# I don't have resident permit, will I be thrown in jail!?!?



## RonJeremy (Sep 17, 2009)

Hello all, 

I moved to Cyprus almost 3 months ago to live here like 6-8 months in a rented apartment, I don't want to work, I don't expect benefits or medical aid etc etc all I want to do is live here off the money in my bank, see it as a (really) long vacation.

Everything was going perfect, until today when I was browsing the internet and came across something called a Cypriot 'residence permit' that apparently ppl need if they want to live in Cyprus longer than 3 months, 
this is a huge shock for me, since I thought nothing like that was needed for EU citizens and since I was researching my move for years before making the move and had never came across that bit of information before :O

Now I'm really worried, because I don't think I can get this permit, and I've already signed my apartment contract and I don't have any place to move to until the end of this contract (I have a place ready in another country but I can only move there in May 2011 which was when my contract ends), also moving now would be a huge drawback since it ended up costing me alot of money to get some of my stuff over here (last part only arrived last week).

The reason I don't think I can obtain this permit is because:
1) it says "A TRE permit should be applied for at least a month before the end of your first 90 days in Cyprus.", in other words that's too late for me to apply! within the end of this month I will have been here 3 months!
2) it says I need to have medical insurance something which I don't have nor want (I've never been to a hospital/dentist in my adult life and I'm a health-nut so I don't need one, and in the worst case scenario I bet I would have enough money to pay the healthcare without insurance), depending on its cost maybe I could get a private insurance (against my will) but there's no time to sign up for one!!.
3) it says I need to prove income and money in the bank, but I don't have income nor do I want it!!! I just live on the money I have in the bank, for now I've opened a cypriot bankaccount and transfered enough cash for my 7 months visit but I don't think it will convince them and it would be difficult to show them my main offshore bankaccounts (which are mostly investments rather than pure cash) for a bunch of small reasons.

all I wanted was to take my hard-earned money and spend it in their country which I thought was a no-brainer since I'm a EU citizen and south-cyprus is EU, but somewhere along the lines that makes me a criminal?!

I don't understand how this law is re-enforced, thing is I'm not interested in looking for jobs and my landlord has already signed the lease and he wasn't the slightest intrested in asking about any permit, so who are there left to convince? (all I do is sit at my computer at home all day long) 
or could it be that after my 6 month when I'm about to board the plane to my next country they check my passport and see "hey it says on our computers that you arrived 6 months ago, yet you have no permit! you think you can just come over here and give our country your money at at time when we are in desperate need of tourism? you disgust me!"?

or how does it work? does computers keep track of that stuff?
if for example police would ask for my papers for random reason could I simply say "I'm just a tourist for one month" or could they easily check that I've been here longer than that?

Could I leave the country (for example cross to the northen side) and then re-enter the country same day and say "I only stayed 3 months last visit, but now I'm visiting again for another 3 months"? but I bet they've plugged that loop-hole long time ago.

tho I will be leaving around May ideally I would then like to return to Cyprus after being gone for 3 month for another winter-season (ideally up to 9 months).


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Don't panic Niklas, I really don't think you have anything to worry about.
Many people stay here longer than 3 months without permits. Even if you had to get one we did not have to prove we had medical insurance when we got ours.
Speak to someone like Gwenny from Gwennies red tape services who can advise you whether you really need to get a permit.


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## zin (Oct 28, 2010)

hehe, yeah don't panic. A friend of mine has been working in Cyprus for a few years and only realised she needed the permit when she was getting married this summer! 

She got it fairly painlessly, not sure on the details though.


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## RonJeremy (Sep 17, 2009)

Ok thanks for the information, 
I can't find any information on the net what would happen if you get caugh except for that in Northen Cyprus you pay a fee PER DAY you have overstayed (which sounds very expensive) but nothing about how it is in the south side.
but that's a relief to hear that many others go without permit as well.

I've noticed that enforcement of any rules in cyprus is very weak, but staying without permit is one of those things that in theory could be very easy to enforce since apparently in UK for example the passport-barcodes are simply read by a computer in the airport which keeps track of that stuff (called the e-border) so I guess I'm still a bit worried what would happen if they implement something like that here (or if they already have it to lesser extent) but I think I'm just going to go without one for my remaining couple of months and then maybe when arriving next year try to get a proper one since then I don't have to lie about my day of arrival in the application.


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