Residency Charges.

puppylover · Post by **puppylover** » Tue 19 May 2015 6:22 pm

Can anyone who has done residency lately tell me the yearly charge and also what stamps are needed when attending Lefkosa.

Many thanks.

PoshinDevon · Post by **PoshinDevon** » Tue 19 May 2015 7:32 pm

Going tomorrow Tuesday to do this so will update once done.

puppylover · Post by **puppylover** » Tue 19 May 2015 8:51 pm

Many thanks. Much appreciated.

Keithcaley · Post by **Keithcaley** » Tue 19 May 2015 10:30 pm

PoshinDevon wrote:Going tomorrow Tuesday to do this so will update once done.

That would be Wednesday, then!

PoshinDevon · Post by **PoshinDevon** » Wed 20 May 2015 3:41 am

Its been a long, hot day!

LAHotel · Post by **LAHotel** » Wed 20 May 2015 6:25 am

Did mine last week, residency is 266TL and stamp required is 10.50TL, but if you buy from the little cafe in the residency building he will charge you 12TL for it!

puppylover · Post by **puppylover** » Wed 20 May 2015 8:35 am

LAHotel.

Many thanks.

PoshinDevon · Post by **PoshinDevon** » Wed 20 May 2015 12:33 pm

Yep confirm the above 266tl per person plus 12 tl stamp. Both of us under 60. Arrived at 8:30am and as it was first time for us wandered round to get our bearings/ticket/stamp.......then sat in waiting room for about 50mins. All done and dusted by 10am.

puppylover · Post by **puppylover** » Wed 20 May 2015 2:05 pm

Posh...glad it was painless!!

Bertie · Post by **Bertie** » Wed 20 May 2015 6:30 pm

Could someone please tell me the value of the stamps needed at the Police Station. Thank you.

WotNoDeeds · Post by **WotNoDeeds** » Thu 21 May 2015 5:03 am

Why do people give stamps to the police ? I've heard people doing this before ? for the last ten years I have only ever needed stamps for the Muktar letter and the stamp in your passport needed at immigration .

The whole residency process is out of date and should be simplified, why are "visitors" (under 60) some been here many, many years forced every year to jump through frankly medically disgusting hoops just to get 12 months temporary residency ? there is no end game to this residency farce that's why so many have left, The ex-pats still left here (under 60) are treated worse than animals just to get "visitor" status and don't forget these ex-pat "visitors" have spent 100's of 1,000's of pounds in this country I wonder if the Cypriots would be put up with this yearly medically dangerous runaround in the U.K. ?

topten · Post by **topten** » Thu 21 May 2015 5:40 am

WotNoDeeds wrote:Why do people give stamps to the police ? I've heard people doing this before ? for the last ten years I have only ever needed stamps for the Muktar letter and the stamp in your passport needed at immigration .

The whole residency process is out of date and should be simplified, why are "visitors" (under 60) some been here many, many years forced every year to jump through frankly medically disgusting hoops just to get 12 months temporary residency ? there is no end game to this residency farce that's why so many have left, The ex-pats still left here (under 60) are treated worse than animals just to get "visitor" status and don't forget these ex-pat "visitors" have spent 100's of 1,000's of pounds in this country I wonder if the Cypriots would be put up with this yearly medically dangerous runaround in the U.K. ?

topten · Post by **topten** » Thu 21 May 2015 5:40 am

WotNoDeeds wrote:Why do people give stamps to the police ? I've heard people doing this before ? for the last ten years I have only ever needed stamps for the Muktar letter and the stamp in your passport needed at immigration .

The whole residency process is out of date and should be simplified, why are "visitors" (under 60) some been here many, many years forced every year to jump through frankly medically disgusting hoops just to get 12 months temporary residency ? there is no end game to this residency farce that's why so many have left, The ex-pats still left here (under 60) are treated worse than animals just to get "visitor" status and don't forget these ex-pat "visitors" have spent 100's of 1,000's of pounds in this country I wonder if the Cypriots would be put up with this yearly medically dangerous runaround in the U.K. ?

