90 Days in NEW Passport

[sophie]

Anything we can do to overcome this? We have been down South today via Metehan for the first time in 18th months (that's about normal for us) We used new UK passports for the first time and the young man, who was obviously being trained and was very slow, has stamped them both for 90 days. This is the first time in nearly 14 years that we have been stamped 90. Obviously we will have to go down South again (much to my annoyance) and am worried that this will occur again. BTW, we stopped Residence stamps 4 years ago and have been in and out of country many times without any problems.

[jimm]

What is the problem that is normal, we always get 90 days stamp when we arrive in Ercan, we are over 60 but 90 days is the normal visa stamp

[sophie]

We certainly don't leave the TRNC every 90 days and then get another 90 days ad nauseum, so that is my query. The last time anyone scribbled 90 days was early 2016 at Ercan and, but never ever at Metehan, so that is my query (not a problem)

[snd1966]

Did you advise him you were over 60?, you mentioned he was being trained therefore he may not of looked at your date of birth only at your faces.

Why not pop into Girne police station and confirm to them you are residing here on the gentleman's agreement of the over sixties.

[13roman58]

They don't usualy stamp at metahan

[sophie]

I think visit to Immigration Police is going to be the answer and I do assure you it was stamped. I'm working on the assumption it was because it was the first time the Passports had been used, since we received them. We think we heard his "trainer" mention something about "old Passport" but he was keen to get us moving on, as our queue was going so slowly and we couldn't check. Maybe we should have taken our old Passport with us?

[Ferguson]

They don't usualy stamp at metahan

Agree fetched my Wife from Larnaca Tuesday.. NO STAMP. for either of us, perhaps we just look Old !!

[sophie]

Ferguson, but yours wasn't a brand new Passport being used for the first time on an outward journey, which I think is the hiccup. No probs, I'll get to the bottom of it and then we'll carry old and new passports with us for the foreseeable future.

[mermaidsexist]

Sophie it may be wise to pop in to immigration, sorry if I'm misunderstanding but assuming you were here on the system in whatever way (not sure if you are over 60 as mentioned above or on tourist visa or such) on your previous passport but left to go south on the new one? i know someone who previously done this and the old passport number details on their system incurred a huge fine and visits to immigration to sort out a bigger problem as on "file" aka computer it was as if the person had never left the trnc as they hadn't exited with the passport number they entered with. usually new passports you give them both, they then will cancel the old passport and add the new passport number to the system. probably safe than sorry for you to check with correct channels. i know a few people who had renewed passports whilst living in north cyprus and they had to show both.

[frontalman]

If you hand in a new passport without first giving the previous old one how can they recognise you and your history. You will just come up as a new punter. They hold a surprising amount of information on all of us in that little computer, as I found out in Lapta police station after I was bitten by a neighbour's dog. Without that they would have no idea that you were not just a tourist. I don't understand the stamp in the passport, all the same.

[elizabeth]

I went to Metehan with my new passport and was turned back because I had entered TRNC on my old passport and the number had changed. I went back with both passports and there was no further problem. When using a new passport for the first time you do need to take your old one too.

[sophie]

Thanks Elizabeth, that's what we'll have to do. Can't think why we didn't think of it ourselves, but we go down South so infrequently it just seemed a case of grabbing the PP;s and jumping in the car. On reflection I wish they had turned us away and we would have popped home picked up the old ones and redone the trip.

[Hector]

My worry would be having a TRNC stamp in my passport and then flying in through Larnaca. That's caused problems in the past with ROC immigration control in the south if I remember rightly.

[sophie]

Not likely to happen in our case. A visit to Immigration (hopefully in Girne) will be our first port of call on Monday. Actually I can take two old Passports to prove that we are NOT newbies.

[Deniz1]

I crossed recently with a new passport didnt take the old on just forgot. Officer asked me new passport? I said yes and off i went no stamp either.

[sophie]

Well there you go Deniz1, the fact remains that the guy under training stamped 90 days in ours and there is no argument with it. On top of it, the new passport does not show us entering in the country, just leaving it, so I suspect we might have to always take the old passport with us. Anyway, we are going to Immigration tomorrow, if anything, just to reassure ourselves.

[Deniz1]

Better safe than sorry.

[sophie]

Went to Immigration in Girne this morning, complete with new passports, old passports and the little blue/pink cards we were first handed on arrival 13 years ago. (just to be on the safe side and to prove how long we have lived here) . The offices were wonderful (as I find all TRNC policemen are). Their opinion/advise was "just ignore the stamps" and come and go as you like because of your age (thanks a bunch!!). However they did say, the PPs should NOT have been stamped or marked with 90 days and the "trainee" officer at Metehan was being instructed wrongly. (Spoken in very sarcastic tone) Just a word for anyone in the future, it you go through the Border N to S with a brand new UK PP, double check it doesn't get stamped.