Residency For Over 60's (sorry posted twice)

[stevie-d]

For those who have not seen this before. I saw this on Cypruscene and thought I copy on here.
Citizens Advice Cyprus – TRNC Residency Applications For Over 60’S

May 31, 2014 by citizensadvicecyprus
2 Votes

Citizens Advice Cyprus

TRNC Residency Applications for over 60’s



Citizens Advice Cyprus would like to advise expatriate residents in North Cyprus of the latest news regarding Residency Applications.

If you are 60 or above, you no longer need to apply for a yearly residency stamp in your passport. You are free to enter and exit the TRNC as often as you like and stay here for as long as you like.

With regard to the TRNC Driving Licence, a residency permit has always been required and the Kyrenia Tax Office has now confirmed to us that expatriate residents who are 60 years or over will only have to provide a copy of their passports and a letter from their Muhtar to show proof of their identity and their address after the Muhtar has verified their property location by viewing their property kocan or rental agreement.

Driving Licence application forms are now available in English at your local tax office and can also be collected from the Citizens Advice Cyprus Office in Karakum or downloaded and printed by clicking here.

For those who want further information on this or other matters, please contact us at CAC by clicking on the email link below to send your enquiry.

Citizens Advice Cyprus





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Office: 0392 815 0733

email: info@citizensadvicecyprus.com

For more information from CAC please click here


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[kaiserphil]

Just wondering about the poor devils who do not (and probably never will) have a kocan?

Wonder if a copy of the sale contract would suffice?

[the butlers wife]

Hi,

Yes a sales contract will suffice. We do not have our kocan yet but we live in hope that maybe this year will be our
lucky year and we will receive it after nine years of waiting.



The butlers wife

[waddo]

So how doe's that effect you and the amount of consecutive stamps you need if you intend applying for Permanent Residency? Read nothing into this, it is simply a question.

[Deniz1]

you would have to keep on getting in that case I assume.

[sophie]

Waddo, when permanent residency was 5 years, we had it and it suddenly went up to 7 years. When it was 7 years, we had it and it suddenly went up to 10 years. We now have 10 years and there is not a cat in hells chance of getting Permanent Residency. They don't want us to have it, even it we have 20 years. Its a con, which a lot of us fall for, and this is the last year for me. I'm sick and tired of being conned, aided and abetted by the BRS who year after year tell us we won't be "legal" unless we have a residency stamp. The only thing that will convinced me from now on is if they insist on Driving Licence Renewal being accompanied by a residency stamp.

[Deniz1]

I will be dead before they give it to me I think. Dont want it anyway. GIVE being the wrong use of the word it would probably be an arm and a leg.

[suehowlittle]

I am getting a bit fed up with all this.

Stevie D - this information was released on May 31st. The BRS many months on from this advised us to keep on doing it as nothing had been formalised by the government yet.

Has anyone stopped doing their residency and got through the borders without incurring the massive fines which seem to be arbitrarily handed out?

As ours is due on 9th February, we now are wondering whether we can indeed stop it after being robbed for 10 years or whether we should just carry on paying it. As we pay taxes here we are beginning to feel that after 10 years we should be given a bit of leeway now that we are well past retirement age.

Perhaps it is time we left for a friendlier place. I am beginning to feel that we are not entirely welcome.

Please post if you have stopped doing your residency and tell us of your experiences at the border/airport

[elkiton]

Yes, I opted to stop our residency last year. I have crossed both ways several times Pyle and Metehan. The first time the chappie on passports remarked that my visa had lapsed, I said over 65 and he said no problem, 90 day visa is OK, and for the first time since 2008 when we got residency he wrote 90 over the stamp, and ditto on each visit to the South. So you will still need a current visa, which lasts 90 days, I understand they have waived the need for temp residency, not the requirement to have a visa.

[the butlers wife]

We decided to stop doing our residency last April. In June we went over the border and I got a 90 day stamp but my husband
didn't get any stamp. When we queried this, we were told you don't need a 90 day stamp to stay in the TRNC once you are over 60. You can stay as long as you like now and there will be no problem. I realise there are some people who still feel safer doing residency when they are over 60 and nothing I say will deter them from doing this but my feelings are it is a waste of money. I have passed over the border and left the country and I have never been stopped because I didn't have a residency stamp.