Oh dear! tin hat ready I hope, because I have said this in my posts before, they keep dangling the carrot of citizenship and some people believe that they will eventually get this, no way will this happen, because they will lose the yearly thieving practice of stealing peoples money every year. This is never the same price, year after year it increases and people are happy to keep paying it no questions asked. This is one of many reasons why we left Cyprus after nearly 8 yrs. because we where fed up being treated as cash cows to be used year in year out, yes, I know there is some people whose keyboard will be red hot replying to this but in the next breath will be complaining about this when sat with friends in the bar. I know this is true because I used to say I love Cyprus, but there is only so many times you can make excuses for being robbed on a yearly basis.

PoshinDevon · Post by **PoshinDevon** » Thu 21 May 2015 6:17 am

Its the rules and regulations of the state that you chose to come and live in.

As for the medical, if they wish to confirm that you are not going to be a burden on their state by asking you to have a few blood tests and a tb scratch then so be it. I dont believe the medical was intrusive, have had far worse in the UK.

The 266TL x 2 works out at 532 TL per year. Exchange rate is around 4TL/£1. So around £133 for the two of us for the year. That works out at around 37p a day. Seems reasonable to me.

Its about personal choice, we chose to apply for a visa extension/temporary residency to comply with the laws of the state where currently the max stay is 90 days. Its peace of mind for us not having to worry if we have overstayed, need to leave the country or pop across to the south all in the hope we will get another 90 day stay. We are also aware that overstaying can have a lot of implications with regards to driving and car insurance which if involved in an accident could have costly implications.

So for us it really was a no brainer and we were happy to spend a day or so complying with the laws of the TRNC.

lilnrob · Post by **lilnrob** » Thu 21 May 2015 6:47 am

Agree with PoshinDevon whole heartedly
Lil

waddo · Post by **waddo** » Thu 21 May 2015 7:03 am

My UK Income Tax Personal Allowance (PA) is £10,600. Because I receive a state pension (over 65) my PA is reduced by the £6,480, giving me a real PA of £4,120. I receive two Government pensions – one ex military and one ex Civil Service, both are taxed at source and this can never be changed, no matter where in the world I live. I therefore am forced to pay a total of £217.80 income tax per month (£2,613.60 per year) on my two pensions to the UK Tax man. However, this payment gives me all sorts of benefits: It ensures that I cannot be treated under the NHS should I return to the UK, it ensures that I have no right to vote in the UK, it ensures that should I fall on hard times and be forced to return to the UK I am not eligible for any benefits or assistance in the first six months of returning, it allows me to pay almost double a UK residents cost of passport renewal and it ensures that I cannot legally hold a UK driving license. So for the sum of £7.16 per day payable to the UK I can have NOTHING in return.
Then again – going on the figures provided by Posh – I can pay £0.18 per day to stay here and get exactly the same NOTHING in return. OR I can return to the UK. Now please tell me which country it is that is treating me as a cash cow?

Oh yes, don’t forget this little item that is still ticking away like an un exploded bomb under all of us who have made up our minds to leave the UK forever: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultat ... -allowance

Lottidotti · Post by **Lottidotti** » Thu 21 May 2015 8:24 am

Waddo,I am a bit confused.I thought the personal allowance of £10.600 was for all income including pension,so for instance if all a persons income was a state pension that is under £10.600 there would be no tax to pay.
Or if a person had a pension of say £6000.00 then a works pension of say £5000.00 total £11000.00,Then the tax payable would be on the £400.00. (Approx tax of 80.00 per year)
You do seem to be paying a lot of tax on what you say are small pensions.For the amount of tax you are paying I would say your total income must be about £21 to £22k a year ( back of a fag packet calculation)
But as I say it's all a bit confusing.

surfmeetseast · Post by **surfmeetseast** » Thu 21 May 2015 8:52 am

Am I right in thinking that for 12 months residency for over 60's, you need your property kocan, your payment, a letter from your Muktar , passports and 2 stamps, and you go to the police station inn the first instance. Do we need our bank statements or anything else

tomsteel · Post by **tomsteel** » Thu 21 May 2015 9:45 am

Ref msg 18 above - use the search function on 'Law' above. It has oodles of information on what to do, where, when etc. There is no 'residency' status for expats of any age.

Keithcaley · Post by **Keithcaley** » Thu 21 May 2015 9:52 am

tomsteel wrote:...There is no 'residency' status for expats of any age.

