The EU lists Cyprus among the Schengen area countries, marked as having internal border controls not yet abolished, and Cyprus's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says visas and residence permits it issues are currently valid only for the Republic of Cyprus. Citizens of EU Member States, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway can enter with an identity card that bears their photo. Holders of ordinary passports of the countries on the EU list of nationals exempt from holding a visa at the external borders do not need a visa; EU Regulation 2018/1806 exempts them for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. Holders of a valid Schengen visa for two or multiple entries, or of a national visa or residence permit issued by a Schengen state, can enter without a Cypriot short-stay visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, except Turkish and Azerbaijani citizens.
Every fact on this page verified on or after: Aug 26, 2026· How this site works
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Visas & entry authorisations
Cyprus Short-Stay Visa (Category C)
Fee
90 EUR
Processing
up to 45 days
Stay per entry
90 days
Children between 6 and 12: €45; children under 6: free. €35 under the EU visa facilitation agreements with Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine (the ministry notes that for the marked countries only non-biometric passport holders need a visa); €67.50 for Cape Verde nationals (€33.75 for children between 6 and 12). Free for pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying professors staying for study, for researchers, and for some other categories the ministry lists. Extending a visa for serious personal reasons costs €30; an extension for force majeure or humanitarian reasons is free of charge.
Visa for long residence purposes
Fee
Not published
Processing
—
Entry requirements
Passport validity
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says passports submitted with a visa application must be valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from Cyprus, contain at least two blank pages and have been issued within the previous 10 years. The UK government tells British travellers their passport must have a date of issue less than 10 years before arrival and an expiry date at least 3 months after the day they plan to leave. Citizens of EU Member States, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway can enter with an identity card that bears their photo.
No official source we read lists a vaccination certificate required for entry.
Travel insurance
Required
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists travel medical insurance for the period of stay in Cyprus, with a minimum coverage of €30,000 for each applicant, among the documents for a visa application.
Cyprus's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists pre-bookings of round-trip flights among the documents for a visa application. The UK government tells British travellers that at Cyprus border control they may also need to show a return or onward ticket.
Cyprus's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says third-country nationals must be able to prove that they have the necessary financial resources to cover their expenses in Cyprus. No official source we could read states a fixed amount.
ETIAS — European Travel Information and Authorization System — The EU's official ETIAS website lists Cyprus among the 30 European countries that require visa-exempt travellers to have an ETIAS travel authorisation. It says ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications are being collected, and that the EU will announce the start date several months before launch. (before travel, once etias starts) travel-europe.europa.eu ↗(opens in a new tab)
The UK government says a visitor who overstays could be questioned by immigration at the airport on exit, and put on a 'stop list' and refused entry for up to 5 years. The Australian government's Smartraveller says officials may charge overstayers with breaching immigration rules, place them on a 'stop list' for future travel and refuse re-entry for up to five years.
The EU's Your Europe portal says that if you enter or leave the EU with €10,000 in cash (or its equivalent in other currencies), you must declare it to the customs authorities of the EU country you are entering or leaving, using the EU cash declaration form.
Arriving from outside the EU, the EU's Your Europe portal says you can bring, free of VAT and excise duties and not for resale, 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer, plus 1 litre of spirits over 22% vol. (or 1 litre of undenatured alcohol of 80% vol. or over, or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine); 200 cigarettes or 250 g of tobacco where the higher limit applies, or 40 cigarettes or 50 g where a country applies the lower one; and other goods worth up to €300, or €430 for travellers by air and sea (some EU countries apply €150 for travellers under 15). Under-17s get no duty-free allowance for alcohol or tobacco.
Between EU countries, Your Europe says alcohol and tobacco carried for your own use and not for resale are exempt, and that each EU country can set guideline values for the quantities you can bring in, which may not be lower than 800 cigarettes, 1 kg of tobacco, 10 litres of spirits, 20 litres of fortified wine, 90 litres of wine (of which only 60 litres can be sparkling) and 110 litres of beer.
