Cyprus Student Visa & Entry Permit Guide for Indian Students

To study at a college in the Republic of Cyprus, you need an entry permit before you travel, which your college applies for, and then a temporary residence permit, which you apply for within 7 days of arriving. This guide covers the Republic of Cyprus only. Cyprus West University is in North Cyprus, which has its own entry process and is outside the EU and Schengen.

Step by step, from offer letter to your first year

1. Get an offer from a registered college. The college must be registered with Cyprus’s Ministry of Education, and the course must be a full-time programme leading to a qualification Cyprus recognises.
2. The college applies for your entry permit. It submits the application to the Civil Registry and Migration Department while you are still in India. You cannot switch to student status from a tourist or visitor visa inside Cyprus.
3. Wait for the decision. A complete application is examined within one month, by the Migration Department and the Ministry of Education. Missing documents add time.
4. Travel, then register within 7 days. You register in the Aliens’ Register and apply for a temporary residence permit, giving your photo, fingerprints and signature, with the fee receipt and your passport. This application is examined within 3 months.
5. Renew every year. The permit lasts up to one year and is renewed each year until your course ends. At renewal, the authorities check that you are making enough progress in your studies.

Documents

Your college gives you its document list for the entry permit. Follow its current list exactly. The Migration Department requires every supporting document to be officially translated and duly certified, which is why our file includes the apostille and notary work.

Official government fees

• Entry permit and residence permit application: EUR 70
• The same with an Alien Registration Certificate (ARC): EUR 140
• Residence permit issue or renewal: EUR 55
• First registration in the Aliens’ Register: EUR 70

These are the Migration Department’s own figures. Tuition and the college’s charges are separate; see our Cyprus study guide for the colleges.

Working while you study

Students may work outside study time, only in the occupations and sectors set by an order of the Minister of Labour: up to 20 hours a week while classes run and up to 38 hours a week during breaks. You first sign a contract with the employer and a District Labour Office must approve it, with your study schedule attached. Plan your budget without counting on part-time income.

After a master’s degree

Students who complete a master’s degree or higher can apply to stay for up to 12 months to look for work or set up a business at the level of their studies. Visa Connection does not arrange jobs; we explain the official rule.

Travelling home and back

With a valid residence permit and passport you can re-enter Cyprus, as long as you have not been away for more than three months. The European Commission says Cyprus takes part in Schengen cooperation but has not yet lifted its internal border checks (European Commission, Schengen area), so a Cyprus permit does not yet work as a Schengen visa.

If the application is refused

The Migration Department sends a letter with the reasons for the refusal. Read the reason before anything is sent again: the same file usually gets the same answer. Our refusal case review starts from that letter.

What we charge

Admission help through a college we represent is free, because the colleges we represent pay us a commission when you enrol. Our Cyprus Study Package fee of ₹18,000 (GST included) covers the visa and permit file, apostille, notary and courier, and is paid within 7 days of visa approval, nothing before. If your admission was arranged elsewhere, the visa file alone is ₹18,000 in two halves. Full terms: Fees & refunds. Back to Study in Cyprus.

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