Cyprus-Forum.com

[mac]

Hi all,

Advice needed. I intend bring my family to Cyprus to stay for a couple of months, driving from the UK and taking ferries. We have two young children - four and four months. I've worked out an overland route involving a ferry from Turkey to Kyrenia which would be easiest and cheapest way. Will I have any problems taking the car from North to South? I know this is an emotionally charged and political issue and I don't want to upset anyone. I'm an old Cyprus hand and I know the place very well, but haven't faced this issue before. I know people are crossing with UK passports who are "deemed to have entered illegally", but they are no longer being turned back. Any advice, please.

Cheers,

Mac

[GammaDragon]

Although the restrictions have been eased slightly on the green line, it is still only Cypriots who are allowed to cross from North to South at specific crossing points. UK citizens may face arrest and/or imprisonment.

Not that it helps you, but crossing from South to North can be done by UK citizens at specific crossing points again - one of which is at the Ledra Palace in Nicosia, although this is pedestrian only.

I'm fairly sure this is up-to-date, but anyone can please feel free to correct me

[cannedmoose]

I highly doubt your car will be allowed across, since officially it will have entered Cyprus by an illegal port of entry. You will probably be allowed across on foot, as the restrictions have been relaxed. But I'd be surprised if your car stands any chance of being allowed, particularly since with UK plates it will stand out a mile. Good luck on the trip though, sounds exciting.

[turkcyp]

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[erolz]

I am pretty sure that you can cross with you car without problems (provided you take out the necessary insurances required by both the North and the South). I am absolutley certain that you can cross 'as people' (not with UK car) from North to South (and visa versa) without any trouble. I myself have crossed in the past with my UK passport (rather than my TRNC idenidity card - I have both) and my NZ national partner has also crossed many times. Many expats cross with their TRNC registered vehicals so it would be strange to allow these but not a UK one. Even in the 'worse case' senario that for some reason you are not allowed to cross with your UK registered car you could always hire a car in the North and use that for your visit south.

It sounds like quite an 'adventure' you are planning (My Brother drove from the UK to Cyprus many years ago - in an old style MR2 no less!). I wish you all the best with you adventure and hope you can get enough assurance from competent authorites (rather than just 'hersay' advice you get here) about the Cyprus crossing issue that you planned adventure becomes a reality. Wishing you all the best.

[efe]

mac, you can find alot of information on this side.
http://groups.msn.com/NorthernCyprusTRN ... there.msnw

i actually want to do a similar thing. i may visit northern cyprus this summer and if possible i'ld like to cross to the south. i have been in the north two times before the gates were opened. so this time for a change, why not see the south.

my question is, will i be able to get into south with a Turkish passport? I also have a Canadian passport thanks to my parents, but my birthplace is Istanbul, TUR so they will know that I am Turkish. i really dont wanna get arrested for no reason, i just want to see the south : )

any suggestions?

[garbitsch]

efe, there is noway that you can pass to South with Turkish passport, since the Turkish citizens need Cyprus visa and you can only get it in Athens. And I think only the EU citizens can pass to south from north, if they had entered the island through the ports in North. So, people from other countries, i.e Canada cannot pass according to the procedure. But, since the border controlling is done arbitrarily in south, it is still up to the greek cypriot officer who checks the passports. He might let you pass, at the same time he may arrest you. I suggest you not to do it.

[erolz]

efe, there is noway that you can pass to South with Turkish passport, since the Turkish citizens need Cyprus visa and you can only get it in Athens. And I think only the EU citizens can pass to south from north, if they had entered the island through the ports in North. So, people from other countries, i.e Canada cannot pass according to the procedure. But, since the border controlling is done arbitrarily in south, it is still up to the greek cypriot officer who checks the passports. He might let you pass, at the same time he may arrest you. I suggest you not to do it.

My New Zeland partner passes regularly from the North to the South - having arrived in Cyprus via the North. She has never had any problems. When the border first opened and before RoC EU accession it was only cypriots who were allowed to cross. After EU entry both EU and non EU have been allowed to cross (though Turkish citizens may require a visa).

From memory some authorites in the RoC tried to bring prosecutions against both a GC that travelled north and flew to Turkey via ercan and against (non EU) citizens that crossed the to the South having arrived via the North. The RoC attorney general threw both cases out of court as I recall on the basis they could not enforce these laws on EU citizens (because of the various green line agreements with EU) and they could not therefore enforce them differently on non EU citizens either.

[turkcyp]

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[garbitsch]

As I said, the control at the Greek border is done arbitrarily, since the RoC does not recognise the Green line as a state border. Yet, as you said before, the RoC government might not want to get into trouble by arresting US and Canadian citizens, but still a Turk with Canadian passport might piss the officer off. I tell you another story. My Bangladeshi friend once had been to Cyprus via Paphos Airport. Although she had a British passport and NO TRNC STAMP, she'd been kept at the passport check for half an hour, since she had a Muslim name - meaning she might have been a Turk. That was of course before May 1, 2004. I don't know actually, it's up Mac to have a try.