Yellow Slip in Cyprus

The Cyprus Yellow Slip is the registration certificate for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and for their family members who are themselves EU, EEA or Swiss citizens. It records the holder's registration with the Cypriot authorities. EU citizens and their family members have free access to employment, including employed and self-employed activity.

An EU citizen with a valid identity card or passport can stay in Cyprus for up to three months without registering. To stay longer, they apply for the Yellow Slip on form MEU1 within four months of arrival.

How to get a yellow slip in Cyprus?

To get a Yellow Slip, file form MEU1 with the documents listed in this section and pay the €20 fee.

Applicants show that they work or are self-employed in Cyprus (or have kept worker status), that they are enrolled at an institution approved or funded by the Republic mainly to study, including vocational training, with full sickness insurance in Cyprus and a declaration of sufficient resources, that they have sufficient resources for themselves and their family and full sickness insurance in Cyprus, or that they are the family member accompanying or joining an EU citizen who meets one of these.

Kept worker status

Kept worker status means a person who has stopped working keeps the rights of a worker during a temporary inability to work through illness or accident, or during vocational training, which must relate to the previous work, except where the person lost that work against their will.

A person registered with the Department of Labour as involuntarily unemployed and seeking work keeps worker status too, after more than a year of work, or for at least six months after a shorter job or a fixed-term contract of under a year.

The family of a student

For a student, the family rule is narrower than the general one: only the spouse and dependent children have the right to join, so a child under 21 who is not dependent is not covered. Dependent parents and grandparents of a student or of the student's spouse do not have this right; their entry and residence are only made easier under the Aliens and Immigration Law.

Registration for EU pensioners

EU pensioners register on the same MEU1 form, on proof of sufficient resources rather than employment. Our guides to moving to Cyprus and retiring to Cyprus cover what comes after the registration.

What happens if you miss the four-month deadline

Failing to apply for the registration certificate within the four months is an offence with a fine of up to €2,500 under Law 7(I)/2007. The same applies to a family member from outside the EU who does not apply for the residence card.

If you are already past the four months, speak to our Cyprus immigration lawyers before you file.

Required documents

The documents required for the registration include:

1. Application forms MEU1 or MEU2, duly completed
2. Copy of a valid passport, or an identity card for an EU citizen (bring the original when you submit)
3. Marriage or civil partnership certificate, duly certified and translated if issued abroad, with the original * (If applicable)
4. Children's Birth Certificates, duly certified and translated * (If applicable)
5. Original court decision on parental responsibility, or the other parent's sworn consent to the child's stay or residence in Cyprus and its proposed duration, from a competent authority of the child's country, duly certified and translated * (for a minor child)
6. Title deed or rental document for the address where you live

The rental document

The signatures of landlord and tenant on a rental document are certified by a certifying officer, and you bring the original rent payment receipts. The rental document shows the names of the owner and the tenants, their ID or ARC numbers and contact numbers. For an MEU1, it states the address that will be your official postal and contact address with the Department.

Bring the original utility bills your list names, such as electricity and water, in the tenant's name or, where the list asks for it, in the name of one of the spouses.

Stamp duty after the 2026 repeal

For a rental document signed on or after 1 January 2026, no stamp duty is payable. For a rental document that any party signed before 2026, the old stamp duty still applies: it is paid to the Tax Department within 30 days of signing, with surcharges after that.

A rental document signed in Cyprus before 2026 and never stamped is now more than six months late, so the duty is paid with a fine of twice the surcharge, before you file.

The Department's document lists still say "duly stamped". That wording no longer applies to a document that every party signed on or after 1 January 2026, because stamp duty was abolished from that date.

Proof of income and health insurance

Bring the documents that match your situation:

6. If you are not working in Cyprus, evidence of stable or satisfactory income, such as a pension, dividends, rent, interest or earnings from work abroad, or of sufficient deposits in a bank in Cyprus or abroad, with bank account activity for the last quarter.
7. If they are working in Cyprus:
   a. Confirmation letter from the employer
   b. Part III of the application form, on employment data, signed and bearing the employer's company stamp, with a salary certificate where applicable
   c. Certificate of registration with the Social Insurance Services and a detailed statement of contributions stating the last employer and salary
   d. For a self-employed person, a certificate of payment of contributions to the Social Insurance Fund for the last four months
8. Health insurance (not needed for the MEU1 if working in Cyprus and registered with the Social Insurance Services)

   An applicant who registers on sufficient resources or as a student has to show full sickness insurance cover in Cyprus. For both groups, the law makes it a condition of the right of residence beyond three months.

