The diplomatic mission explained that on June 13, accepting applications through BLS International visa centers will be suspended due to the expiry of the contract. People who submitted documents by June 11 will be able to collect their passports at the centers where they submitted their applications. The embassy noted that it is planned to sign a new contract with an external visa service operator in the near future.
Currently, entry to Cyprus for Russians is possible both on the basis of a Cypriot national visa and on the basis of a valid Schengen visa of another country. The application procedure for Cyprus visas has changed from October 2025. After the introduction of the obligation to provide biometric data, applicants must appear in person when submitting documents.
Cyprus is part of the European Union but is not part of the Schengen area and issues its own national visas. When flying to the island from other European countries, passengers undergo border control.
Currently, only Cyprus and Ireland remain outside the Schengen area among the EU countries. After joining the European Union in 2004, Cyprus committed to joining the Schengen area and submitted its official application to join the Schengen area in September 2019.
After the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Cyprus strengthened its control over Russian capital and compliance with European Union sanctions. The republic's authorities, in cooperation with the FBI, carried out checks on Russian businessmen and their financial structures. Cyprus has revised its decisions on granting citizenship under the “golden passports” program.
In recent years, dozens of investors and their family members have been deprived of their Cypriot citizenship, including entrepreneurs Oleg Deripaska, Mikhail Gutseryev, Igor Kesaev, Alexei Kuzmichev, Alexander Ponomarenko, Vadim Moshkovich and Sergei Lomakin.
