Residence permit alerts now by SMS and email: what to do before number 1199 shuts down
Since 10 November the Migration Department sends SMS and email about application progress and permit expiry. You must register your contact details on gov.cy; the old 1199 number will be discontinued.
The Migration Department has launched automated notifications: messages by SMS and email will report how an application is progressing and remind you when a residence document is about to expire. The Department announced it on 10 November.
How to switch notifications on
Messages go to the contact details you register and confirm on the gov.cy portal in the “Update My Personal Details” service. Until your contacts are there, you will not receive alerts.
- Create a CY Login account (the single sign-in to Cyprus government online services) and verify it, or sign in to an existing one.
- Find the “Update My Personal Details” service on gov.cy.
- Enter a working mobile number and an email address.
If your number or address changes, update it in the same service.
What happens to 1199
The previous service — an SMS to 1199 with the text “STATUS application number” — will be discontinued “in the near future” and replaced by the new system. The announcement gives no date, so it is safer to register your contacts now.
What the announcement does not say
- Which permit types are covered: the text refers to “applications and residence documents” without a list.
- How people without a CY Login will be notified. In another announcement (2 November) the Department notes that those who have not yet received a residence permit for the first time cannot yet create the account. What they will use after 1199 closes is not stated.
Related: from 1 January 2027 renewals of several permit categories can only be filed online through gov.cy, which also requires a verified CY Login — details.
Source: gov.cy, Migration Department press release of 10 November 2026.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
