| Northern Cyprus Citizenship Act | |
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| Parliament of Northern Cyprus | |
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| Enacted by | Government of Northern Cyprus |
| Status: Current legislation | |
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| Constitution |
Northern Cyprus nationality law governs the acquisition, transmission, and loss of Northern Cyprus citizenship. Naturalized Northern Cyprus citizens are persons granted citizenship by the de facto Government of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Turkey.[ citation needed ]
It has been the policy of the de facto state of Northern Cyprus to encourage non-Greek immigration into the country, as decided upon shortly after the Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to increase their numbers relative to the population of the Greek-Cypriots in the Republic of Cyprus. Most of the immigrants come from the Anatolia region of Turkey, but a few others from the United Kingdom come to live in Northern Cyprus in order to take advantage of property sales. No immigration is permitted, however, that would threaten the demographic status of the ethnic Turkish majority.
It is estimated that Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus and their children currently make up about 50% of the population in the de facto state, [1] but the number of naturalizations remains unknown.
The Government of the Republic of Cyprus views the immigration policy of Northern Cyprus as a means to upset the island's demographics, and as a theft of Greek-Cypriot owned property. They, therefore, officially regard any naturalized Northern Cyprus citizens as 'illegal settlers', who would be subject to deportation in the event of Cypriot reunification[ citation needed ]. It is the policy of the Republic of Cyprus to refuse naturalized Northern Cyprus citizens entry into the Republic of Cyprus through the Green Line checkpoints since they have entered into Cyprus through what is considered as an unlawful port of entry. The refusal of entry to the Republic mainly applies to the Turkish settlers, as Turkish citizens of Turkey are permitted to enter the Republic of Cyprus, only through the lawful ports of entry.
The Republic of Cyprus has declared any Northern Cyprus seaport or airport to be an unlawful port of entry; however, in practice, Ercan Airport is used as the principal civilian airport of Northern Cyprus, and the same applies to the ports of Famagusta and Kyrenia.
Furthermore, the government of the Republic of Cyprus [2] considers the immigration policy of Northern Cyprus to be in violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 ("Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War"), which prohibits the transfer by an occupying power of its own civilian population into the territory it is occupying. Also, in Resolutions 33/15 (1978), 24/30 (1979) and 37/253 (1983), the United Nations General Assembly deplored "all unilateral actions that change the demographic structure of Cyprus". [2]
As a Northern Cyprus passport is not recognised by most national governments (much like the republic itself), naturalised citizens have to resort to other nations' passports in order to travel internationally. Australia, Pakistan, Tanzania, [3] Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom [4] [5] accept a Northern Cyprus passport. Many Turkish Cypriots who are born in Cyprus with parents who can trace their Cypriot and legal residence before the partition applied for and received a Cypriot passport from the recognised Republic of Cyprus. That said, some individuals, particularly children, have had difficulties in accessing Republic of Cyprus citizenship. [6] In 2021, Turkish Cypriot officials were stripped of their ROC passports. [7] Also, any citizen of Northern Cyprus is entitled to citizenship of Turkey and to receive a Turkish passport. [8]
In 2005, after an increase in both crime and unemployment, the previously unrestricted immigration policy for Turkish migrants was tightened. In the wake of this new policy, a number of Turkish migrants have been deported and immigration procedures have changed to allow Northern Cyprus to better screen migrant applicants. Turkey itself regards policy change as a heavy-handed reaction, thus causing the first major area of disagreement between Northern Cyprus and Turkey.
The people of Cyprus are broadly divided into two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, who share many cultural traits but maintain distinct identities based on ethnicity, religion, language, and close ties with Greece and Turkey respectively. Before the dispute started in 1964 the peoples of Cyprus were dispersed over the entire island.
Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it also encompasses controls imposed on internal borders within a single state.
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Cypriot nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of Cyprus. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the Republic of Cyprus Citizenship Law, 1967, which came into force on 28 July 1967. Regulations apply to the entire island of Cyprus, which includes the Republic of Cyprus itself and the occupied areas of northern Cyprus, a breakaway region that is diplomatically recognised only by Turkey as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
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Visa requirements for Burundian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Burundi. As of 11 January 2022, Burundian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 51 countries and territories, ranking the Burundian passport 92nd in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley & Partners Passport Index.
Visa requirements for Costa Rican citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Costa Rica.
Visa requirements for Democratic Republic of the Congo citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Visa requirements for Swiss citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Switzerland. As of 13 April 2021, Swiss citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 187 countries and territories, ranking the Swiss passport 7th in terms of travel freedom, and the highest of the EFTA member states, according to the 2021 Henley Passport Index.
Multiple/dual citizenship is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on the internal political life of the country and nationality is a matter of international dealings. There is no international convention which determines the nationality or citizenship status of a person. This is defined exclusively by national laws, which can vary and conflict with each other. Multiple citizenship arises because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, criteria for citizenship. Colloquially, people may "hold" multiple citizenship but, technically, each nation makes a claim that a particular person is considered its national.
Visa requirements for Sammarinese citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of San Marino. As of 2 July 2019, San Marino citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 167 countries and territories, ranking the San Marino passport 20th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index. Currently the San Marino passport is one of the four European "ordinary" passports to provide visa-free access to the People's Republic of China.
Visa requirements for Andorra citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Andorra. As of 2 July 2019, Andorran citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 166 countries and territories, ranking the Andorran passport 21st in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
Controls imposed on internal borders within a single state or territory include measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders through border controls.