Bring Plan A health insurance, which covers medical care, inpatient and outpatient care and the cost of transporting the body in case of death, or a GeSY registration certificate with body transport cover. A pensioner can bring form S1 (E121) instead, and a student a European Health Insurance Card. An EU citizen who pays social insurance in another European country brings form A1 and Plan A health insurance.

For an MEU2 application, bring Plan A cover, or a GeSY registration certificate with body transport cover, in every case, including when the EU citizen works in Cyprus.

Photographs and document certification

Passport photos are unnecessary as they will be taken at the relevant office when you apply.

A document marked (*) that is not in Greek or English needs an official translation from a sworn translator, or from a consular authority or a government department of the issuing country. A public document issued in a country that has ratified the Hague Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961 carries an Apostille.

A public document from any other country needs diplomatic certification, a chain that starts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and ends with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic. A non-public document is certified by a certifying authority of the issuing country. Documents issued in Russia or Serbia need no certification if they are properly signed and bear the official seal of the issuing authority. The Department's document ratification page sets out each step.

The complete list of documents for the MEU1 form can be downloaded at Registration of EU citizens - gov.cy

For the MEU2 form, follow the link at EU/EEA Citizens And Family Members - gov.cy

Application procedure

In the Nicosia district the applicant goes to the Migration Department and needs no appointment. In every other district the applicant or their lawyer arranges the appointment by email with the District Unit of the Aliens and Immigration Service of the Police, using the contact details below. Book early, so that the appointment falls well inside the four-month window.

The applicant attends in person. An EU citizen gives a photograph for the MEU1. A family member from outside the EU gives biometric data, meaning a photograph and fingerprints, and a signature for the MEU2 and for the MEU3 card. A child under six gives a photograph only.

Who can attend with the applicant

A lawyer can prepare the file and, as a duly authorised representative, deal with the Migration Department for the applicant.

For an MEU2 application the Migration Department requires the EU citizen to attend with the family member and to provide evidence of sufficient resources for themselves and for the family member. For an MEU3 application from a family member from outside the EU, the Department requires the EU citizen to attend with the family member.

Cyprus government fees

A fee of €20 is paid for each person who applies, the EU citizen and every family member alike. The fee is the same for the MEU1 certificate, the MEU2 card, and both MEU3 documents: the permanent residence certificate and the permanent residence card.

Application submission location

Applications go to the Central Offices of the Migration Department for the Nicosia district and to the District Unit of the Aliens and Immigration Service of the Cyprus Police for the other districts. The Migration Department of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection issues the decision.

The applicant applies in the district where they live: outside the Nicosia district, that is the District Unit of the Aliens and Immigration Service of the Police for that district. A person from another district can use the Nicosia office only through a duly authorised representative whose professional office is in Nicosia.

Office addresses and opening hours

In the Nicosia district, you deal with the Migration Department directly, at 90 Archbishop Makarios III Avenue, 1077 Nicosia, on 22308808. The office is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 14:30, with last entry at 14:00, except on public holidays.

Contact details for the other districts:

District	Email	Telephone
Limassol	[email protected]	25805650, 25805210
Larnaca	[email protected]	24804236, 24804238
Paphos	[email protected]	26806222, 26806215
Famagusta	[email protected]	23803286, 23803288

The District Units are open Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 14:30, with last entry at 13:30, except on public holidays. Limassol: 223 Franklin Roosevelt Avenue. Larnaca: Piale Pasha. Paphos: 22 Eleftheriou Venizelou Avenue, corner of Kaniggos Street, 2nd floor. Famagusta district: 31 Giorgou Papadopoulou, Paralimni.

How to check your application status

The Migration Department runs a one-off SMS service with no registration. Send an SMS to 1199 with the word STATUS, a space, and your application number, for example STATUS 1234/2026. Each message costs under €0.04.

The application number is on the receipt you were given when you paid the fee, form Γ.Λ. 301B. Keep that receipt. It is your proof of submission if the Police ask for it when the application is pending.

Travelling abroad with a pending application

A family member from outside the EU who travels abroad with a pending application needs more than the fee receipt. The Migration Department says the receipt must carry a Department stamp that allows re-entry.

