Going to a football match in Cyprus: first you need a Fan Card
Checked: Changed:
In short
- Who it applies to
- Everyone aged 14 or over going to a first-division match — football, basketball, volleyball, handball or futsal — including tourists, foreign residents and teenagers. Children under 14 do not need one.
- What it costs
- The ΚΟΑ has announced no fee for the card itself, and the fancard.cy portal has no payment step. You pay for the ticket — and some clubs sell tickets only to members, in which case a membership fee is added.
- How long it takes
- In the Digital Citizen app the card is issued at once. At fancard.cy it arrives in your account and by email after an online check of your passport and a selfie; for teenagers, after the parental consent is reviewed. The ΚΟΑ gives no processing time, so apply before buying a ticket, not at the box office.
- Where to apply
- Cypriot citizens over 18 — only in the Digital Citizen (Ψηφιακός Πολίτης) app, signing in with CY Login. Everyone else — teenagers aged 14–18, ARC holders, foreign nationals and tourists — on the ΚΟΑ portal fancard.cy. Help: phone 77772044 and [email protected].
- If your case differs
- Cards issued before summer 2025 stopped being valid on 31.05.2025 — if you had an old plastic card, you need a new one. Since 13.07.2026 Cypriot citizens without a smartphone can get a 7-day short-term card printed on paper.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| the card is required from age 14 | Law 48(I)/2008, s. 39Β(15): the fan card provisions «δεν εφαρμόζονται για πρόσωπα με ειδικές ανάγκες, αναπηρίες ή παιδιά ηλικίας μέχρι δεκατεσσάρων (14) ετών». Digital Citizen FAQ: «Από την ηλικία των 14 ετών και άνω απαιτείται η έκδοση Κάρτας Φιλάθλου για την αγορά εισιτηρίου». |
| a standard card is valid for 3 years | ΚΟΑ announcement of 13.07.2026: «Στην εφαρμογή του Ψηφιακού Πολίτη προστίθενται μόνο οι Κάρτες Φιλάθλου 3ετούς διάρκειας». Before expiry the system warns you by email or SMS (Digital Citizen FAQ). |
| a short-term card is valid for 7 days | ΚΟΑ announcement of 13.07.2026, «Έκδοση Κάρτας Φιλάθλου Μικρής Διάρκειας»: «ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥΧΟΙ — Κύπριοι πολίτες άνω των 18 ετών», «ΔΙΑΡΚΕΙΑ ΙΣΧΥΟΣ — 7 μέρες», printed «εξ ιδίων σε χαρτί Α4» with photo, QR code and expiry date; issued afresh each time. |
| from 65 you may apply at fancard.cy without CY Login and print the card | ΚΟΑ announcement of 07.07.2025: «Άτομα άνω των 65 ετών θα έχουν τη δυνατότητα να εκδίδουν την κάρτα φιλάθλου χωρίς τη χρήση του CyLogin, αλλά μέσω της πύλης του ΚΟΑ https://fancard.cy», with the card printed on A4. |
| entering on someone else's card — up to a year in prison or a fine of up to €2000 | Law 48(I)/2008, s. 39Β(7): a person showing someone else's card to get in «υπόκειται σε ποινή φυλάκισης που δεν υπερβαίνει το ένα (1) έτος ή σε χρηματική ποινή που δεν υπερβαίνει τις δύο χιλιάδες ευρώ (€2.000) ή και στις δύο». |
| without a card you are taken out and banned from that ground for 6 months | Law 48(I)/2008, s. 39Β(8)–(9): anyone inside without a valid card is escorted out, and the safety officer «επιβάλλει άμεσο αποκλεισμό από τον εν λόγω αθλητικό χώρο για χρονική περίοδο έξι (6) μηνών»; the card is suspended for that period. |
Your case
If you are a Cypriot citizen over 18
The card is issued only in the Digital Citizen (Ψηφιακός Πολίτης) app: you need a verified CY Login profile with two-factor sign-in and a digital copy of your identity card in the app — the card photo is taken from it. At the gate a steward scans the card's QR code on your phone. No smartphone — apply at fancard.cy for a short-term card valid for 7 days and print it on A4; from 65 you may also get a standard card at fancard.cy without CY Login, but it too must be printed.