Canada's travel advice says to take normal security precautions in Cyprus and to exercise a high degree of caution in northern Cyprus, and that petty crime such as pickpocketing and purse snatching occurs, particularly in urban areas. It says you must request an authorization from the UN peacekeeping force (UNFICYP) to enter the buffer zone, except for areas designated as civil use areas. The UK government says there is a high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October.Verified Oct 3, 2026 · Source: gov.uk (opens in a new tab) · archived copy Aug 5, 2026 (opens in a new tab) Aug 5, 2026
Power plugs
G · 240V 50Hz
Emergency numbers
General emergencies: 112
Languages
Greek, Turkish
Time zone
UTC+2 (UTC+3 in summer)
Driving side
left
International Driving Permit
The UN Treaty Collection lists Cyprus as a participant in the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, by succession on 6 July 1962.
No official source we could read gives seasonal guidance for visitors. Australia's Smartraveller says forest fires are common from May to October and that heatwaves are becoming more frequent over the summer months.
Tips & warnings
The UK government says that if you enter the Republic of Cyprus through the north (such as through Ercan Airport), authorities will consider you to have entered illegally: you could be fined, refused entry to or exit from the Republic of Cyprus, or prevented from crossing back into the north. It says you can use any crossing point to move between the north and south, but Australia's Smartraveller says non-EU citizens are barred from the Pergamos and Strovilia crossing points, which are part of the United Kingdom's Sovereign Territory, and will be turned away.
Canada's travel advice says traffic drives on the left in Cyprus, and that vehicle insurance purchased in the Republic of Cyprus is not valid in the north, so you must have a separate policy when driving there, including in rental cars.
The UK government says Cyprus is not part of the Schengen area, so visits to Cyprus do not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit in the Schengen area, and visits to other EU or Schengen countries do not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit in Cyprus.
Australia's Smartraveller says heatwaves are becoming more frequent over the summer months, and advises drinking plenty of water, wearing light clothing, staying in air conditioning or shaded areas, and following the advice of local authorities.
Visa requirements by nationality
Visa requirements by nationality. Stay lengths are for ordinary tourist visits. Click a nationality for its full guide.
Citizens of EU Member States, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway can enter with an identity card that bears their photo. Holders of ordinary passports of the countries on the EU list of nationals exempt from holding a visa at the external borders do not need a visa; EU Regulation 2018/1806 exempts them for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. Holders of a valid Schengen visa for two or multiple entries, or of a national visa or residence permit issued by a Schengen state, do not need a short-stay visa, except Turkish and Azerbaijani citizens. Others apply to a Diplomatic Mission or Consulate of the Republic of Cyprus.
Can I enter Cyprus with a Schengen visa?
Yes, if it is a valid Schengen visa for two or multiple entries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says holders of such a visa, and holders of national visas and residence permits issued by Schengen Member States, do not need a short-stay visa to enter Cyprus for a period not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period. Turkish and Azerbaijani citizens are excluded from this provision.
Do days in Cyprus count against the Schengen 90/180 limit?
No. The EU's official ETIAS website says that if you are visiting Cyprus, the duration of your stay there will be calculated separately: time spent in the other European countries requiring ETIAS does not count towards the 90 days you are allowed in Cyprus, and your stay in Cyprus does not affect the 90-day limit for those countries. It lists Cyprus among the 30 European countries that will require ETIAS, and says ETIAS is currently not in operation. The UK government tells people travelling on a full British citizen passport that visits to Cyprus do not count towards the 90-day visa-free limit in the Schengen area, and visits to other EU or Schengen countries do not count towards the 90-day limit in Cyprus.
Can I visit Northern Cyprus?
The UK government says you can use any crossing point to move between the north and south of the island, and Canada's travel advice says to cross the UN buffer zone only at one of the designated crossing points, as it is illegal to do so elsewhere. The UK government says that if you enter the Republic of Cyprus through the north (such as through Ercan Airport), authorities will consider you to have entered illegally, and you could be fined, refused entry to or exit from the Republic of Cyprus, or prevented from crossing back into the north.
Which side of the road does Cyprus drive on?
The left. Canada's travel advice says traffic drives on the left. It says you must be at least 18 years old to drive a vehicle in Cyprus and that you can use a valid Canadian driver's licence for up to 6 months.
Sources & verification
Every fact on this page is compiled from and periodically re-checked against these official sources: