# Sticking a toe in the water about moving to Cyprus



## Petluvr (Dec 25, 2021)

Hello! I've been reading the forum for 2 days, trying to get a sense of what living in Cyprus would _really_ be like and now I think it's time to introduce ourselves. We are Mary and Matthew, both aged 59, travelling full time since Sept '18 (even through the pandemic), Matthew has Canadian and Australian passports, I have Canadian and British and am an Irish citizen but haven't got the passport yet (we're never in one place long enough to be able to prove our address). We're in England, trying to find a place to settle but the weather - oh man, the weather.... So I consulted Uncle Google. Spain, Portugal.... Cyprus. Hm, hadn't considered Cyprus before. But aside from the wonderful climate, Cyprus seems to have some rather attractive tax rates for incomers. Definitely worth having a closer look.

So... lots of questions but to start with, will I be needing that Irish passport so I can exercise my right to reside in Cyprus then Matthew can come along as my dependent?

Thank you and Happy Christmas!
Mary


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

Petluvr said:


> So... lots of questions but to start with, will I be needing that Irish passport so I can exercise my right to reside in Cyprus then Matthew can come along as my dependent?
> 
> Thank you and Happy Christmas!
> Mary


Welcome to the Forum, Mary and Matthew!

As an EU citizen, your Irish passport will entitle you both to legally reside in Cyprus and also to work here if that’s your plan. There’s lots to commend living in Cyprus, not least of which is the weather, but also the laid back lifestyle, the friendliness, the fact that nearly everyone you meet speaks English, the fact that they drive on the left and also use 3 pin plugs!


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## Petluvr (Dec 25, 2021)

Thank you, @David_&_Letitia ! So, the first order of business is to apply for that passport and the second is to come out and live like a local for a few months. Considering the weather in South Yorkshire at the moment, I'd like to buy tickets straightaway but we've got commitments until the end of May and certainly don't want our introduction to Cyprus to be in the summer so I suppose we'll have to wait until October-ish '22. 
We've been talking all weekend and gradually shifting our focus from settling in England to settling in Cyprus. Getting there emotionally is no small thing but we're both starting to get excited. I told Matthew it'll be just like living in Oz climate-wise, except not a million miles from anywhere... Lots of English speakers makes things easier - thank you. Are the 3 pin plugs the same as the UK uses?
And I don't know that driving on the left is a positive - we drive on the right in Canada and as Matthew's been living there for 30 years, he's kind of getting used to it


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

Petluvr said:


> Thank you, @David_&_Letitia ! So, the first order of business is to apply for that passport and the second is to come out and live like a local for a few months.


It would definitely be an advantage to have an Irish passport in the post Brexit era for travelling to or living in the EU. My father was born in Co Kildare, Eire and my wife was born in Belfast, NI so we’re both entitled to Irish passports. Although we haven’t actually applied for them, it is of interest to me and I read in the last couple of days that there are long delays in applications being processed as a result of Brexit.









Irish citizenship: Covid backlog leads to 'heartbreaking' delays


More than 30,000 people face a two-year wait on applications - affecting plans to live and work abroad.



www.bbc.com







Petluvr said:


> ...the second is to come out and live like a local for a few months. Considering the weather in South Yorkshire at the moment, I'd like to buy tickets straightaway but we've got commitments until the end of May and certainly don't want our introduction to Cyprus to be in the summer so I suppose we'll have to wait until October-ish '22.


Very sensible! May/Jun and Sep/Oct are the best months of the year to be here. July and August can be prohibitively hot during the day and (depending where you choose to live) uncomfortably humid during the night. Aircon, of course, helps but rather defeats the object of living in the sun.



Petluvr said:


> Are the 3 pin plugs the same as the UK uses?
> And I don't know that driving on the left is a positive - we drive on the right in Canada and as Matthew's been living there for 30 years, he's kind of getting used to it


The 3 pin plug sockets are indeed the same as the U.K. A small number of electrical items bought here have 2 pin European plugs attached, but adaptors are easily obtained and often given with the item gratis. Driving here will be a whole new experience for you both whether you’re used to driving on the left or the right. Although things are improving, speeding and inappropriate overtaking is endemic so you’ll often see oncoming cars approaching on your side of the road at great speed. Double yellow lines are largely ignored and treated with contempt and parking on pavements seems to be the norm here. It is said that many locals paid someone else to take their driving test for them and you’ll quickly discover why this is a widely held belief, whether true or not. 😂🤣😂


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## Petluvr (Dec 25, 2021)

David_&_Letitia said:


> I read in the last couple of days that there are long delays in applications being processed as a result of Brexit


This is not good news. I'm kicking myself for not applying before we left Canada. 

And thank you for the heads up re the "cowboy" driving habits over there. Do you know if the buses are good enough to allow one to forgo having a car?

I hope you will allow us to take you out for a drink when we arrive next autumn. We really appreciate you taking the time to let us know about Cyprus.

Cheers!
Mary


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

Petluvr said:


> ...thank you for the heads up re the "cowboy" driving habits over there. Do you know if the buses are good enough to allow one to forgo having a car?


I hope that I haven’t put you off driving here - that was not my intention. There’s no need to be afraid of driving over here, just be aware of what sometimes seems like Wacky Races! The problem seems to be both education and enforcement. I have often seen children completely unrestrained, stood in the space between the driver and passenger seat in cars, and I cringe at the thoughtlessness of the parent driving. I have also personally witnessed a papou (grandfather) riding a motor scooter with his grandson (probably around 7 years old) stood on the platform between his legs and needless to say, neither of them had a helmet on. Unbelievably, the police car in front of me stopped the papou and I could see the policeman’s wagging finger at the old man before signalling him to proceed on his way with the child still stood between his legs! Cyprus has started to install speed cameras in the cities but it’s very early days for the rollout with the number of cameras being almost insignificant at present.

It would be a shame for you not to drive here, though, as there is so much to see when you’re not limited to public transport. However, to answer your question, the bus service is generally good, but very much dependent upon where you live and where you want to go. We live in Polis and there’s a bus to and from Paphos every hour. Those who live in Coral Bay can expect a bus to/from Paphos every 10 mins. However, people living in villages will have a bus service only 2-3 times each day which calls in at many other villages so the time taken to reach their final destination is significantly increased.


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## Petluvr (Dec 25, 2021)

David_&_Letitia said:


> It would be a shame for you not to drive here, though, as there is so much to see when you’re not limited to public transport.


Yes, that's true everywhere - even England, which is superbly covered by transit. It might be a matter of hiring a car for getting out to interesting places. But I don't think we need to decide about car/no car quite yet 

Matthew has now caught the Cyprus bug and is furiously researching. I'm delighted because I don't want to feel that I'm dragging him along, kicking and screaming. No concerns about that, apparently...

I've been reading a few of the "diaries" that members have posted (yours included) and am so thankful that we don't have to sell a house or extricate ourselves from contracts or sort through 30 years worth of possessions. Rocking up to a furnished rental with a backpack each (until we decide where we want to be) sounds pretty painless. But we _are_ grateful that you and others have posted those diaries so that we've got a whole list of considerations to think about. 

Cheers!


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