CORE SERVICE 04

Cypriot Citizenship by Descent

We document your Cypriot descent and prepare your registration as a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus, with our Nicosia offce next to the competent authorities.

AT A GLANCE

What we handle

Archive research in Cyprus, gathering the documents and filing the registration application

Where

Before the competent Cypriot authorities, with an office in Nicosia

How

Remotely, through a power of attorney — you do not travel

First step

A free review of your descent and your documents

Cost

A written estimate before any work begins

Why it matters

Cypriot citizenship is European Union citizenship

As a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus you hold citizenship of the European Union: the right to live, work and study in any country of the Union, and a Cypriot passport.

The right passes to your children as well. Your entry in the Cypriot registers is what keeps your
family’s bond with Cyprus alive for the generations that follow.

WHAT WE HANDLE

What to send us

Archive research in Cyprus

Locating the birth and family records of your Cypriot ancestor.

The registration file

Drafting the application and gathering every supporting document.

Filing & follow-up

Filing with the competent authorities in Nicosia and following the case to completion.

Documenting the line

Connecting each generation with official documents, from the ancestor down to you.

Certifications & translations

Apostilles, certifications and translations of the foreign documents.

ID card & passport

Guidance on obtaining a Cypriot identity card and passport after registration.

WHAT WE HANDLE

The role of each offce

Born to a Cypriot parent

For those born abroad after 16 August 1960 to a Cypriot father, and after 11 June 1999 to a Cypriot mother, a consular birth certificate is issued.

Cypriot descent without a Cypriot parent

For those born after 16 August 1960 whose parents were not Cypriot citizens at the time of birth, a separate application for registration by descent is filed.

Born before 16 August 1960

Separate application types exist for persons of Cypriot descent through the paternal line who were born before independence.

WHEN YOU NEED IT

Common situations

Your father or mother is a Cypriot citizen.
Your grandfather or grandmother was born in Cyprus.
Your ancestor left Cyprus before 16 August 1960.
Your birth was never declared to the Cypriot authorities.
Documents are missing and have to be traced in the archives of Cyprus.
You want your children registered as well.

How the procedure works

1

Free review

We examine your descent and your documents, and tell you which route applies.

2

Research in Cyprus

s We locate your ancestors records in the Cypriot archives.

3

Gathering documents

Certificates, translations and certifications are obtained for each generation.

4

Filing

We file the registration application with the competent authorities.

5

Registration & documents

After registration the certificates are issued, followed by the ID card and passport.

WHAT TO SEND US

Documents that help

Whatever is missing from Cyprus, we trace it for you.

Your birth certificate, with apostille
Birth and marriage certificates of your parents
Cypriot documents of the ancestor: birth certificate, ID card, passport or certificate of registration
Any document showing a change of name or surname
A copy of your passport

TIME & COST

A written estimate before we start

The time depends on how many generations must be documented and on the workload of the comoetent authorities.

After the free review you receive a written fee estimate and a time frame. Authority fees, apostilles and translations are listed separately.

QUESTIONS

About Cypriot citizenship

Do I keep the citizenship I already have?

Yes. The Republic of Cyprus accepts dual citizenship and does not ask you to renounce the citizenship you hold.

My Cypriot ancestor is my grandfather. Am I entitled?

Cypriot law provides a separate application for persons of Cypriot descent who were born after 16 August 1960 and whose parents were not Cypriot citizens at the time of their birth. Your parent does not always have to be registered first. In the free review we identify which application fits your line.

Do I need to travel to Cyprus?

No. With a power of attorney we act on your behalf, and our Nicosia office files the case and follows it through.

Can my children be registered too?

Yes. After your own registration, an application is filed for your children on the basis of your status.

Is there a National Guard obligation?

Military service applies to male citizens of the Republic. The National Guard Law, however, provides an express exemption for those who hold the status of permanent resident abroad, and most people of Cypriot descent who register from abroad fall into that category. The exemption is not automatic: it is granted on application, and the conditions must be met at the time the application is filed.

Who counts as a permanent resident abroad?

A person whose main and permanent residence, or whose livelihood and residence, has been abroad — in one or more countries — for at least ten consecutive years. For someone born and living abroad with their family, the ten years run from birth. The status is lost on permanent settlement in Cyprus, and it is not acquired while a person is in default of call-up.

Are there other exemptions?

Yes. The law provides, among others, exemption on health grounds; for those who served at least six months, without buying out, in the armed forces of a foreign country of which they are also nationals; for those holding Cypriot and Greek citizenship who completed their service in Greece after six years of permanent residence there; and for the father of three or more minor children. In the two cases of service abroad, the exemption does not cover reserve service.

And if no exemption applies?

Then a deferral is examined. The law allows deferral, among others, for secondary education in Cyprus or abroad, for those who left Cyprus with their family before the age of sixteen, for hospitalisation, and for those with a brother already serving. A deferral of up to one year is available for special family or financial reasons. When the ground for an exemption or deferral ends, the competent recruitment office must be informed in writing within one month.

CORE SERVICE 04

Cypriot Citizenship by Descent

AT A GLANCE

What we handle

Where

How

First step

Cost

Why it matters

Cypriot citizenship is European Union citizenship

WHAT WE HANDLE

What to send us

Archive research in Cyprus

The registration file

Filing & follow-up

Documenting the line

Certifications & translations

ID card & passport

WHAT WE HANDLE

The role of each offce

WHEN YOU NEED IT

Common situations

How the procedure works

1

Free review

2

Research in Cyprus

3

Gathering documents

4

Filing

5

Registration & documents

WHAT TO SEND US

Documents that help

TIME & COST

A written estimate before we start

QUESTIONS

About Cypriot citizenship

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