Cyprus student visa guide

This guide covers the Republic of Cyprus only, not the north of the island. For a full-time higher education course, your university applies to the Migration Department for your student entry permit while you stay in your home country, and you travel on that permit. Within 7 days of arriving you register in the Aliens' Register and apply for a temporary residence permit, which includes medical tests in Cyprus and is renewed every year.

Use the guide below as a planning reference, then check the official source before you pay anything or submit an application.

Tips from experience

• Check that your university is in the Republic of Cyprus and recognised by the Ministry of Education before you pay anything.
• Start certifying your documents early, because Cyprus has no resident mission in Nigeria.
• Stay in Nigeria until the entry permit is issued, since you cannot apply from Cyprus on a visitor visa.
• Register within 7 days of arrival and keep your fee receipt, as it lets you re-enter Cyprus while your application is pending.
• Get a signed and Labour Office approved contract before you start any part-time job.
• Treat fee figures as indicative and check the Migration Department students page before you pay.

Documents most applicants need are marked required. Others depend on your case or on what the office asks for. Build a printable checklist.

• Passport copy Required

  Valid for the whole stay or at least 2 years from the application date.

• Acceptance letter from the higher education institution Required

• Bank certificate from your home country with a bank statement Required

  Or a scholarship certificate. Must show you can cover living, study and repatriation costs.

• Original police clearance certificate Required

  From your country of origin or country of residence.

• Medical tests from your home country Required

  Hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis and a chest X-ray report for tuberculosis.

• Academic certificates Required

  School leaving certificate, degrees and English language certificate, as relevant.

• Bank guarantee for repatriation costs Required

  From you or from your institution.

• Medical tests from a hospital in Cyprus Required

  Repeated after arrival, stamped by a doctor.

• Plan A health insurance certificate Required

  Covering inpatient and outpatient care and repatriation of remains. Submitted after arrival.

• Original entry permit (M70) Required

  Submitted after arrival.

• Passport page with your Cyprus arrival stamp Required

• Title deed or rental agreement Required

  For your address in Cyprus.

• Certificate from a bank in Cyprus Required

  Confirming you have transferred enough money into a personal account.

• Parental authorisation If asked

  Needed if you are under 18.

Indicative government fees only. School fees, translations, tests, courier and service charges are extra.

Living funds

No fixed amount. See the basis below.

Basis

The Migration Department asks for a certificate from a bank in your home country, with a bank statement, showing you can pay for living costs, studies and repatriation, or a scholarship letter. After arrival you must show that you have moved enough money into a personal account at a bank in Cyprus to cover living, study and repatriation costs for the stay.

Tuition included

Yes

The Migration Department does not publish a fixed monthly or yearly amount. It says the evidence of financial ability is set by Council of Ministers decisions. Ask your university for the amount it expects before you start, and check the current requirement with the Migration Department. A bank guarantee for repatriation costs is also required, from you or from your university. The Migration Department does not publish the amount, so ask your university.

Typical decision time

The Migration Department says entry permit applications for students are examined within one month when complete, by the Migration Department and the Ministry of Education. Missing or weak documents add time. Residence permit applications made after arrival are examined within 3 months.

How early you can apply

Start as soon as you accept your offer. Your documents need official certification, which can take weeks, and your university submits the entry permit application once everything is ready.

Latest sensible time to apply

Aim to get a complete document set to your university at least 3 months before your course starts, to allow for certification, courier time and the Migration Department's review.

1. 1

   Get admitted to a recognised institution

   Get an acceptance letter for a full-time programme at a higher education institution registered with or recognised by the Cyprus Ministry of Education. Make sure it is in the Republic of Cyprus.

2. 2

   Gather your documents in Nigeria

   Collect your passport copy (valid at least 2 years or for the whole stay), police clearance certificate, medical tests for hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis and a chest X-ray for tuberculosis, bank certificate and statement, and academic certificates.

3. 3

   Certify and translate everything

   Public documents must carry an Apostille or a full diplomatic certification chain, and must be in Greek or English. Cyprus has no resident mission in Nigeria, so ask your university how the certification chain works for Nigerian documents before you start.

4. 4

   Send documents to your university

   Your university submits the entry permit application to the Migration Department on your behalf, together with the bank guarantee for repatriation costs. Follow its instructions on fees, courier and copies.

5. 5

   Wait outside Cyprus for the entry permit

   You cannot apply while visiting Cyprus on a tourist visa. The Migration Department aims to decide complete applications within one month.

6. 6

   Travel on your entry permit

   The gov.cy visa page says holders of entry permits issued by the Migration Department do not need a separate visa. Keep the original entry permit, as you need it for the residence permit.

7. 7

   Register and apply for residence within 7 days

   Book at an application submission office, pay the fee, give your photo, fingerprints and signature, and submit the after-arrival documents, including medical tests from a Cyprus hospital, Plan A health insurance and a Cyprus bank certificate.

8. 8

   Renew every year

   The permit lasts up to one year. Renew it before it expires with a transcript showing satisfactory progress, insurance, accommodation and proof of funds.

Work and post study rules change often. Confirm them on the official source before you plan around them.

• Documents were copies instead of originals, or lacked the required Apostille or diplomatic certification.
• Bank evidence did not show enough money for living, study and repatriation costs, or came without a statement.
• Medical tests or the police certificate were missing, incomplete or not translated.
• The institution or programme was not registered with or recognised by the Ministry of Education.
• The applicant was already in Cyprus on a tourist or visiting visa when the application was made.
• On renewal, the student did not make satisfactory academic progress or attend regularly.

Refused before? Read what to do after a visa refusal.