The Northern third of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus is the Turkish Cypriot administered area and the majority of those living and working in North Cyprus herald originally from this area, the Turkish mainland or the United Kingdom. 

In 2004 the economy of North Cyprus finally awoke from enforced reverie that followed the 1974 Greek Cypriot coup d’etat and the ensuing Turkish invasion which resulted in the international community isolating the de facto state - and since 2004 Northern Cyprus has begun welcoming an increasing number of international citizens to its developing and emerging nation.

North Cyprus has similar immigration controls to the Turkish mainland although there are additional restrictions placed on those bearing a passport from the Greek mainland.  Generally speaking those who have the right to enter are citizens of the European Union including those from the United Kingdom and those from North America who have a valid passport.  Such individuals will usually be granted a visa at their point of entry allowing them the right to remain in North Cyprus for up to 90 days.

Citizens of all other nations may be allowed to enter if they have both a valid passport and a valid visa which should be obtained prior to travel.  However, in North Cyprus rules and regulations as well as laws and legislation change rapidly, therefore anyone planning on living and working in Northern Cyprus should get up to date immigration before they plan their move.  To obtain the latest information contact your nearest North Cyprus representative office or directly write to or call the North Cyprus embassy in Ankara.

Expatriates who make a permanent move to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have to apply initially for temporary residence.  It’s best to begin the process immediately after arrival because the process is lengthy and daily fines accrue for all those who overstay their 90 day visas.  It was recently announced that the receipts people receive from various bodies once they start the residency application process ball rolling are sufficient proof that an application has been made and remove the risk of fines being applied.

To get residency one has to go to the central Police station in the nearest large town (e.g., Kyrenia, Nicosia or Famagusta) to register and then have medical and blood tests and submit a tonne of paperwork to the immigration department and sit back and wait!  Luckily there are many local people available who will happily help expats through the process seamlessly for a small fee!

Currently it’s necessary to reapply for temporary residency annually for five years (previously three) before permanent residency can be applied for.  It’s important to mention that within a couple of weeks of obtaining temporary residency one must also have applied for a TRNC driving license as well as all other driving licenses become invalid at the time of residency acceptance and fines can be imposed on those caught with the wrong type of license!

As you can no doubt tell from the introduction to living and working in North Cyprus so far the country is beleaguered by bureaucracy – but apart from that side of things the nation is beautiful and the local people and expats alike are friendly and welcoming.

The economy of North Cyprus is dominated by the service industry, education and tourism and unsurprisingly the majority of jobs available are also in these industries.  North Cyprus is home to around six universities and three international schools, it has an emerging but rapidly expanding tourism industry and the other great employer of expats is the fledgling property market.  There are many estate agencies and building companies many of which have a strong British influence.

Expats are found across the island and unlike in many other nations they do not feel the need to live close together!  Living in North Cyprus is very easy because the pace of life is slow, the quality of life is excellent, the climate is nearly perfect and on the whole all of the citizens are friendly and supportive.