Cypriot passport | |
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![]() The front cover of a Cypriot Citizen's biometric passport issued since 2010 | |
Type | Passport |
Issued by | ![]() |
First issued | 29 November 2010 (current version) [1] |
Purpose | Identification |
Eligibility | Cypriot citizenship |
Expiration | 10 years (adults) 5 years (minors) [2] |
Cost |
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Cypriot passports are issued to citizens of Cyprus. Every Cypriot citizen is also a Commonwealth citizen and a citizen of the European Union. The Cypriot passport, along with the Cypriot identity card, allows for free right of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland. As of July 2023, Cypriot citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 179 countries and territories, ranking the Cypriot passport 12th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index. [4] Cypriot citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty. [5] The Republic of Cyprus was formed in 1960. All persons who were citizens of the Republic of Cyprus at this time are entitled to renew their citizenship and passport, whether living on the island or abroad within the diaspora. Their descendants, whether living on the island or abroad, are equally entitled to obtain Cypriot citizenship and passport. These citizens include the Greek and Turkish people, as well as the much smaller communities of Jewish and Armenian heritage.
All current and earlier Cypriot passports are inclusive, and so contain text in Greek, Turkish as well as English. Since 1974, the Turkish Cypriot community live mainly in the north of the island where the official language is Turkish (Cypriot dialect) and the Greek Cypriot community live mainly in the south of the island where the official language is Greek (Cypriot dialect). Many people are trilingual. Over 4 decades, many citizens of the Republic of Turkey have moved to Northern Cyprus to contribute to the labour force. As non-citizens of the island in 1960, this generation of workers are not entitled to Citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus.
Biometric passports have been issued since 13 December 2010 and include text in all official languages of the European Union. They carry a microchip containing biometric data such as fingerprints, a biometric photograph, and a digital signature. [6] Inside, on different pages, there are images of a statue of the goddess Aphrodite on display at the Cyprus Museum, [7] a dove carrying an olive branch, a symbol of peace, and the Cypriot mouflon.
As of July 2023 Cypriot citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 179 countries and territories, ranking the Cypriot passport 12th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index. [4]
The Civil Registry and Immigration Department of the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for issuing and renewing Cypriot passports.
Passport revocation took place for 26 individuals in 2019 for the first time after a Reuters investigation on Cyprus citizen-by-investment program, where foreign individuals are granted citizenship after investing €2 million worth of real estate in Cyprus. Simultaneously, the Interior Minister Constantinos Petrides opened an official investigation to all investors granted a Cypriot citizenship prior to 2018. [8]
The Czech passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of the Czech Republic, and may also serve as proof of Czech citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Czech citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Czech consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Czech consular is absent, if needed.
Hungarian passports are issued to Hungarian citizens for international travel by The Central Data Processing, Registration and Election Office of the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior. Every Hungarian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, besides the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
A Portuguese passport is an identity document issued to citizens of Portugal for the purpose of international travel. The passport, along with the Citizen Card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland. Every Portuguese citizen is also a citizen of the European Union.
Romanian passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Romania, and may also serve as proof of Romanian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Romanian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Romanian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Romanian consular is absent, if needed.
The Maltese passport is a passport that is issued to citizens of Malta. Every Maltese citizen is also a Commonwealth citizen and citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card, allows for free rights of movement and residence in all member states of the European Economic Area, as well as Switzerland.
The Armenian passport is a passport issued to Armenian citizens to enable them to travel outside Armenia, and entitles the bearer to the protection of Armenia's consular officials overseas. Armenian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 65 countries and territories as of 2023.
An Estonian passport is an international travel document issued to citizens of Estonia, and may also serve as proof of Estonian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Estonian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Estonian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case an Estonian consular is absent, if needed. If an Estonian citizen wishes to receive an identity document, especially an Estonian passport, somewhere other than the foreign representation of the Republic of Estonia, then the bearer of the Estonian citizenship staying abroad could receive the travel documents in embassies of any EU country worldwide by paying 50 Euro. Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months and one or two blank pages.
Turkish passport are issued in accordance with the Passport Act from 15 July 1950 to Turkish citizens to travel abroad. Citizens of the de facto state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are also eligible to apply for a Turkish passport. Passports issued since 1 June 2010 are biometric and valid for up to 10 years.
A Bulgarian passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Bulgaria, and may also serve as proof of Bulgarian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Bulgarian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Bulgarian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Bulgarian consular is absent, if needed.
Finnish passport are issued to nationals of Finland for the purpose of international travel. Aside from serving as proof of Finnish nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Finnish consular officials abroad.
A Danish passport is an identity document issued to citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark to facilitate international travel. Besides serving as proof of Danish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Danish consular officials abroad.
An Austrian passport is an identity document issued to citizens of Austria to facilitate international travel. Every Austrian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card, allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
The European Union itself does not issue ordinary passports, but ordinary passport booklets issued by its 27 member states share a common format. This common format features a colored cover emblazoned—in the official language(s) of the issuing country —with the title "European Union", followed by the name(s) of the member state, the heraldic "Arms" of the State concerned, the word "PASSPORT", together with the biometric passport symbol at the bottom center of the front cover.
Slovenian passports are issued to citizens of Slovenia to facilitate international travel. Every Slovenian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland, as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty.
The Albanian passport is a travel document issued by the Ministry of Interior to Albanian citizens to enable them to travel abroad. They are also used as proof of identity within the country, along with the Albanian ID card.
The Algerian passport is an international travel document issued to citizens of Algeria, and may also serve as proof of Algerian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Algerian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Algerian consular officials abroad.
A Polish passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Poland, and may also serve as proof of Polish citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Polish citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Polish consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Polish consular is absent, if needed.
The Cypriot identity card is issued to citizens of Cyprus. It can be used as a travel document when visiting countries in Europe, as well as French overseas territories, Montserrat and Georgia. This document is not valid in Turkey.
Passports in Europe are issued by each state individually, e.g. the Netherlands or United Kingdom. In general, passports issued in Europe either grant the holder the right of freedom of movement within the European Economic Area, to those that don't. The majority of European states are members of the European Union, and therefore issue EU passports.