Without that stamp, the family member applies to the Department for a re-entry permit, which is granted as a rule only for serious reasons such as health.

A valid residence card issued by Cyprus or another member state exempts a family member from outside the EU from the entry visa. With a pending application and no valid card yet, check the visa rules of the country you travel to before you go.

The four MEU documents compared

EU citizens get the MEU1 registration certificate and the MEU3 permanent residence certificate; family members from outside the EU get the MEU2 residence card and the MEU3 permanent residence card.

Form	Who it is for	What you get	How long it lasts
MEU1	EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and family members who hold one of those citizenships themselves	Paper registration certificate	No expiry date
MEU2	Family members from outside the EU	Plastic biometric residence card	Up to five years
MEU3 (EU citizens)	EU, EEA and Swiss citizens after five years	Permanent residence certificate	No validity period in law
MEU3 (third country family members)	Family members from outside the EU after five years	Permanent residence card	Ten years, renewable

MEU1, registration certificate for EU citizens in Cyprus

The MEU1 is a Registration Certificate for EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens and their family members who are Union citizens.

It is required for stays in Cyprus of more than 3 months and records their right to reside in Cyprus.

Download the MEU1 form from the Migration Department: MEU1 application form and supporting documents list.

The department revised every application form in March 2026. From 2 April 2026 it accepts only the revised versions, so take the file from the department's own page rather than from a copy stored anywhere else.

Processing time for MEU1

When the file is complete, the certificate is usually handed over on the day of application, at the office where the application was submitted. The law requires the registration certificate to be issued immediately, and the Migration Department's own outer limit for a decision is one month, provided the form is complete and every supporting document is there.

The certificate is given only to the applicant or to a duly authorised representative. A rejection letter, with the reasons, goes to the latest address the applicant declared, so keep that address current.

MEU2, residence card for non-EU family members in Cyprus

The MEU2 is the application form for a residence card for family members from outside the EU (for example a spouse or children) of citizens of other EU or EEA states or of Switzerland.

This card is needed for stays in Cyprus of more than 3 months.

Download the MEU2 form from the Migration Department: MEU2 application form and supporting documents list.

Who counts as a family member

Family member covers the spouse or a partner in a civil union, the children, grandchildren and other direct descendants of the EU citizen or of the spouse or partner who are under 21 or financially dependent, and the financially dependent parents, grandparents and other direct ancestors of the EU citizen or of the spouse or partner.

A child under 21 qualifies whether or not the child is dependent. A child of 21 or over qualifies on proof of dependence.

Processing time for MEU2

The Migration Department examines the MEU2 application and issues its decision within six months at the latest, provided the form is complete and every supporting document is there. A file with gaps in it falls outside that limit.

On approval the applicant is notified to collect the residence card.

MEU3, permanent residence for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members

The MEU3 is the application form for a Permanent Residence Certificate in Cyprus. It is for EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens, plus their EU family members, after five years of uninterrupted legal residence in Cyprus.

This certificate confirms their right to permanent stay, and the law sets no validity period for it.

There are two MEU3 forms. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens use the MEU3 form for EU citizens. Family members from outside the EU use the MEU3 form for third country family members.

The law sets no fixed period for an EU citizen's permanent residence certificate: it is issued as soon as possible after the application.

The Department's list for an EU citizen who works in Cyprus asks, among other documents, for:

• A copy of the MEU1 certificate
• The monthly Social Insurance contribution statement and the tax returns for the last five years
• Evidence of stable or satisfactory income for the last five years, with bank account activity for the last quarter
• Electricity and water accounts in the applicant's name for the last five years
• The title deed or rental document

MEU3 for family members from outside the EU

A family member from outside the EU who has lived in Cyprus lawfully with the EU citizen for five uninterrupted years applies on the MEU3 form for third country family members. The document issued is a permanent residence card valid for ten years and renewed as of right on application and a €20 fee.

The Migration Department completes its examination and issues a decision within six months at the latest for MEU3 applications from family members from outside the EU, provided the form is complete and every supporting document is there.

Permanent residence for EU citizens after five years

Five uninterrupted years of lawful residence in Cyprus gives an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen the right of permanent residence.

Permanent residence is lost only through an absence of more than two consecutive years. A break in residence of up to two consecutive years does not affect the validity of the permanent residence card held by a family member from outside the EU.

