Northern Cyprus approves fees for new electronic visas

New rules for applying for electronic visas have been approved in Northern Cyprus, including the fee amounts and application processing times. According to the Regulation on Electronic Visas approved by the Council of Ministers, the system will initially apply to citizens of Nigeria, Armenia and Syria. Applications will be submitted online.

The fee for a single-entry electronic visa will be 40 dollars. An urgent single-entry visa under the VIP/express system will cost 80 dollars. The fee for a multiple-entry electronic visa will be 80 dollars, while an urgent multiple-entry visa will cost 120 dollars. People arriving in Northern Cyprus to obtain a work permit or residence permit will be issued a single-entry visa. For tourist trips, either a single-entry or multiple-entry visa may be issued, depending on the nature of the application.

Applications for electronic visas will be submitted online. Their processing is expected to be completed within 30 days. If necessary, this period may be extended to 60 days.

At the same time, an electronic visa will not automatically guarantee entry into Northern Cyprus. Immigration officers may conduct an interview at the border crossing and refuse entry if they deem it necessary. A visa may also be cancelled in the event of forged documents, the provision of inaccurate information, use of the visa for an unintended purpose, or if its holder is deemed to pose a threat to public security.

The new rules also establish a procedure for issuing residence permits to foreign students. Students enrolled in vocational education, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes will be issued a residence permit for a period of no more than one year at a time, taking into account the duration of their studies.

Universities, in turn, will be required to submit information to the GöçSis system every three months on the status of foreign students, including active enrolment, suspension of studies or expulsion.

The new rules are intended to ensure more regular monitoring of the status of foreign students and speed up the necessary procedures after they discontinue their studies.