If you are not a Cypriot citizen — a tourist or a resident with a permit
Apply on the ΚΟΑ portal fancard.cy from a computer or phone: register, start a new application, upload a photo of your passport or ID and take a selfie for the biometric check; tourists enter their home address. The finished card appears in your account and arrives by email. ARC holders can then add it to the Digital Citizen app. Tourists are not checked at the gate through that app — keep the card downloaded or printed. It is valid for 3 years, so one card covers later trips too.
If the fan is a teenager aged 14 to 18
Teenagers apply at fancard.cy — the same way as foreigners, even if they are Cypriot citizens. The application needs parental consent: the form is downloaded from the portal and the ΚΟΑ website, and without it the application is not reviewed. At 18 the minor's card expires, and a Cypriot citizen then gets a new one in the Digital Citizen app.
If the child is under 14
No card is needed: the law expressly exempts children under 14, and also people with disabilities. The child still needs a ticket, and a club may sell children's tickets only at the stadium box office on the child's ID — Apollon did so in 2026. Each club sets its own sales rules; check them on the club's website.
You need the card to buy the ticket, not only at the gate — and not every card works for every match
What follows from this:
- by law a ticket to a first-division match is not lawfully held without a valid card — online you enter the card number; in the Digital Citizen app it is at the top left of the card
- a short-term card lets you buy a ticket for a match on any date, but you can only get in while it is valid — for a match more than 7 days away you will have to issue it again
- away fans at international matches get in without a Cypriot card — through a named list their club gives to the federation
- cards issued before summer 2025 are void: an old plastic card is worth nothing
- some clubs sell tickets only to club members — check the club's sales rules on its website before the match
- if you delete your card from the register, you can only apply again after 6 months
- the card is personal and carries your photo: entering on someone else's card is a criminal offence, not just a breach of club rules
Sources
- Ο περί της Πρόληψης και της Καταστολής της Βίας στους Αθλητικούς Χώρους Νόμος του 2008 (48(I)/2008), sections 39Α–39Βwww.cylaw.orgThe card is compulsory at first-division and international matches and a ticket is unlawful without it; under-14s are exempt; the penalty for using another's card, the 6-month ban; away fans by named list.
- ΚΟΑ, 13.07.2026 — Έκδοση Κάρτας Φιλάθλου Μικρής Διάρκειαςcso.org.cyThe 7-day short-term card for Cypriot citizens over 18, printed on A4; the standard card lasts 3 years; the three categories that use fancard.cy.
- ΚΟΑ, 29.07.2025 — Ανακοίνωση ΚΟΑ για την κάρτα φιλάθλουcso.org.cyOld cards void since 31.05.2025; who applies in the app and who at fancard.cy; two routes for over-65s; helpline 77772044.
- ΚΟΑ, 07.07.2025 — η 2η επιλογή για άτομα άνω των 65cso.org.cyPeople over 65 may apply at fancard.cy without CY Login and must print the card.
- ΚΟΑ and Deputy Ministry of Research, 02.06.2025 — Η Κάρτα Φιλάθλου ενσωματώνεται στην εφαρμογή Ψηφιακός Πολίτηςcso.org.cyThe launch of the current system: citizens use the app, three categories use fancard.cy, QR checks at the gate except for visitors; a digital ticket is planned.
- Digital Citizen — Fan Card FAQ (Συχνές Ερωτήσεις ΚΦ)www.digital-citizen.gov.cyThe card from age 14; which first-division sports; where to find the card number; QR checks at purchase and at the gate; no new card until 6 months after deletion.
- ΚΟΑ Fan Card portal — fancard.cyfancard.cyThe application itself: passport or ID, selfie, parental consent for ages 14–18, the short-term card terms.
- Aris Limassol FC, 08.07.2025 — How to get a Fan ID for touristsarisfc.comStep-by-step guide for tourists at fancard.cy in English: registration, document photo, selfie, address abroad.