Renewing a visitor's residence permit in Cyprus, and what can be filed online
Checked: no change to the rule has been established since the check
In short
- Who it applies to
- Third-country nationals living in Cyprus on a visitor's permit: long holidays, looking into moving here, or living as the dependent spouse or child of someone with the same permit. Economic activity is not allowed on it — that is written into the regulation itself.
- What it costs
- €70 for issuing or renewing the permit. Another €70 is charged for registration in the Aliens' Register, but only on first registration — it is not repeated at renewal.
- How long it takes
- The application is usually examined within four months, provided the documents are sufficient. A renewal must be filed no later than one month before the current permit expires — a deadline stated only in the Greek version of the page.
- Where to apply
- Form MVIS8 — at the central offices of the Migration Department or at the district branch of the Aliens and Immigration Service for your district. Biometrics are captured at submission: photograph, fingerprints and signature.
- If your case differs
- A permit on another ground — employment, a company of foreign interests, long-term residence, family reunification — is renewed online through CY Login. A visitor has no such option: submission in person only.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| issuing or renewing the permit costs €70 | The department's page, section «Τέλη» — «Έκδοση ή ανανέωση άδειας διαμονής: €70». |
| registration in the Aliens' Register costs €70, on first registration only | The same section — «Εγγραφή στο μητρώο αλλοδαπών (μόνο στις περιπτώσεις πρώτης εγγραφής): €70». |
| a renewal is filed no later than 1 month before expiry | 🔴 The Greek version of the page: «οι αιτήσεις πρέπει να υποβάλλονται μέχρι και ένα μήνα πριν την λήξη της υφιστάμενης άδειάς τους». The English version does NOT carry this period. |
| examination usually takes up to 4 months | The department's page, the section on examination time — «συνήθως εντός τεσσάρων (4) μηνών», provided the documents suffice. |
| a visitor's first permit is issued for 1 year | The department's page, the section on validity — the first visitor's permit is issued for this period. |
| if the passport expires sooner, the permit runs until 3 months before that date | The department's page: if the passport expires sooner, the permit is issued up to this margin before its expiry. |
| 5 categories of permit can be renewed online | The gov.cy service card “Renewal of residence permits for Third Country Nationals”: employment, work in a household, companies of foreign interests, long-term residence, family reunification. |
| for children under 6 only the photograph is taken, without fingerprints | The department's page: from those who have not yet reached this age at the time of filing, only a photograph is taken. |
Your case
If you hold a visitor's permit
In person only, form MVIS8, no later than one month before expiry. €70, examination up to four months, biometrics captured every time. The online service does not cover your category.
If this is your first permit rather than a renewal
On top of the €70 for the permit comes €70 for registration in the Aliens' Register — you are entered there once and receive an ARC card. The application must be filed before the entry visa expires.
If your permit is for employment, domestic work, a company of foreign interests, long-term residence or family reunification
The renewal is filed online: a verified CY Login account is required. It may be submitted by the employee, the employer or an authorised agent.
The page's most practical deadline is missing from the English version
What this means in practice:
- filing a renewal a week before expiry is already late: the deadline is “no later than one month before”
- an examination of up to four months is longer than that one-month margin — so the decision often arrives after the old permit has run out, and that is the normal course
- the €70 for the Aliens' Register is charged once: if a renewal is quoted at double, ask what for
- the permit is tied to the passport: with less than fifteen months left on it, a one-year permit will not be issued
- a visitor's permit does not allow work — that is not a formality but the ground on which it is issued
Sources
- Migration Department, “Visitors and family members”, Greek versionwww.gov.cyEvery figure on this page: the €70 and €70 fees, the examination time, the one-year first permit, the passport link, the biometrics — and the renewal deadline that the English version does not carry.
- Migration Department, the same page in Englishwww.gov.cyWording comparison and the evidence of divergence: visitor categories, procedure and fees match, the renewal deadline is absent.
- gov.cy, service “Renewal of residence permits for Third Country Nationals”www.gov.cyWhich categories can be renewed online — five of them — and that a verified CY Login account is required.