Republic of Cyprus introduces new border crossing rules — crossing with Turkish Cypriot ID cards is prohibited

From 25 August 2025, new regulations came into effect at the checkpoints with Southern Cyprus. Now, border crossing is only allowed with a Republic of Cyprus ID card or a European Union citizen card.

In particular, as noted in the statement of the Association of Workers in Southern Cyprus (Güney Kıbrıs’ta Çalışanlar Derneği), holders of only Northern Cyprus (TRNC) ID cards no longer have the right to cross the border, even if they previously used this method of travel.

Furthermore, those who have only a birth certificate must now present, at each crossing, not only this document but also a notarized copy of an ID card of one parent who is a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus. Thus, the new rules significantly restrict border crossing opportunities for people with a limited set of documents.

The Association of Workers in Southern Cyprus assured that it is in dialogue with authorities and will continue to inform the public about possible changes and developments in the situation.