Deportation from Northern Cyprus — reasons, consequences, and examples
If you are tired of the mild climate of Northern Cyprus, no longer enjoy the hospitality of the locals, the safety on the streets, delicious food, and fresh fruits — here’s what you need to do.
Method #1 — Forget about renewing your residence permit
Ignore notifications about renewing your residence permit. If you receive an SMS from the Ministry of Interior asking you to show your financial transactions, simply do not respond. After a couple of weeks, your residence permit will be canceled, and you will automatically become undocumented.
After that, you only need to get caught by the police — for example, during a document check. This will ensure your deportation from the TRNC territory. A classic and proven method!
Method #2 — Overstay your tourist visa beyond the period indicated in your passport stamp
Upon entering Northern Cyprus, you are granted a certain number of days for tourist stay. If you simply do not apply for a residence permit after the period ends — you automatically become undocumented. After that, on exit or any check, you will receive a fine or deportation.
The fine amount depends on the number of days overstayed, but in some cases, deportation occurs without the possibility of returning for 5 years.
Method #3 — Commit a serious offense
An excellent way to "leave with adventure" is to break the law. This could be fraud, assault, or any criminal offense. After the court trial, you either serve a prison sentence or are deported immediately after the verdict. Some foreigners, for example, were deported even after receiving a suspended sentence.
Method #4 — Become persona non grata
The highest level — be included in the official list of undesirable persons (persona non grata). For this, you need to become a threat to society or the state. There are already examples:
- Using students in criminal schemes to extort companies — like Turkish citizen Shiyar Ay.
- Being declared internationally wanted — like Russian citizen Vladislav Apakov.
How soon will you be deported?
Not immediately. TRNC law provides options: if you buy your own ticket, you are given 24 hours to leave. If you do not purchase a ticket — 20 days in prison, followed by forced departure on the next available flight.
In both cases, entry to Northern Cyprus will be prohibited for 2 to 5 years, depending on the reason for deportation.
Comment from Cyprus-FAQ
The editorial reminds: we strongly do not recommend breaking the law or staying illegally in the TRNC. Legalizing your stay is not difficult if you follow official channels. Our lawyers can help with renewing residence permits, student and work visas, and other immigration-related issues.
You can contact DeJure specialists via messengers:
Author
I am a person who is not afraid to change life when my heart tells me that something greater lies ahead. I am originally from Belarus. I have journeyed from pedagogical and economic education to the financial sector and many years of work in logistics — a world where everything moves, changes,…