North Cyprus is a beautiful and peaceful place to live, many British people have taken the plunge in Northern Cyprus and are enjoying a full, rich and happy life here in the sun. Moving anywhere can be a stressful experience, so to make things a bit easier we asked legal expert Naomi Memhet a few ‘FAQ’s’ about living in Northern Cyprus.
Click the question to go to the answer or scroll down to read all.
1. Can i stay in North Cyprus permanently?
2. Can i work in Northern Cyprus?
3. What do i have to be wary of when dealing with Builders or Property Developers in Northern Cyprus?
4. If i want to build my own home how do i know the land is safe to buy?
5. Is the legal system in Northern Cyprus very different to the British legal system?
6. What happens to my money or property if i die in Northern Cyprus?

1. Can i stay in North Cyprus permanently?
If you wish to reside in the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cypus), but not to work, you need a residency permit.
Whenever a person enters the TRNC, their passport is stamped at the port of entry with a tourist visa. This entitles that person to remain in the TRNC for the period of time stated on the tourist visa (usually three months) without working.
On the expiry of this period, that person must leave the TRNC or face heavy fines for exceeding the visa period.
It is possible for a person to leave the TRNC and return the following day, for example by flying to Turkey, thereby obtaining a further tourist visa (it should be noted that there is some doubt about whether crossing to the South of Cyprus counts as leaving the TRNC for the purpose of obtaining the tourist visa).

For many people this is a sufficient means of ‘residing’ in the TRNC. Many people do not stay in the TRNC for longer than the period of the tourist visa at any given time and therefore do not need to apply for residency. For those people, however, who wish to stay in the TRNC for longer than the period of the tourist visa, a residency permit must be obtained.
To obtain this, the first port of call is the local Police Station’s immigration
department – in Kyrenia this is near the Wednesday market.

You will need to produce to the police the following documents:
1. Passport original and photocopy
2. If you have the title deeds to property in your name, the title deeds (original) and photocopy.
If you have purchased a property under Contract of Sale, but have not yet received the title deeds to the property, the Contract of Sale (original) and photocopy.
3. If you are living in rented accommodation the Tenancy Agreement (original) and
photocopy.
4. A letter from your local village chief (Muhtar as they are known in Turkish) to say that you reside in his village. This letter is called Ikametgah Belgesi in Turkish. You can usually find your Muhtar in the centre of the village where you live near to the local municipality (belediye) building or the post office.
5. Bank documents showing that you have a TRNC bank account which has sufficient funds or a regular income to enable you to support yourself in the TRNC without working.
6. 2 passport photographs
7. 6 YTL stamps (Damga Pulu in Turkish) (the amount required is constantly changing, so you should take a selection of stamps with you in case further stamps are required)

The police will then refer you to the Lefkosa State Hospital, or now there are certain clinics which are licensed to carry out this work, for a health test. The test will check for infectious diseases such as HIV, hepatitis and TB. After you have had the health test, you will collect the results and take them unopened to the immigration office in Lefkosa for the residency permit to be stamped in your passport. The immigration office is called the ‘Muhaceret Dairesi’ in Turkish.
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2. Can i work in Northern Cyprus?
If you wish to work in the TRNC, you must obtain a work permit.
It is illegal to work in the TRNC without a work permit.

Usually, your employer will assist you with this. You cannot apply for this without having gained employment as it is specific to that employment and employer and there are contracts and other forms which need to be signed by both the employer and the employee. You will have to undergo the same medical checks as outlined above for residency, but will not have to show a contract of sale or bank documents.

If you wish to set up your own business, you will need a permission to set up a business which allows you to live in the TRNC and operate a business. Again the medical and other checks are the same as for residency (see previous post) and usually, your company accountant will assist you with the procedures.
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3. What do i have to be wary of when dealing with Builders or Property Developers in Northern Cyprus?
It is important to ensure that all of the parties involved in the transaction are reputable.

The estate agent should be a registered estate agent under the Estate Agents Law and you should ask for a copy of their licence. A list of registered estate agents is available on the TRNC Property Information Office’s website
The developer should be registered with the Constructors Union.
A list of registered construction companies is available here >
You should also use a reputable lawyer with experience in conveyancing who is registered with the TRNC Bar Association.

In all cases, it is best to speak to as many people as possible to obtain feedback on the reputability of the parties involved. When dealing with estate agents or lawyers, ask for a reference i.e. someone who has used their services before and who can give you feedback on their experience.

When dealing with builders, ask to see sites which they have previously completed to get an idea of the quality of the workmanship and speak to people who have purchased from them before to find out whether they experienced any problems.
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4.If i want to build my own home how do i know the land is safe to buy?
If you wish to purchase land first and then build a property,  the same procedures should be followed when purchasing the land as outlined in my first question.

It is a good idea to take title to the land before you commence construction. Although this can mean significant delays because you would have to wait 2 – 2 ½ years for your permission to purchase before you could start building, there are several advantages to this:

1. If you start the construction work before you have taken title, there is an inherent risk in that the land is still registered in the name of another person and therefore there could be problems if that person breaches the contract for the sale of land and fails to transfer title to you.

2. If you complete the construction before taking title, when the title deeds are transferred to you, the Land Registry will take the new construction into account when calculating your Transfer Fees and therefore, you will pay Transfer Fees on the whole value of the property, not just on the value of the land. If you take title first, you will pay your Transfer Fees on the land value only.

3. From a security point of view, you will be in a safer position in the event that you have a dispute with the builder because you own the land, you can terminate the building contract and enter into a new contract with a different builder to complete the work. Some people encounter problems when buying off plan from builders where the land is owned by the builder because in the event of a dispute, the builder can try to threaten them by refusing to transfer the title deeds to the property.
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5. Is the legal system in Northern Cyprus very different to the British legal system?
The legal system in Northern Cyprus is based on English Law and is a Common Law system. The original Laws of Cyprus were written in English and date back to the 1950s. Of course there have been various amendments since then and there has been a strong influence from Turkey. The major difference, however is in procedure.

The procedures followed by the administrative offices are very different and the whole concept of obtaining a ‘permission to purchase’ from the Government makes the conveyancing transaction very different to that in the UK.
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6. What happens to my money or property if i die in Northern Cyprus?
It is advisable to make a will in Northern Cyprus covering your property in Cyprus. This is a simple procedure. Wills can be prepared in English and must be signed in the presence of two witnesses. It is advisable to lodge a copy of the will with the probate registrar.

If you die without leaving a will, one sixth would go to your spouse and the rest to your children (providing there are no more than 5). If you do not have any children half will go to your spouse and half to your parents (or if they are deceased to brothers/sisters).
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Many thanks to Naomi for these answers, look out for her regular legal advice column on Lincguide.
To ask her a question click here >
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