New digital service for the renewal of residence permits of third-country nationals

The Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection of the Republic of Cyprus and the Migration Department of the Deputy Ministry announce that the new digital service for the online submission of applications for the renewal of specific categories of residence permits of third-country nationals is being launched today.

The new service, developed in collaboration with the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of the Republic of Cyprus, constitutes a significant step towards the modernisation of migration services and is fully aligned with the Government’s wider planning for digital transformation, the reduction of bureaucracy and the upgrading of everyday service delivery to the public. It responds to the Government’s central priority for a state that is more effective, faster, more transparent and more citizen-friendly for citizens, businesses and all those who interact with public administration.

The service is intended for third-country nationals who already reside legally in the Republic of Cyprus and wish to renew their residence permit, for employers who wish to submit a renewal application for persons they employ, as well as for authorised representatives, such as organisations, law firms or other natural or legal persons acting on behalf of interested parties, where the relevant authorisation exists.

At this stage, the service covers renewal applications for the following categories:

• temporary residence permits for the purpose of Remunerated Employment,
• temporary residence permits for the purpose of Domestic Employment,
• temporary residence permits for employees in Companies of Foreign Interests,
• temporary residence permits for Family Reunification, for family members of Long-Term Residents and employees in Companies of Foreign Interests,
• residence permits for Long-Term Residents.

It is underlined that the new digital service currently concerns renewals of existing permits and not initial applications. For the employment categories, it concerns cases where the employee continues to work for the same employer or in the same company, depending on the category of permit.

Through the service, beneficiaries can carry out almost all stages of the procedure, such as completing and submitting the renewal application, attaching the required documents, submitting or managing authorisation where the application is submitted by a representative, receiving updates on the progress of the application, paying the prescribed fees electronically after completion of the relevant review, as well as selecting a service point for the next stages of the procedure and for the collection of the permit.

Physical presence will be required only at the stages where this is provided for, in particular for the collection of the signature and biometric data.

The importance of the new service is particularly significant, as it is expected to cover a substantial part of the workload relating to residence permits. Specifically, once fully operational, it is estimated that it will cover 73% of all renewal applications for the specific categories, 60% of all applications for the same categories, including first registrations and renewals, and 25% of all applications submitted for all categories of residence permits.

It is, therefore, an intervention with direct and practical benefit. The new procedure is expected to save time for applicants, employers and representatives, and to contribute to the better organisation of the procedure, the timely information of applicants and the more effective management of applications by the competent services.

Access to the service is through a verified CY Login profile.

The service constitutes the first package of digital services of the Migration Department. The Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection of the Republic of Cyprus continues the planning and development of additional digital services, with the aim of gradually expanding electronic procedures and further improving service delivery.

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