Arriving at Larnaca - Confusion

[Butterflyaway]

According to the recent information regarding whether or not you can arrive at Larnaca/Paphos and being able to cross to the North side.

Point numbers 4 and 5 appear to be contradictory.

4. Last entry and exit from TRNC via Ercan (after January 2021) – arrival at Larnaca/Paphos is permitted as your previous entry and exit did not involve entry via the RoC, so provided you have not been in Cyprus in the 90 days prior to entry you are permitted to enter.

5. Last entry from Larnaca and exit from TRNC via Ercan (after January 2021) – arrival at Larnaca/Paphos not permitted as you exited the country from an illegal port and hence you are in breach of your previous visa conditions.

My question is, if I arrived at Larnaca/Paphos pre Jan 2021, crossed to the TRNC and did not leave the island, how would the ROC authorities know whether I fall into category 4 or 5?

Both 4 and 5 refer to exiting the TRNC from Ercan.

How would the ROC authorities know whether or not I left from Ercan then arrived again at Ercan, (after January 2021 as this would put me in 4, meaning I could arrive at Larnaca/Paphos. I appreciate I cannot leave from Larnaca/Paphos.

I believe Legal residents do not get their passports stamped.

Have I misunderstood the criteria?

[Laura B]

The way I read it is No 4 refers to arriving and leaving via Ercan, in which case so far as the ROC know you have not been to the island, and No 5 refers to arriving in Larnaca but exiting through Ercan which means the ROC know you arrived but that you left through an illegal port,.

[Butterflyaway]

Sure. But how do the ROC authorities know who has arrived and left the TRNC via Ercan?

How can they disprove I have?

If they can’t, then I believe, according to their rules, allowed in through Larnaca/Paphos?

[Butterflyaway]

OK.

Let’s use the following example.

I arrive into Larnaca and leave via Ercan. In this scenario I cannot arrive at Larnaca.

Now. I arrive into Larnaca and leave via Ercan. Then I arrive into Ercan and leave via Ercan. In this example my “last” visit was not into the ROC so I can arrive into Larnaca? If that’s correct, who can disprove that that I arrived via Ercan and left via Ercan? I can just say I did!

[jofra]

How would the ROC authorities know whether or not -
1. I left from Ercan then arrived again at Ercan,
(after January 2021 as this would put me in 4, meaning I could arrive at Larnaca/Paphos.
2. I appreciate I cannot leave from Larnaca/Paphos.

1. exit/arrival cancel out, so ROC have no knowledge and presume you never left the island, so question is - when (before Jan 21) did you last arrive via Larnaca/Paphos without subsequently departing same route? If more than 90 days then you have (merely) possibly exceeded a ROC visa limit.
2. Then, IF (as now a non-EU citizen) you are still permitted to cross the green line into ROC, I would think/hope you could leave via Larnaca/Paphos (subject to a possible fine for exceeding a visa limit)....

3. Now. I arrive into Larnaca and leave via Ercan. Then I arrive into Ercan and leave via Ercan. In this example my “last” visit was not into the ROC so I can arrive into Larnaca? If that’s correct, who can disprove that that I arrived via Ercan and left via Ercan? I can just say I did!
3. In this scenario, you have arrived. Out/return/out (again) is not registered, so as you have not left via Larnaca you have not left - FULL STOP! So if you have not left Larnaca, you cannot arrive because you're still here!

[Butterflyaway]

Wow

Now I am confused!

If there could be a fine for overstaying, I wonder how it could be worked out?

If you arrived into Larnaca, left via Ercan, then arrived via Ercan, how would the ROC authorities calculate how many days (assuming it’s a daily fine and not a one-off fine)?

If it’s just say, €50 Euros, then some in the TRNC would just pay, so they could have the convenience of flying back into Larnaca and three months shopping in the South?

They need to announce the fines pretty soon.

[mrsgee]

Well to avoid all the confusion why not just fly into Ercan and leave via Ercan. Simple. And sorry I truly do not get the fixation with shopping in the south.... what is it that you cannot get in the North but can in the south? We stopped shopping in the south several years ago... when it started to become expensive anyway.

[mrsgee]

Plus the infection rates in the South are apparently 4 times those of UK so why go there.... just asking

[alphamike]

Good grief it's getting more confusing the more I read.

My take on it is being a UK citizen, and now that we are out of the EU:-

Point 4 . Last entry and exit from TRNC via Ercan (after January 2021) – arrival at Larnaca/Paphos is permitted as your previous entry and exit did not involve entry via the RoC, so provided you have not been in Cyprus in the 90 days prior to entry you are permitted to enter.

Now that we are no longer in the EU, entry and exit via Ercan is totally fine, and won't be registered by the south side, unless you happened to cross over to south side, where it will be registered. This is probably very unlikely due to the Covid situation. So entering via Larnaca/Paphos will be allowed, so long as you leave within 90 days via a south airport, should you want to use the south as an entry/exit again. (This is assuming they don't play silly beggars at the crossing points).

Point 5 - Last entry from Larnaca and exit from TRNC via Ercan (after January 2021) – arrival at Larnaca/Paphos not permitted as you exited the country from an illegal port and hence you are in breach of your previous visa conditions.

If you came in from a south airport, and left from Ercan (or a port here in the north), you have been noted to come in via the south, and have never left the island, and thus you have breached the 90 days in 180 day rule and visa conditions, so you cannot enter south side.

So basically if you are a tourist/coming here part time, you should in theory be fine to come and go via the south side, providing that you do not exceed the 90 days in 180.

It's a completely different scenario for those of us who live here who are no longer EU citizens. It does look like we are banned from entering south side at the moment. I think we will all manage just fine, it's a pity, but what a lovely part of this island we are living in....and plenty to explore, once we can all get out and about again.

As for fines ... no idea. It may well be like here as on a daily basis, which in Euros could be quite a costly sum if you arrived via a south airport and then tried to enter a few years later, never having exited via south. You would have to look into that one.

[meldy]

If you arrive and exit through ercan ROC have no record of you being on the island so you can arrive later at Larnaca. If you arrive at Larnaca then leave through Ercan ROC do not know you have left the island as they do not count crossing into north as 'leaving' ROC. Your ROC visa will be calculated from your first date of entry.
(I think that makes sense to me)