Actually, there is!

However, if you haven't already got it, don't hold your breath, as there is a moratorium on new applications at the moment.

tomsteel · Post by **tomsteel** » Thu 21 May 2015 11:09 am

When was the last 'residency, temporary or otherwise', issued? Not in the past 7 years anyway. "At the moment" - you're having a giraffe!http://www.kibkomnorthcyprusforum.com/p ... 8&p=115695#

waddo · Post by **waddo** » Thu 21 May 2015 11:29 am

Lottidotti, In one way you are quite correct in your assumption. The Government take great pains to let everyone know that the State Pension is Tax Free and is not taken into account with any other pensions or earnings. What they do not make as plain is the fact that once you are in receipt of your State Pension - and everyone's State Pension is different - that amount is deducted from your individual Personal Allowance. So lets say that my Military pension is £9,500 and my Civil Service Pension is £6,500, giving me a total of £16,000 before tax, then deduct the £10,600 personal allowance. I would then pay tax on £5,400 per year or £1,080 in tax each year. Now reduce my Personal Allowance by the amount of State Pension I receive and my tax bill goes up to £2,600 a year. However, I do reap the benefits of the TAX FREE State Pension!!!! How they steal the money is not the point, it is how much they steal that is the point. £2,600 in tax every year for providing nothing is a lot more than the £130 a year the TRNC takes off me because I wish to live here. It is why I get so annoyed with the phrase "cash cows" when referring to UK Citizens living in the TRNC. I chose to live here and am very happy with the cost, I chose not to live in the UK but still have to pay the same as if I had stayed there. Why? And before anyone asks, 25 years in the military and 17 years in the Civil Service, gives me a total of 42 years of paying UK tax before I left.

tomsteel · Post by **tomsteel** » Thu 21 May 2015 12:06 pm

Waddo you are not alone here. I spent a total of 45 years serving the Crown in 2 guises, yet the UK Government demanded the return of our family's EHIC and revoked the Form S1 status for treatment in the RoC as I was now 'not eligible' living outside the EU. So much for David's pledge to look after 'Veterans'. My pensions are taxed at source and I have no redress on that decision yet I can claim no benefits from my country of birth and to which I paid tax and NI for 45 years. I, do, however choose to live here and hopefully will leave this planet from here. All said, expats are viewed as 'cash cows' - different charges for electricity meters, water meters, services on property/gardens, hospital/medical costs et al.

Keithcaley · Post by **Keithcaley** » Thu 21 May 2015 12:11 pm

tomsteel wrote:When was the last 'residency, temporary or otherwise', issued? Not in the past 7 years anyway. "At the moment" - you're having a giraffe!http://www.kibkomnorthcyprusforum.com/p ... 8&p=115695#

I'm afraid that link doesn't actually go anywhere.

waddo · Post by **waddo** » Thu 21 May 2015 12:36 pm

Tomsteel, I realize I am not alone, there are many of us in the same situation suffering the "extortion" of the British Government with no rights of appeal, most of us knew this situation before we voted with our feet and went in search of a more pleasant place in which to live - there are many places like it in the world - we chose here. In my life I have never yet found a cow that doe's not require pressure to be milked. If you wished for low cost or free hospital/medical then stay in the UK milking shed, if you want cheap refuse collection on a two weekly basis then UK is for you, roads with potholes - go further west, problems with large gardens that cost a lot for maintenance - buy a property with standard UK sized garden, then the problem goes away. Services for swimming pools - swim in the sea! As for water/electric meters, how many people change the names on their meters - at cost - when the electric company only wants the bill paid and cares little who pays it? The same for the water bill, provided the bills are paid for the property, nobody in Cyprus - North or South - could give a jot whose name is on the bill and who pays for it - you can't take the meters with you to your hole in the ground anyway! We came here and learnt about Cyprus from Cypriots and how the systems work - the brown envelope is in plain sight here but it exists in every country in the world. The biggest problem for expats here (and everywhere else in the world) is the Dream! We all want the big villa, the pool, the easy life, etc, etc. When we are working we can afford all of it then we retire and the Dream becomes expensive and difficult. When we bought our first house here my Cypriot friend told me that in 10 years time a 2 mtr square of garden would be more than enough for us - I laughed!!!! 14 years down the line we often speak of that day and laugh together over how right he was then and is now. It is not what you want that makes you happy, it is what you have and can be happy with. A lot of expats become the beast that in real life should never exist - the "Self Milking" cow. Look to what you need instead of what you want and your milk will dry up. Just stay happy, that is the key.

