Do Russians need a visa to Cyprus and how to get one on their own?

7 answers to questions

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Cyprus has long been included in all possible tops as a place ideal not only for relaxation, but also for life. The secret is not only in the eye-catching landscapes, but also in the accessibility of the island: an electronic permit (pro-visa) to enter this part of the Mediterranean can be issued within a day, without leaving your home and for free.

The package of documents for standard tourist and long-term visas is easy to assemble on your own; the “inserts” are done quickly. And the holder of a valid Schengen visa does not need to bother the consulate at all - you can travel with a Schengen visa. Problems with obtaining a “pass to heaven” can only arise for those who dream of seeing with their own eyes the little-recognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Types of visas

Russians can visit Cyprus with one of the following visas:

• pro-visa: issued only to citizens of the Russian Federation for a single entry to Cyprus through Russian airports for non-immigration purposes for a period of up to 90 days; We write about it in detail here: how to get a pro-visa for Cyprus
• transit visa (type “A”): required for passengers whose flight connecting point is one of the air harbors of Cyprus. In fact, it is rarely requested by anyone;
• visa category “C” (single-entry, multiple-entry, multi-visa): received by everyone who wants to visit Cyprus without thinking about immigration. Using it, you can enter the island several times for up to 90 days in six months;
• long-term visa (category “D”): required for anyone whose purpose is immigration, long-term continuous stay or several trips to Cyprus for more than 90 days within six months.

All types of visas for citizens of the Russian Federation are issued free of charge at consulates and visa centers. Intermediaries charge RUB 2,000 for assistance in preparing and submitting documents. Prices on the page are for March 2021.

A visit to Cyprus is also possible with a valid Schengen visa, if it has already been used to enter one of the Schengen countries, and the duration of the trip to Cyprus falls within the validity period of this visa. A nice bonus: with this option, the allowed days of stay in the Schengen zone are not spent.

Holders of single-entry Schengen visas category "C" must enter the territory of Cyprus directly from Schengen territory.

In addition, the owners of Schengen “cartoons” are obliged to purchase travel insurance each time when applying for a visa. It is possible that they will not check it when crossing the border with Cyprus, but for your own peace of mind it is still worth taking out a policy in advance.

Cyprus and Schengen

Cyprus is part of the European Union, but is not part of the Schengen area.

• You can enter Cyprus with provisions - you can apply for it online. Provisions are issued only for Russians. The departure must be from Russia and without transfers in other countries. Provision is one-time only.
• You can get to Cyprus with a national Cyprus visa - issued through the consulate.
• You can enter Cyprus if you have a valid Schengen visa, or a visa from Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, or a residence permit in EU countries. The visa must be double or multiple entry and must have days left for travel to Cyprus.
• You cannot enter Schengen countries with Cyprus visas.

All Cyprus visas are free for Russians. Visas are usually approved within one business day if no additional questions arise. With provisions and a national visa, you can stay in the country for up to 90 days in a six-month period. Citizens of other countries are charged a consular fee of 20 € (1,798.8 RUR) for a single-entry visa and 60 € (5,396.4 RUR) for a multiple-entry visa. You can apply for a visa no earlier than 3 months before your trip.

Self-application of a pro-visa

To apply for a Cyprus pro-visa yourself, you need to go to the office. website of the embassy of the republic in Russia, select an embassy or consulate in accordance with your place of residence, fill out and send the application form(s). In an hour you should receive a notification that your applications have been accepted, and the next day you will receive a letter by email with a link to the pro-visa. It must be printed and presented during check-in at the departure airport.

The validity of the passport must be at least 6 months. Even if you have a pro-visa at the Cyprus airport, border guards may ask you to confirm the purpose of the trip (a tourist voucher or invitation will do), planned place of residence, availability of a return ticket and sufficient funds for the entire duration of the trip.

You should not indicate a hotel or apartment in Northern Cyprus as your place of residence, otherwise your chances of getting a pro-visa will be zero.

In addition, a pro-visa is not issued to children who do not have their own passport and are included in the parents’ passport, as well as to those who arrive on the island through the port of Limassol. Read more: how to get a pro-visa for Cyprus.

It is easier to obtain a category “C” visa than a standard Schengen visa - the package of documents is “thinner” and is processed faster. The embassy or consulate must provide:

Documents for a visa to Cyprus

Necessary documents for self-application of a category C visa:

1. International passport
   Valid for at least 3 months after returning from a trip and at least one blank page (if there are other “foreign passports”, and even with valid “Schengen” cards, they must be attached).
2. Photocopy of passport
   Photocopy of the main page of the passport.
3. Application Form
   A completed application form in English (posted on the official website of the Cypriot Embassy) with the applicant’s signature and photograph (see photo requirements below).
4. Hotel reservation
   A copy of the tourist voucher, invitation from a Cypriot travel agency or confirmation of hotel reservation.
5. Additionally
   , those who are invited to visit must attach copies of the inviting party’s passport and a completed “statement of responsibility for the guest.” During a business visit, these documents will have to be supplemented with a letter on the official letterhead of the inviting company, which indicates the purpose of the visit and the type of visa required.

A visa to Cyprus is issued in 1-3 days, but in high season and during long holiday weekends, these times may increase.

Cypriots will be happy to issue a multiple visa, provided that the applicants provide the consulate with a valid passport, an application form, three photographs, a copy of the real estate purchase and sale agreement (or other documentary evidence of the need to frequently visit the island), a copy of the return ticket and indicate their residential address.

There is no need to attach a certificate of income to the package of documents, but border guards may ask for it at the Cyprus airport.

