For those residents of the Russian Federation who are planning a trip to Cyprus in the near future, it will be useful to know whether a visa is needed for Russians. You should know that entry to the island is possible only if you have a visa, and the scheme of its design is significantly different from the rules of other countries. Let's find out what she is like.
How to apply for a visa to Cyprus?
This happens in two stages. First you need to get a preliminary, or a pro-visa, and then at the entrance to the island you on the basis of her put in a passport stamp visa.
Pro-visa is easy to get without leaving your own home. In order to apply, fill out the questionnaire, which can be found on the website of the Moscow Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus.
The rules for completing this questionnaire are simple. Download the form and fill out all its graphs electronically. This should be done in English, and then save the file in Microsoft Word format. In the file name, write your name in Latin (for example, PETR_IVANOV.doc). It is enough for unemployed, students and pensioners in the column "Occupation type" to indicate the word "student", "unemployed" or "pensioner" in English or in transliteration. An e-mail with a questionnaire attached to it should be sent to provisamoscow@mfa.gov.cy. In a few days, wait for the letter with the answer and the approved pre-visa.
Residents of St. Petersburg and the region, as well as those who live in the Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Pskov, Novgorod regions and the Karelian republic, can apply to the St. Petersburg branch of the Consulate General of Cyprus.
One of the frequently asked questions about entering the island is how much does a visa for Cyprus cost? Do not be surprised, but the visa to Cyprus is free: Russian-Cypriot international relations have been practicing such a scheme for many years, it has proved to be simple and effective at the same time. In addition to zero payment, I am glad that you can get a pro-visa in a very short time: from 30 minutes to 1-2 days. It depends on what day and time you sent the application. Thus, a visa to Cyprus without problems can be made urgently, even if you have on hand a burning tourist package.
In spite of the fact that the visa is free, it is necessary to make out it: without a visa of the established form, you will simply refuse entry to the country when passing customs control.
As you can see, it's very easy to get a visa to Cyprus.
Entry for the Schengen visa
You already know what kind of visa is needed to travel to Cyprus . But in addition to the standard scheme for issuing a visa to Cyprus for Russians, entry into the republic is also possible under your current Schengen visa of categories C and D. But it should be noted that entry must be made directly from Russia to Larnaca or Paphos. If you fly to Cyprus by transit through another country, then it is likely that even with the availability of a formalized visa in Cyprus, you will be refused entry, so it is better not to take risks here.
The validity of the visa to Cyprus
When opening a Cyprus visa, keep in mind that it is valid for exactly 3 months. The counting of these 90 days starts from the moment of actual entry into the country, and not from the date of submission of the questionnaire.
In addition to Schengen and ordinary, there are also short-term tourist visas. They exclude the possibility of coming to the island for the purpose of earning or immigration. To register such a one-time or multi-visa, you must personally apply to the Embassy of Cyprus with a package of documents, including the original and a copy of the passport, one standard photo, a completed application form and the hotel reservation where you will stay.
When entering the Schengen visa, the time spent in the Republic of Cyprus is not counted as the days spent by a tourist in the Schengen countries, but the total stay on the island should still not be more than 90 days.