surfmeetseast · Post by **surfmeetseast** » Thu 21 May 2015 1:30 pm

But with reference to my question, ( msg 18) isn't that what this thread is about? What
Posh in Devon has just done? That is what I am trying to do , just asking for finer detail

waddo · Post by **waddo** » Thu 21 May 2015 1:45 pm

Surf - Is this your first residency application? If so I think you have covered everything apart from - make sure you take photo copies of everything you take with you, you do not pay at the Police Station, you do not require stamps at the police station (unless that has changed), you will need to go through the medical process and take your bank statements. They are very helpful and if you go to the Police Station first, do it as a fact finding job and they will tell you everything that you need to have TODAY and what is happening next.

Sorry to miss your question but my best offer is always to go direct to the Police Station and ask them there - after all, if you ask somebody else and it has changed TODAY then you will only have to do it all again anyway. Ask the experts and you can't go wrong - treat it as a voyage of discovery and have a laugh along the way.

If it is a renewal then you don't need to go to the Police Station at all.

surfmeetseast · Post by **surfmeetseast** » Thu 21 May 2015 1:49 pm

THANK YOU Waddo! We had been misinformed then as we thought that over 60s did not have to do a medical. Yes, it is our first application, just so we don't have to keep travelling for the 90 days

JoandJelly · Post by **JoandJelly** » Thu 21 May 2015 1:59 pm

For the first application you do need stamps at the police station as well as stamps at immigration. The amount is displayed on the wall outside the office and you can buy them at the coffee shop just outside the police station. I would also take copies of your marriage certificate.

Keithcaley · Post by **Keithcaley** » Thu 21 May 2015 2:01 pm

Regardless of 1st time or not, you definitely need Bank Statements showing your regular income - e.g. pension - or a satisfactorarily large (unspecified) amount on deposit, which will allow you to live 'unsuported'. If married, copy of marriage certificate, if not married, couples are treated as 2 individuals, and must have documented independant incomes. If you have Internet Banking, a printout from your computer is fine.

tomsteel · Post by **tomsteel** » Thu 21 May 2015 2:19 pm

Msg 24 forget the link, it was a smiley face link. What answer to the question posed though?

tomsteel · Post by **tomsteel** » Thu 21 May 2015 2:22 pm

Waddo, ref msg 25 - totally support your view(s). However, rose-tinted specs can easily cloud the facts. Despite the problems/warts here, this is my home of choice.

Keithcaley · Post by **Keithcaley** » Thu 21 May 2015 2:41 pm

tomsteel wrote:Msg 24 forget the link, it was a smiley face link. What answer to the question posed though?

I've no idea when the last Residency was issued - that wasn't the point that I was addressing.

What I was commenting on was the fact that you said "There is no 'residency' status for expats of any age".

You didn't say that there are no NEW residencies being issued - if you had done so, I might have agreed with you, although I notice that Cyprus Star issue 233 stated that that the Government has reinstated Permanent Residency - I would still say 'Don't hold your breath' though...

tomsteel · Post by **tomsteel** » Thu 21 May 2015 2:45 pm

Currently, and in the past 7 years to my knowledge, there has been no residency issued. Passport stamps are annotated in manuscript as 'visitor'. You stated, "at the moment." How long is a moment in your view?

Keithcaley · Post by **Keithcaley** » Thu 21 May 2015 2:55 pm

tomsteel wrote:...How long is a moment in your view?

Right up to the instant when the situation changes.

I would not be so rash as to try to predict the future

But - I still maintain that 'Residency' exists for Expats - I happen to know a few Expats with residency - ergo, it exists, to say otherwise is imprecise, you might as well refer to Visitor Status as Residency if you are not going to be precise...

waddo · Post by **waddo** » Thu 21 May 2015 3:21 pm

Residency - not the visitor visa but the real thing - is still available, it was suspended some long time ago but it was still available then - honestly! Never forget this is the land of the brown envelope and anything can happen here provided you A) know the right person. B) are willing to pay the price. That is a way of life is all.