Visa application for children

If the child has his own passport, a standard package of documents is submitted for him with an application form, photo, passport, confirmation of reservation and a copy of the birth certificate (you must have the original with you when submitting), a copy of the parent’s pro-visa (visa), if it is not requested simultaneously with a visa for the child, and a notarized permission to leave from the second parent (both parents), if the child is traveling with one parent (third party).

If the child is included in the “foreign passport” of his parents and does not have his own passport, the package of documents, in addition to the above, will include a copy of the main page of the parent’s international passport and the page where the child is registered.

In the “place of work” line, CHILD is always written; in the application form of a child who does not have his own passport, the details of the “foreign” parent are indicated.

Photos for a Cyprus visa (required for visas of categories “A”, “C”, “D”) must be matte, in color and taken no later than six months before the date of the intended trip. The background of the photographs is a plain light color, preferably white, size is 3 x 4 cm, the position of the face is frontal, occupies 80% of the photograph, while the neck and upper part of the shoulders are also visible, the gaze is directed directly at the camera. The hair does not cover the face, nor do the frames of the glasses - if they are too massive or of a creative shape, it is better to remove them before shooting. Head coverings are not allowed, with the exception of those worn for religious reasons. The photograph should not contain blurry, unclear places, grain, glare, shadows, foreign people and objects (including toys in the hands of children). You can’t get carried away with retouching: the colors of your skin, eyes, and hair must match the real ones.

Visa for citizens of neighboring countries

Citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are charged a consular fee for a visa: 10.25 EUR for a transit, tourist and visitor single-entry visa; 34.17 EUR for a tourist and visitor multiple visa. The fee is paid in rubles when submitting documents directly at the consulate.

For this category of citizens, all the documents listed above must be accompanied by a certificate from the place of employment indicating the position and salary, a work patent (permit) and a copy of registration in Russia, if any.

Applying for a Cyprus visa through the consulate

You can submit documents to the consulate in Moscow from Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 13:30. You can receive your passport with visa from 14:00 to 15:00. In St. Petersburg, submission of documents on weekdays from 9:00 to 12:00, issuance of passports from 16:00 to 16:30.

Categories of national visas of Cyprus

Short-term (category C) - for short-term trips not related to immigration. Can be issued for up to 5 years, for one, two or an unlimited number of entries. The period of stay on this visa must not exceed 90 days in a 180-day period.

Long-term visa (category D) - issued for immigration purposes, or if you need to exceed the 90-day limit for staying in the country. To obtain this visa, you need to contact the Migration Service of the Republic of Cyprus (Civil Registry and Migration Department).

List of documents for a short-term visa for tourists

Visiting Northern Cyprus

Russians do not require a visa to visit Northern Cyprus.

There are no restrictions on movement between the Greek and Turkish parts of Cyprus. There are currently 5 checkpoints and two more are planned to be opened. Moreover, to visit Northern Cyprus by land from the Greek part of the island, a single-entry Cypriot visa is sufficient, regardless of the number of trips to the Turkish part. There are also no time frames or restrictions.

Entry to the Greek part of Cyprus may be denied to tourists arriving to the island via Northern Cyprus. In addition, the presence in the tourist’s passport of port marks of the Turkish part of the island may serve as a refusal to issue a Cyprus visa in the future. The authorities of Northern Cyprus offer tourists special cards that indicate entry and exit: thus, there is no formal evidence of their visit. But it is important to keep in mind that an exit stamp from the Turkish port of Tasucu, from where ferries depart to Kyrenia, can also serve as confirmation of a visit to Northern Cyprus. Unlike the authorities of Northern Cyprus, the Turkish authorities are required to put stamps on entry and exit from the country into the passport.

To avoid possible refusals to obtain Cyprus and Greek visas due to the presence of Northern Cyprus stamps, it makes sense to ask border guards not to put Northern Cyprus entry stamps in your passport, but to put them on a separate sheet.

Is it possible to get to Northern Cyprus?

Yes. If you fly to the Republic of Cyprus, then you can go to the northern part of the island, which is under Turkish control. The Republic of Cyprus considers this territory its own, therefore it allows exit and entry through the buffer zone. And this will not be considered leaving the country, so you can also go there for provisions. To enter Northern Cyprus for up to 90 days, tourists only need a foreign passport.

They will not let you through at the border if you initially come to the Turkish part of the island and try to get into the Republic of Cyprus. The Cypriot authorities consider this a violation of the law.

When traveling to Northern Cyprus by car, separate car insurance is purchased at the border. It is sold for a minimum of 3 days, costs 20 euros (1,798.8 rubles).

Be careful with your connection: roaming is enabled in Northern Cyprus, you need to buy a separate SIM card.

Embassy and consulates of Cyprus in Russia

Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Moscow

Consulate General of the Republic of Cyprus in St. Petersburg

Consulate General of the Republic of Cyprus in Yekaterinburg

Consulate General of the Republic of Cyprus in Samara

Where to contact

So, as mentioned above, the Cyprus representative office in Russia is responsible for issuing Cypriot visas. There are only 4 of them on the territory of the Russian Federation: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar and Samara.

The choice of consulate directly depends on the applicant’s registered address or permanent residence:

• St. Petersburg, Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions, Republic of Karelia - Consulate of Cyprus in St. Petersburg.
• Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Kurgan and Chelyabinsk regions, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - Consulate of Cyprus in Yekaterinburg.
• Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory, Astrakhan Region, Volgograd Region, Rostov Region, Republic of Adygea, Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, Chechen Republic, Republic of Dagestan, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Republic of Kalmykia - Consulate of Cyprus in Krasnodar.
• The Republics of Bashkortostan, Mari El, Mordovia, Tatarstan, Udmurtia and Chuvashia. Regions: Samara, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg, Penza, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, as well as the Perm Territory - Consulate of Cyprus in Samara.
• All others – Consulate General of Cyprus in Moscow.