How to Obtain a Work Visa in Northern Cyprus — Step-by-Step Guide

Northern Cyprus attracts foreigners with the opportunity to work by the sea, relatively low living costs, and a large number of vacancies in the service, construction, education, and IT sectors. However, to work legally, a foreigner needs not a tourist stamp but a work visa and work residence permit (work permit), which are arranged through an employer.

• Who can get a work visa and under what conditions
• Step-by-step procedure for obtaining a work visa
• Can you stay on the island while looking for a job
• If you want to get a work visa without unnecessary mistakes and problems

Who can get a work visa and under what conditions

To obtain a work visa, you need to be officially employed on the island. At the same time, the company or organization with which you sign the employment contract must be:

• registered in the TRNC;
• registered with tax and social funds;
• officially paying taxes and social contributions to the state budget.

Formally, the initiator of the procedure is always the employer: it is the employer who submits documents to the TRNC Ministry of Labour and Social Security to obtain a preliminary work permit for the foreigner. Without such a permit, working in the TRNC is not allowed, even if you are on the island with a tourist stamp or another type of residence permit.

You can find a vacancy and a potential employer through Russian-language Telegram chats, among other sources:

• Vacancies
• Northern Cyprus

In most cases, the applicant is required to have:

• a valid passport with sufficient validity;
• a signed employment contract with a TRNC employer;
• criminal record certificate and basic medical tests (as required by the employer and migration authorities);
• qualification confirmation — diplomas, certificates (especially relevant for medicine, education, IT).

Step-by-step procedure for obtaining a work visa

The general algorithm for obtaining a work visa and work permit is as follows:

1. You find an employer in Northern Cyprus and agree on the terms of employment.
2. The employer submits a preliminary application to the TRNC Ministry of Labour for the issuance of a work permit for you (pre-permit). At this stage, the company itself and the compliance of the vacancy with legal requirements are checked.
3. You must stay outside the TRNC while the preliminary permit is being processed. Exception — if you already have a valid residence permit at the time of application: in this case, it is possible to stay on the island while your status is converted to work status.
4. After the preliminary permit is approved, you receive the right to enter for work and obtain a work visa (or a special work entry stamp — depending on your country and current rules).
5. Upon arrival in the TRNC, the employer helps you undergo mandatory medical examinations and complete the issuance of the full work permit, which is recorded in the system and/or in your passport.

How long does it take?

In practice, the entire process can take from 1 to 6 months from the moment the employer submits the documents, depending on the industry, workload of the authorities, and completeness of the document package. Therefore:

• do not plan to start work “immediately after the interview” — allow time for bureaucracy;
• consider that during processing, you generally must stay outside the TRNC and wait for an invitation from the employer (except when you are already a resident under a residence permit).

After approval, the full work permit is usually issued for a period of 6 months to 1 year with the possibility of extension if the employment contract with the same employer continues.

Can you stay on the island while looking for a job

Planning to stay in Northern Cyprus while looking for a job? In this case, a work visa alone will not help: it is impossible to obtain one without an employer. However, you can legalize your stay by other means — through a residence permit (residence permit).

If you plan a long-term stay in Northern Cyprus:

• obtain or extend a residence permit on a suitable basis (property, high income, family, etc.);
• this will help avoid fines for overstaying your visa and provide you with a legal status while looking for a job;
• with a residence permit, you can later switch to work status through an employer without leaving the island (in coordination with the migration authorities).

Our specialist will assist you with obtaining or extending your residence permit, taking into account all nuances and requirements of the TRNC migration legislation.

If you want to get a work visa without unnecessary mistakes and problems

Contact our partner — the legal company DeJure.

Phone: +90 539 119 05 55
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