Rose colored spectacles tomsteel - since living here I have never worn them, I am a visitor and can be deported at anytime and at the whim of the court, so I stopped worrying, stayed as much within the law as it is possible to do and carry on regardless. Once the residency or is it going to be the White Card comes into being again, I will be in the que for sure.

tomsteel · Post by **tomsteel** » Thu 21 May 2015 3:29 pm

You have a loose and personal definition then. According to the Oxford Dictionary a 'moment' is defined as:
1. A brief period in time.
2. An exact point in time.
3. Importance.
4. A turning effect produced by a force on an object.
How precise is that for you?

Residency may well have been available for expats in the past, as was citizenship, apparently - but the only status available currently and for the recent past is 'visitor.' Fact.

tomsteel · Post by **tomsteel** » Thu 21 May 2015 3:35 pm

Waddo, yet again we're d'accord on the theme. My point, however, is as there is no TRNC residency status being issued, why do some expat insist on using the terminology, when all that is on offer is a visitor stamp?

waddo · Post by **waddo** » Thu 21 May 2015 4:04 pm

Residency as a word has become, by popular use, the term for the visitor visa. But the law for Aliens remains the same and states how long a visitor can stay and how often it needs to be renewed. I guess that lots of expats don't want to be referred to as Aliens so they stick with residency! Like you I am now an Alien in two country's - lol. Just waiting for my second nose to grow out.

Keithcaley · Post by **Keithcaley** » Thu 21 May 2015 4:21 pm

tomsteel wrote:You have a loose and personal definition then. According to the Oxford Dictionary a 'moment' is defined as:
1. A brief period in time.
2. An exact point in time.
3. Importance.
4. A turning effect produced by a force on an object.
How precise is that for you?

Residency may well have been available for expats in the past, as was citizenship, apparently - but the only status available currently and for the recent past is 'visitor.' Fact.

Hi (yet) again...

It seems that you took my comment to equate to definition (1) - a brief period in time, as in "The Boss isn't in just now, but he'll be along 'in a moment'.

Whereas, I intended the second meaning - an exact point in time, that is to say: "Now".

I did not, nor did I intend to, imply, or convey the impression that, it was only a matter of days, or months since Residency was last granted.

If I had said "...there is a moratorium on new applications now" or

"...there is a moratorium on new applications at this point in time" or

"...there is a moratorium on new applications currently"

- would you have been happier with that? - Because they all mean the same thing.

None of them refer to the period of time since a particular event took place,

I appreciate that you appear to have confused 2 separate meanings - one referring to a length of time, and one referring to an instant in time, but there's no need to apologise... - and I'm not holding my breath or anything...

surfmeetseast · Post by **surfmeetseast** » Thu 21 May 2015 4:51 pm

SEMANTICS!
And I still do not know if I need to have a medical as I am over 60. I only want to apply for a 12 month permit so I don't have to keep going South or UK every 3 months
And all you lot are just picking at each other on and on. OK you can say I am being lazy by asking for help from people in the 'know' but I thought it was a good starting point
It seems no one really knows anything and you all just want to nit pick at each other
I am surprised at you Tom Steele if you are the Cyprus Today writer, I always thought your articles were pretty astute
I give up now

PoshinDevon · Post by **PoshinDevon** » Thu 21 May 2015 5:11 pm

Things do regularly change and the pieces of paper required and whether you need a medical if you are over 60 etc etc can be confusing.

I will now lock this thread as I believe it has run its course. A search on this forum will bring up endless suggestions as to what needs to be done and paperwork required if you are over/under 60 and if its a first time application or second, third etc.

My advice as someone who has just done this process and under 60 would be as follows:-

Gather the following together and make at least 2 or 3 copies of each for each person - you should always have plenty of copies of everything.

1. Get Muktars letter.
2. Passport
3. Kocan or rental agreement
4. Marriage certificate (if married)
5. Copies of bank statements to prove you have sufficient money to live on. We took a bank statement from our bank here in the TRNC and also UK statements.
6. Passport photos

Go to Police station and enquire if you have everything required. If so they will assist with paperwork completion and will also advise re blood tests. If not then you will be told what else is needed.

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