The butlers wife

[waddo]

I did not mean to start yet another fight for the "Do it, don't do it" long running "discussion" on the forum. I only asked if people thought you may still need the required consecutive stamps should the myth of "Permanent" residency actually become a reality. For myself I think the answer would be "Yes" the requirement would still be there - this because there has been no change in the law as yet and none is proposed. To me, it seems that the Government is trying to fall in line with EU requirements whilst not actually changing the laws to prove they are. Because I have no faith or trust in any Government, anywhere, I will continue to throw my money in the hole in the ground each year.

[Royalcorpsoftranspor]

I did not mean to start yet another fight for the "Do it, don't do it" long running "discussion" on the forum. I only asked if people thought you may still need the required consecutive stamps should the myth of "Permanent" residency actually become a reality. For myself I think the answer would be "Yes" the requirement would still be there - this because there has been no change in the law as yet and none is proposed. To me, it seems that the Government is trying to fall in line with EU requirements whilst not actually changing the laws to prove they are. Because I have no faith or trust in any Government, anywhere, I will continue to throw my money in the hole in the ground each year.

I agree.

[stellasstar1]

I didn't renew my residency stamp last year and have been across many times with no problem. They don't even mention it, I just get my in/out white paper stamped the same as when I did have residency.

[sophie]

The only reason I might go through the rigmarole next year is because my Driving Licence will need renewing and without that I would be snookered.

[Keithcaley]

The only reason I might go through the rigmarole next year is because my Driving Licence will need renewing and without that I would be snookered.

Not according to posts 1 to 3 on this thread...

[harita]

The only reason I might go through the rigmarole next year is because my Driving Licence will need renewing and without that I would be snookered.

You will be more than snookered Sophie if you let your UK licence lapse ..
The Turkish licence shouldn't present a problem ..

[sophie]

harita, I thought that you had to present a passport with up to date residency stamp in, in order to get a TRNC Licence? I agree re UK licence - a nightmare without it.

[stevie-d]

The last time I crossed the border was on 24th January 2015, my previous in stamp 12th October 2014 = 102 days , no problem at the border whatsoever.

[Agobard]

When you renew your driving licence, without residency, you simply get the usual form from your local muhktar confirming your address (same form as for residency). Several friends have renewed their licences in Girne in this way with no problems. There was initially some problems surrounding this but the motor department have been informed and seem to have got the message. If you do have any problem there, ask to speak to Ibrahim the manager.

[suehowlittle]

I know this is a bit basic but we are so worried that without the residency stamp they will only let us in with a huge fine. Yes, we have been told at the border that we do not need it but that was on the outward journey and on the inward journey two hours later we were told in no uncertain manner that, of course we needed residency.

My brain is nicely conditioned I think to the police state wishes of keeping people in a state of uncertainly and a little fear! It took 11 years but they managed it!

Perhaps we will go to Lefkosia and ask the question.

[Deniz1]

A few people in a previous post said they asked at Lefkosia and were told you dont need it.

[Tojo]

When our residency renewal was due last year, I decided that as I was over 60 I will stop renewing, my wife is under 60 so she went through the process. However, when she went to renew, the guy behind the counter asked her, "where is your husband" my wife stated that I was outside, he told her that I also needed to renew my residency. She challenged this stating that I was over 60 and therefore it was not required. He stated that as my wife was under 60, I still needed residency despite being over 60. After a long debate and to avoid any further issues, I renewed mine as well.

[sophie]

It's left hand and right hand again Tojo. It seems to raise it's ugly head in most of the Government Departments. Even Advocates seem to be confused with a lot of aspects of regarding we "visitors".

[Belfast Belle]

I did not mean to start yet another fight for the "Do it, don't do it" long running "discussion" on the forum. I only asked if people thought you may still need the required consecutive stamps should the myth of "Permanent" residency actually become a reality. For myself I think the answer would be "Yes" the requirement would still be there - this because there has been no change in the law as yet and none is proposed. To me, it seems that the Government is trying to fall in line with EU requirements whilst not actually changing the laws to prove they are. Because I have no faith or trust in any Government, anywhere, I will continue to throw my money in the hole in the ground each year.

