On Thursday 16th May the Cypriot Parliament approved two amendments to the Citizenship Law, which had been tabled by DIKO MP Nicolas Papadopoulos.
The first concerns the children of foreigners who apply for a Cypriot passport. Under the current rules, it was not clear what they should do when they reach the age of majority if the process of examining their parents' applications for citizenship by naturalisation has not been completed. The leader of the DIKO party suggested that their applications should be considered as soon as their parents receive Cypriot passports.
The second amendment refers to the 3,500 applications submitted before the new version of the law, which requires knowledge of the Greek language and eight years of residence in Cyprus. There is no mention of a transitional period in the new version of the law. The MP suggested that their applications be processed under a lighter procedure (without the Greek language requirement), based on the version of the naturalisation law that was in force until December 2023. Papadopoulos insisted that all applications submitted before the amendment should be processed under an accelerated procedure within the next eight months.
As it turned out, an overwhelming majority of MPs agreed with the DIKO leader. In particular, 37 MPs voted in favour of the amendments to the law. Only Alexandra Attalidou, an independent MP from Nicosia, voted against them. She said during the session that she disagreed with the amendments because the division of people into different categories could put Cyprus at the centre of another scandal, as has already happened with the "golden" passports. Attalidou stressed that the amendments exclude poor people from obtaining citizenship and open the door only to those with money.
In response to her outrage, AKEL MP Aristos Damianou said that the new law applies to both the poor and the rich and that the criteria are the same for both categories of citizens. He added that the system, which had caused Cyprus many problems in the past, would now be rationalised.
Papadopoulos, on the other hand, suggested that Attalid should support his proposal if she was in favour of the previous naturalisation regime, as it would allow some applications to be processed under the previous regime. But the woman was adamant.
Recall that on 22 March 2024, the Cypriot Interior Ministry resumed accepting applications from foreigners seeking citizenship by naturalisation.
Applicants are now required to have a knowledge of Greek at A2 or B1 level.
This is one of the main criteria for obtaining a Cypriot passport:
- You may not be absent from Cyprus for more than 90 days per year. Days of absence are included in the calculation of the cumulative period of residence.
- You must have lived in Cyprus for a continuous period of 12 months before submitting the application package.
- The applicant must know the Greek language and of the history, culture, political structure and social life of Cyprus (he/she must pass an interview with an evaluation committee consisting of three persons representing the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education).
- The applicant for a Cypriot passport must have a stable source of income and a decent place to live. In addition, he/she must express a desire to continue to live and work on the island after obtaining Cypriot citizenship.
- The applicant must be of good moral character.
