CYPRUS’ accession to the European Union on May 1 signalled a colossal tide of change for the small country of under a million inhabitants. Enlargement flung wide the gates to a single market of 25 member states while granting 450 million citizens certain inalienable rights.
One of the most important rights for European citizens is equal treatment and freedom of movement throughout the Union. Although old member states got cold feet at the last minute and temporarily barred Central and Eastern European workers from migrating West, Cyprus opened its doors to all citizens of the EU for stay and work.
So, now that we are all one and the same, can European citizens legally reside and work in Cyprus once they arrive, or do they still have to deal with the ominous ‘pink-slip’ at Immigration?
The Cyprus Mail spoke to one administration officer in the Migration Department, who cleared up the dos and don’ts for EU workers.
“EU citizens still need to register their presence here and acquire a residence permit with permission to work. For the moment, we are still using the ‘pink slip’, but we are working on a new format which should be ready by the end of the year,” said Panayiota Nathaniel. “It will still be in paper format and I don’t know what colour it will be, but it certainly won’t be pink,” she added.
Nathaniel notes that the requirement to register is more for statistical purposes and for the benefit of the worker, who can only pursue his or her rights with the right certification.
An EU citizen has three months from the moment they arrive in Cyprus to do whatever they like without any obligations. After that, the principle of freedom of movement introduces a few bureaucratic hurdles.
If an EU citizen has come here to work, after three months he or she must apply for a residence permit at an Immigration District Office. Once the department goes the way of decentralisation, workers will be required to go to the Migration Department instead.
If the worker plans to set up his own employment and be self-employed, he can go to Immigration to register and get a residence permit. If the worker has found a job, he must apply for a residence permit with the right to work by getting his employer to fill out a form and submitting it to Immigration. This is simply a procedural task, and Nathaniel insists there is little chance of obstacles in the process. She adds that before accession, the situation was quite different since an employer would have to apply for a work permit from the Labour Ministry.
Now, the EU citizen has to pick up the forms, fill them out, get their employer to fill them out and submit them for a residence permit. The permit will last five years and gives the citizen equal status to a permanent resident, said Nathaniel.
Some advice on speeding up the process would be to take the Immigration form filled out by the employer to the Labour Ministry yourself and get it stamped before submitting the application. Otherwise it could get delayed in the murky world of bureaucratic filing cabinets.
Again, this is just procedural, since the whole point is for the Labour Ministry to make sure you are not getting paid below the minimum wage, as has been the case for some EU workers, according to recent press reports.
The cost of applying for a residence permit has gone down from £20 to £5. However, every time a worker changes employer, he will need a new permit, unless, of course, he is self-employed.
Those who fail to seek a residence permit after three months are liable to a fine but there is no threat of deportation for EU citizens. They will simply be fined and asked to begin the application procedure.
“These are typical procedures and are for the benefit of the citizens. If they are not in the records, how can they get access to health care if they are ill, or how can they be sure their employer is paying their social insurance contributions and so have access to social welfare,” said Nathaniel.
The situation is somewhat different for ‘visitors’ to the island who do not intend to work here. If an EU citizen of any age decides to reside in Cyprus without working, they will need a resident’s permit. To get this, they need two things. First, European citizens must prove that they have access to an adequate amount of money so they do not become dependent on the state. Second, they must prove that they have medical coverage either from their home country or through private medical insurance in Cyprus. This may be problematic for older pensioners if they are not covered from their home country health service since it is increasingly hard to get private coverage the older you get.
This requirement does not apply to EU workers or their families since they will be covered either by their employer or the state.
All said and done, this is the state of affairs for the new Europe. Remember, you heard it here first, or second, or… well, anyway, you heard it.
