Schengen Without Answers: Who in Cyprus Fears the Island’s European Future

While the Cypriot authorities speak about the benefits of joining the Schengen Area, anxiety is growing on the other side of the “green line”. For some Turkish Cypriots and children from mixed marriages, the main question sounds different: will they still be able to cross the border freely?

These are people whose legal status has remained unresolved for many years. They fear that the lack of clear rules after Cyprus joins Schengen will create new restrictions.

Between Two Worlds

The problem is particularly acute for children from mixed marriages in which one parent is Turkish Cypriot and the other is a Turkish citizen. Many have Republic of Cyprus birth certificates or are registered in state records, but have still not received a Cypriot passport or identity card.

Today, many cross the checkpoints using documents issued in the TRNC. The authorities have not yet explained what will happen to this practice after Cyprus joins Schengen.

“There Are Still No Answers”

Sunde Doğan, a member of the organisation “Movement for Resolving Mixed-Marriage Problems”, believes that this issue has largely been left out of discussions on preparations for Schengen.

We hope that reasonable measures will be adopted to ensure that children from mixed marriages can cross the border without hindrance. But the process remains opaque, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has still not answered the key questions.

According to Doğan, if holders of TRNC identity cards are allowed to continue crossing the checkpoints, a legal conflict will arise: will they then be able to move freely throughout the Schengen Area using documents that are not recognised by the European Union?

Possible Solutions

Doğan is convinced that the problem can be solved. Most of these people are already registered with the state, so existing European mechanisms could be used — issuing a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen, creating a special Green Line Family Pass, or providing a biometric travel document (laissez-passer).

She says these proposals have already been submitted to the authorities, but there has still been no response.

“I’ve Been Waiting for Citizenship for Fifteen Years”

Hasan Parali, who was born into a mixed family, has been unsuccessfully trying to obtain Republic of Cyprus citizenship for nearly 15 years.

Without a Cypriot passport, every trip to Europe begins with applying for a Schengen visa. He says it is difficult even to find information about the application process, and even harder to get an appointment.

If it is impossible to get an appointment at the consulate of the destination country, he has to apply for a visa through another Schengen country, change his itinerary and incur additional expenses.

For citizens of the Republic of Cyprus, travelling around Europe is a routine formality. For people like Hasan, it remains a complicated bureaucratic procedure. That is why the approaching Schengen accession brings them not so much hope as a question: will the “green line” become even more difficult for them to cross?