The Ministry of the Interior of Cyprus announced the temporary suspension of the issuance of passports and ID cards due to a technical malfunction in the Civil Registry System.
The issue has affected both the standard and express document processing procedures, resulting in a complete halt in the production of all new passports and identity cards until the system is fully restored.
Applications Still Being Accepted
Despite the technical difficulties, residents of Cyprus can still submit applications for new or renewed documents at the designated service centers.
The Ministry emphasized that this step will speed up processing once the system is operational again.
All submitted data is being securely stored and will be automatically processed as soon as the system resumes normal operation.
System Recovery and Interdepartmental Cooperation
According to the Ministry, experts from the Civil Registry Department are working together with the IT Division of the Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy to resolve the issue.
Authorities assure the public that every effort is being made to restore the system as quickly as possible and minimize delays in document issuance.
An updated announcement with specific restoration timelines is expected to be published soon.
The Ministry apologized for the temporary inconvenience and thanked residents for their patience and understanding.
System Modernization and Preventing Future Failures
Experts note that this incident serves as another reminder of the need to modernize Cyprus’s digital government services.
The Ministry of the Interior is already preparing a project to upgrade the IT infrastructure, which includes the implementation of backup servers, enhanced data protection, and improved system stability.
According to preliminary estimates, the upgraded population registry system could be launched in 2026, helping to prevent similar technical disruptions in the future.