Third country nationals who are not family members

Third country nationals who are not family members of an EU citizen follow a different route. See Cyprus permanent residency for the fast-track and Category F options, and long-term resident status after five years for the EU-wide status.

What are the yellow slip benefits?

Benefits of the Yellow Slip in Cyprus include:

• A right to live in Cyprus for as long as you meet the conditions of residence.
• Free access to employment, including employed and self-employed activity, which comes with the right of residence.
• If you are an EU citizen, or a family member of any nationality with a right of residence, living in the government-controlled areas of Cyprus under these rules, you get the same treatment as a Cypriot citizen in matters EU law covers, apart from exceptions EU law sets.
• The law makes two exceptions, and neither applies to workers, self-employed persons, people with kept worker status, or their family members: no right to social benefits in the first three months of residence (longer for a job seeker), and no maintenance aid for studies, including vocational training, in the form of grants or student loans, before permanent residence.
• The Yellow Slip alone does not give access to GeSY, the national health system. An EU citizen living in the government-controlled areas can use GeSY if any one of four applies: they are employed, they have permanent residence status, they are a family member of a GeSY beneficiary, or they are insured in another EU Member State.

Cyprus yellow slip validity

The Yellow Slip for European Union citizens does not expire. The residence card for family members from outside the EU is valid for five years from issue, or for the shorter period the EU citizen plans to stay.

Absences within set limits do not affect the residence card. Temporary absences of up to six months a year are allowed, as are longer absences for compulsory military service and one absence of up to twelve consecutive months for reasons such as pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training or a posting abroad. Longer than that and the residence card ceases to be valid.

How to renew a yellow slip in Cyprus?

An EU citizen's Yellow Slip (MEU1) does not need renewing.

A family member from outside the EU whose residence card runs for less than five years must apply for a new card if still in Cyprus when it expires. Work to the Migration Department's date: at least one month before the card expires.

The law sets a later last day, one month after expiry. Missing that day is an offence with a fine of up to €2,500.

Permanent residence instead of renewal

A family member from outside the EU who reaches five uninterrupted years of lawful residence in Cyprus with the EU citizen applies for permanent residence on the MEU3 form for third country family members instead of renewing.

The permanent residence card has its own deadline in law: apply no later than one month after the residence card expires. Missing it is an offence with a fine of up to €2,500.

What a yellow slip does not give you

The yellow slip is a residence document, not a nationality. It does not make the holder a Cypriot citizen and it does not shorten the naturalisation period.

See how to get Cyprus citizenship for the routes and the qualifying years.

It is not the ARC number either. The ARC, or Alien Registration Certificate number, is the identifier Cyprus assigns to foreign residents, and it is a separate thing from the registration certificate.

A Cyprus residence document is not a Schengen visa, and the country-by-country position is set out in which countries you can visit with a Cyprus residence permit.

Cyprus yellow slip and Brexit

A UK citizen who arrives in Cyprus after the transition period ended, holds no EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship and has no Withdrawal Agreement rights cannot apply for a Yellow Slip/MEU1.

That person is a third country national and needs a residence permit to live in Cyprus, such as the Pink Slip or Category F. A UK citizen who is a family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen other than a Cypriot applies on form MEU2 instead.

A UK national taking a job with a Cyprus company of foreign interest applies through the work permit route instead.

UK nationals who lived or worked in Cyprus under EU free movement rules before the transition period ended on 31 December 2020, and who still live or work here, keep their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. Our guide to moving to Cyprus after Brexit sets out the options.

UK citizens who held a Yellow Slip before Brexit

UK citizens and their family members who had a Yellow Slip before Brexit remain unaffected. If they have resided in Cyprus for five or more years, they have the right to permanent residence.

They can optionally complete form UKW1 to replace their existing documents with the new residence document issued on or after January 1, 2021. The form UKW1 is filled out by UK nationals and their family members who are also UK nationals.

Family members who are not UK or EU citizens

Family members of a UK national who are not UK or EU citizens are in a different position. They may keep using their MEU2 residence card until it expires, and they are required to apply for the new residence document on form UKW2 under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Validity of UKW documents and fees

The residence document issued under UKW 1 & 2 is valid for 5 years. Then, UK nationals and their family members can apply for permanent residence using UKW3.

Each application for a UKW residence document costs €30 per person.

For more information, please visit the official website at UK citizens and family members - gov.cy.