Better to be safe than sorry later, especially if you own property.

[elkiton]

Suehow.. You need the white chit with a current visa stamp, temp res is an option if you are over the age limit. Staying past the 90 days without getting another 90 day visa is risky and people have been fined in the past, there is I believe no thing like a visa waiver.... When my last 90 days expired I walked out of the gate getting a stamp, then straight back in again, had a laugh with the border guy and got 90 days. If I was looking towards (theoretical) citizenship etc then I would probably keep my temp res going.

[Keithcaley]

Re: Msg 25 - Could someone please clarify for me?

If you are over 60, and don't have a 'Residency' (Visitor) stamp in your passport, surely you shouldn't get '90 days' written on the white Visa slip, it should simply be stamped as you go 'in' or 'out' , with nothing written on the slip. If the guy starts trying to write on the slip, and you're over 60, just tell him NOT to...

Or am I missing something here?

[elkiton]

I believe entrance to NC requires either a tourist visa or yearly temp res, assuming you are not officially working on a permit . Tourist visas are 90 days as per the 90 written over the visa stamp. Being over 60 does not I presume cancel the need for a visa.

[Keithcaley]

I believe entrance to NC requires either a tourist visa or yearly temp res, assuming you are not officially working on a permit . Tourist visas are 90 days as per the 90 written over the visa stamp. Being over 60 does not I presume cancel the need for a visa.

To just explore this a little further.. (I'm not being argumentative, honest!): -

A valid Visa comprises the slip, together with the dated 'rubber stamp impression' thereon.

All Foreigners require a valid Visa.

If there is no restriction on the length of time that an individual can stay in TRNC, the immigration official does not write anything at all over the date stamp - for instance if you have 'Residency' (current Temporary Visitor Status page in your Passport) - the Visa is thus 'Open ended', with no expiry date.

As we are told that 'Over 60's' can stay as long as they like, (see Post 1 with info from CyprusScene) then I believe that the immigration official not only has no need to endorse the stamp to indicate 'permisible length of stay', but should not do so.

steveie-d mentions that he has stayed well over 90 days with no comment or consequences.

stellastar says that her Visa slip is stamped in the same way that it was when she did have current 'residency status' - by which I presume she means that there was no '90 days' endorsement.

I sympathize with waddo's point about not having absolute trust in this or subsequent Governments maintaining the 'concession', and as Sophie says, a lot can depend on an individual immigration official's interpretation of the situation (- and their own personal knowledge of it...).

As for the effect that relying on the 'concession' (rather than getting the Passport Residency page updated) might have on qualifying for Permanent Residency of Citizenship, I tend to agree with Deniz1 - we will both be dead and buried before that piece of legislation sees the light of day!

[waddo]

Keith, agree with you on the legislation for Permanent Residency comes into effect - but then you never know what will happen here and that is why I keep on throwing the money in the hole - lol. However, the law is still the same and requires all those who stay longer than 90 days to apply for and obtain a visitors visa (temp res), till they change that law then I will stick with it. Anyway, it gives me something to read up on every now and then, just wish I had not lost the link on my last big computer clean up!!!

[Mollie the cat]

Just been over to Ledra street, same there bit of a queue going out and coming back on the Greek side, bit of a pain but hey ho, all for security (lol)

[elkiton]

Once again, I think there is a distinction between temp res and a visa....With temp res your visa is dated from the last time you crossed and I believe valid for the same period as your temp res.

I crossed over to the South today and the guy looked right through my passport at the 2008,9,10,11,12,13 and saw the 2014 which was 3 month out of date temp res, looked inquiringly at me, I said "old person" and he laughed and stamped the white slip, writing 90 over the top.
Ditto for Diana.

At 11.30 he queue was 30 min long crossing at Metehan, and after 1/2 hour the Greek police moved the cone barrier off the LH lane, walked up the row asking to see passports and confirming insurance, and waived the EU passport holders through, a couple of TC cars behind me were left alone to go through the formalities at the police post window.