Natalie M

Review of Cyprus High Commission

As simply as I can... So unprofessional and untrai...

As simply as I can... So unprofessional and untrained. I'm British and my husband is Non EU. He has an EU residence card, meaning, by EU law, that he can travel through Europe with/to join me without the need to obtain a visa. We were going to Cyprus and wanted to double check. Someone at the CHC said 'I am 100% sure you need a visa" Over the week I argued this with prints of EU law, emails from other Cypriot Embassies saying he doesn't, emails from European Rights SOLVIT, emails from the Department of Interior in Cyprus and emails from the airport security in Cyprus. He insisted my husband needed a visa for the whole week and became really impatient with me. He actually said to me: 'I have lost faith in my colleagues in Cyprus and I am 100% sure your husband needs a visa and if you want to try he will get sent back" So obviously someone 'official' saying this scares you. Anyway we went ahead and got to Cyprus. WALKED IN with no visa and no problems. The man I spoke to at the CHC REFUSED to write down what he had told me, so I couldn't take it further. But just so you know, officials here are sometimes WRONG. So research yourself and don't depend on what they say. I'm sure the man I spoke to must have been frustrated by another know-it-all person walking in there... but he could have at least checked and found out that there was an issue with the information he was giving people and to fix it for the future! I doubt any of this happened!