If Brexit happens, what happens to our EU Passports?

[Sukicat]

Thought occurred to me yesterday when going to south side that if UK does vote to leave the EU what will be the status of our current maroon covered passports with EU Citizen stamped on the front?
Am not just thinking about access to south side but to many other countries where visa requirements may change!
Maybe not too bad If you only have a couple of years to passport expiry date but if you have say 8 years to go what then?
Anyone out there got any sensible thoughts or info?

[Maisiemoo]

Well it will take 2 years to negotiate an exit, so plenty of time for them to sort out passports.

[erol]

I am all right Jack, if the UK does leave the EU. I will just, finally, go and get my bona fide RoC EU passport

[waddo]

But it will be "Interesting Times" for all those EU ExPats who are living in the South at this time. They will then have to become legal by applying to become permanent residents of the EU. My, how times change!

Erol, Good for you but a question for you. If you are "all right Jack" because you can get your EU passport, which driving license do you use to go South? The TRNC one is no good unless you are a TRNC citizen but if you are a EU citizen - like me - then you need an EU driving license. So which sort will you claim to be when you go South?? Question only in fun please, it is Cyprus after all - lol.

[brian24001]

Nothing will change.

The main pre-requisite for 'visa on entry' (no visa effectively) is 'will the person leave again when they are supposed to' which is usually reciprocated. The UK passport get you VOE to more countries than any other, so it would be no different to arriving say in Thailand - 90 days or apply to stay.

RoC is commonwealth so no visa would be required.

The crossing won't close because this has nothing to do with the EU. The crossings came about because a Cypriot took a case to the EU courts to say he should have free passage throughout the island if it is in fact 1 country as the EU/UN etc deem it to be.
Plus of course, they need to money!

As for driving in the south, you do not need an EU licence, you need a non-TC licence as these are not recognisd for foreigners, how do you thing other nationalities drive there?

Erol - I am very surprised you don't have an RoC passport for emergencies etc, or do you have UK passport as well as Kimlik? in which case little need for RoC passport.

[brian24001]

Nothing will change.

The main pre-requisite for 'visa on entry' (no visa effectively) is 'will the person leave again when they are supposed to' which is usually reciprocated. The UK passport get you VOE to more countries than any other, so it would be no different to arriving say in Thailand - 90 days or apply to stay.

RoC is commonwealth so no visa would be required.

The crossing won't close because this has nothing to do with the EU. The crossings came about because a Cypriot took a case to the EU courts to say he should have free passage throughout the island if it is in fact 1 country as the EU/UN etc deem it to be.
Plus of course, they need to money!

As for driving in the south, you do not need an EU licence, you need a non-TC licence as these are not recognisd for foreigners, how do you thing other nationalities drive there?

Erol - I am very surprised you don't have an RoC passport for emergencies etc, or do you have UK passport as well as Kimlik? in which case little need for RoC passport.

[erol]

Erol - I am very surprised you don't have an RoC passport for emergencies etc, or do you have UK passport as well as Kimlik? in which case little need for RoC passport.

I have a Kimlik and a UK passport. If the UK passport stops being a 'EU Wide' passport I may decide to exercise my right to a RoC passport in order to maintain the benefits of having an 'EU Wide' passport.

[waddo]

From the UK.Gov website: "British and other foreign nationals who have entered Cyprus through the north are considered by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to have entered Cyprus through an illegal port of entry. The Government of the Republic of Cyprus reserves the right to fine you for illegal entry if you cross into the south, but in practice, the current policy is not to do so."
It is also the stance of the RoC that the crossing points are not legal entry points to the RoC for anyone apart from Cypriot Nationality.

Therefore, in some respects you are correct that nothing will change if there is a Brexit. I.E. to gain entry to the RoC legally, you will still have to enter via a recognized legal point of entry such as Larnaca or Limassol etc. You may also be allowed across the crossing points with a non-EU passport because the RoC remains a Commonwealth country, however, you will risk arrest, prosecution and/or deportation if the RoC decide to use their own legal powers.

I can find no mention of "everyone" requiring an EU driving licence for the RoC, however I feel you may have missed the point that the discussion was related to EU Citizens and not other Foreign Non-EU citizens. The fact remains that if you are an EU citizen then you are required to hold the EU issued driving licence of your EU registered country of residence before you can "legally" drive in the RoC.