appointments at the Immigration Office. It is thought there are around 34,000 expats resident in Cyprus. To date 600 already have their MEU3, and there are 800 applications pending - which leaves a large number of residents without the necessary permit!
To arrange an appointment you need to visit the Immigration office with your passport[s] and ask for an appointment. You will be given a slip of paper which will state the documents required and date and time of your appointment.
a] Marriage certificates only require to be apostiled where you are applying for your MEU1 - if you already hold the MEU1 [yellow slip] then the document does not require to be apostiled.
b] you will require 5 years of ONE of the following - bank statements, or phone bills, or water bills, or electricity bills
c] photographs are not required - these will be taken when you have your immigration appointment
d] the MEU3 is posted to you after the meeting
Once you have lived in Cyprus for a period of 90 days you must apply for a registration certificate, ie a MEU1. After 5 years residency you can apply for an MEU3, permanent residency.
You have until 31 December 2020 [when the UK leaves the EU] to apply and you can apply up until that date.
If you fail to apply, then after this date expats will be Third World Nationals and will have to comply with the immigration rules and criteria that apply at the time of their application.
2 It is felt that the UK Government is close to concluding the withdrawal agreement, and that an agreement will be reached for the future partnership of the UK and the European Union after Brexit but there is still a lot of work to do.
If there is a No Deal, the UK Government is involved with contingency planning - however, the UK Government does not want or expect a No Deal.
3 What happens to non-residents with holiday homes here who live here less than 6 months? Will their freedom of movement be curtailed? You can be here for 90 days without applying for permanent residency so it is up to you to decide where you live or spend your time. If you wish to be resident here in Cyprus, you need to formalise your residency and obtain the MEU1 and upgrade to the MEU3.
4 Healthcare - there are citizens rights for those legally resident to have access to healthcare and this will remain for those who are eligible.
5 Right to Vote/Stand for Election - the exact situation regarding a right to vote/stand as candidates in local elections once we are no longer EU citizens has yet to be fully clarified. The British High Commission will clarify as information comes available.
6 Expats and business ownership - the situation is yet to be clarified. There may be an impact for business operation and the business model [possibly back to pre-EU requirements]. Existing Limited companies should be ok. The British High Commission will clarify as information comes available.
7 Free trade/import duties, etc - under negotiation. It is hoped that there will be frictionless trade without tariffs, customs duty, etc, but again further information will be released when available.
8 Multi property possession - if you have acquired rights and you are here legally it is thought that there will not be a problem for those who already own multi properties. However, this will be clarified for current owners and also the position in the future in due course.
9 EHIC - you can use your EHIC until the end of 2020. The position after that is not known and further advices follow.
10 Driving Licences - if you are resident in Cyprus you should have a Cypriot driving licence. If you are still driving under your UK driving licence, you need to change this to a Cypriot licence as soon as possible.
11 Borderless travel - it is hoped that there will not be a need for a visa system for expats visiting EU countries after 2020 but again further advices follow in due course.
RESIDENTS MEETINGS
There will be meetings as follows where updates will be given regarding Brexit and where expats will have the opportunity to raise any questions they may have:
27 November - Old Cinema, Peyia - 2.30pm
27 November - Palia Ilektriki, Paphos - 5.30pm
Links to useful information:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-cyprus
http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/crmd/crmd.nsf/All/C482CD407E0903D8C225830E00384072/$file/IMPLEMENTING%20THE%20WA_PUBLISHED%20V.1.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/advice-for-british-nationals-travelling-and-living-in-europe
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