How an EU citizen gets a registration certificate in Cyprus
Checked: no change to the rule has been established since the check
In short
- Who it applies to
- Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland staying in Cyprus for more than three months, and their family members who are also Union citizens. Family members from third countries need a different document, not MEU1.
- What it costs
- €20 for submitting the application. The department charges nothing else: the certificate has no expiry date, so there is no renewal and nothing further to pay.
- How long it takes
- The application is examined within one month at the latest, provided it is complete and all supporting documents are attached. The application itself is due within four months of entry — that deadline is yours, not the department's.
- Where to apply
- At the Migration Department (Τμήμα Μετανάστευσης), on form MEU1, at the application submission offices; some of them require an appointment. Supporting documents must be officially translated and duly certified.
- If your case differs
- For the first three months you may live in Cyprus with no formalities at all — a valid passport or identity card is enough. A third-country national, even married to an EU citizen, files not MEU1 but the family-member document.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| the first 3 months require no formalities | The department's page, section «Διαμονή έως τρεις μήνες» — no conditions and no formalities beyond a valid passport or identity card. |
| the application is filed within 4 months of the date of entry | The department's page, section on filing MEU1 — «εντός τεσσάρων μηνών από την ημερομηνία άφιξής τους στη Δημοκρατία». |
| the application fee is €20 | The department's page, section «Τέλη» — «τέλος ύψους €20». |
| the decision takes no longer than 1 month | The department's page, section «Χρόνος εξέτασης αιτήσεων» — «εντός ενός μήνα το αργότερο», provided the application is complete. |
| failure to apply carries a fine of up to €2,500 | The department's page: failing to apply is an offence punishable by a fine not exceeding this amount. |
Your case
If you are a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland staying longer than three months
You file MEU1 within four months of entry, pay €20 and prove one of two things: that you work or are self-employed, or that you have sufficient resources and comprehensive sickness insurance in Cyprus. The certificate arrives by post and has no expiry date.
If you are a family member of a Union citizen and are yourself a Union citizen
The procedure is the same: MEU1, the same four months, the same €20. Only the supporting documents differ — they prove the family relationship and the status of the person you joined.
If you are a third-country national who is a family member of a Union citizen
MEU1 is not your document: the department has a separate procedure and separate forms for third-country family members, and permanent residence goes through MEU3. The figures on this page do not apply to you.
The four months are your deadline, counted from the day of entry — not from the end of the three free months
What follows from this:
- three months without formalities and four months to apply are two separate counts from the same date, not one after the other
- the certificate has no expiry: there is nothing to renew, and a request to “renew the yellow slip” means something else
- failing to apply is the person's own liability, not the employer's or the landlord's
- a rejection is posted to the last declared address — keeping that address current is the applicant's own duty, or they miss both the refusal and the appeal deadline
- the photograph is taken at submission, against the receipt and a valid travel document
Sources
- Migration Department, “Registration of E.U./E.E.A. citizens … (MEU1)”, Greek versionwww.gov.cyEvery figure on this page: three months without formalities, filing within four months, €20, a decision within a month, the certificate's open-ended validity and the fine for not applying.
- Migration Department, the same page in Englishwww.gov.cyThe same rule in English — used to compare wording and confirm the two versions do not diverge.