By Trevor Hughes……
Chemist Winter Opening Hours
On weekdays, Pharmacy opening hours change to 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday and Saturdays between 8am and 1.30pm until March 31, 2019.
The remaining hours and Sundays will be covered by on duty pharmacies.
British Passport Renewal
Changes to U K passport renewal have been slipped out un announced by the U K Home Office on the 10th of September this year!
In effect your renewal passport won’t last for ten years, it’s nine and a half years, maximum. The Government here, in the TRNC, states that to legally live here you must have at least six months on your current passport, so be aware.
When making your renewal application be aware that any unused time left on your old passport will not be added to your new passport, as before.
Vehicle Insurance
You may have read recently, the Government had announced that vehicle owners making insurance policy applications must hold a current and valid road tax certificate, has been shelved.
Resistance to this requirement was by the Association of Insurance providers who would be expected to oversee this change. The committee did not accept the change because the drivers who do not tax their vehicle are even more less likely to insure the vehicle and they 
could not accept the change without further consultation to help the Government introduce a scheme that will work.
With effect from Monday 30th September 2018 all vehicle insurance will be increased. This is due to the cost of repair, the falling value of the Turkish Lira and the volume of road traffic accidents. Insurance providers suffering these spiralling costs supported the Union of North Cyprus Insurance and Reassurance Companies who met with the Transport and Public Works Ministry to discuss the situation. As a result, there was no alternative but to agree and increase insurance premiums. All insurance providers have to comply, there are no exceptions. And must co-operate!!
Winter Opening Hours for Public Offices
Winter working hours at all public offices and departments will come into effect as of Monday, 17 September.
All government offices will be open from 8 am to 12:30 pm and 1pm to 4:15 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Working hours on Thursday will be from 8am to 12:30 pm and 1pm to 5:30 pm.
Temporary Residence Fee
The fee for a two-year Temporary Residence stamp is now 690 tl.
First Application for a Temporary Residency Permit (for those under the age of 60 years).
For your initial application you should report to the Immigration Section at your local Police station. Opening hours are typically Mon-Fri 0815-1145, but will vary, especially in the summer. You should take with you the following documents:
- Your valid passport, plus a copy of the photo page.
- 2 recent passport photos.
- photocopy, of your property sale contract, koçan (deed) or rental contract in your name
- Local bank statement showing holder’s name and latest balance.
- Original letter from your local Muhtar confirming your residency address.
- Married couples should produce their marriage certificate plus a photocopy
- Dependents over 18 years will need a notarised statement from their sponsor (e.g. parents) promising financial support.
(We understand that those people who have held a TRNC Temporary Residents Permit up to the age of 60, that on expiry of that permit they are not required to apply for a new Temporary Residents Permit)
Couples. If a couple apply together, each person must have a full set of documents. For the first year, it is only possible to obtain a residency permit for one year. For successive renewals a 2 year option is available, but normally only if you are aged 60 or over. Having said that, a married couple renewing together, and where only one is over 60, if the other spouse is over 55 it might be possible to obtain a two year residency for the under 60 partner at the immigration officer’s discretion.
Medical Test. If the documents are in order, the immigration officer will give you a slip of paper to take to Koop Bank ın Girne to pay for the medıcal tests. You then go back to the polıce statıon and they wıll gıve you another slıp tellıng you whıch clınıc to go to for the medıcal tests (normally a blood test and a BCG test).
Collect Medical Results. After a week or so you should return to the clınıc where you had your blood done with your passport and medical test payment receipt to receive your medical test results under signature. The results will be contained in a sealed envelope which you should not open.
Obtain Temporary Residence Status. After 6 weeks go to the residency office at the Immigration Department in Lefkosa on a weekday morning, taking with you the documentation detailed below. The residency office closes at 1.00 pm and you will need to take a ticket number from a machine by the office door to secure your place in the queue.
- Your passport
- Your medical report in its sealed envelope
- The current residency fee .
- Revenue stamps (You can buy stamps in the Cafe on the same floor).
Having handed in the various forms to the residency office, if all is in order you will be asked to take your passport and an invoice for the appropriate fee to the pay office (Vizne) down the corridor to make the payment. Once there, hand over your passport and the invoice and on payment of the fee your passport will be returned with the residence stamp inserted. Return with your passport and fee receipt to the residency office for final documentation by the immigration officer and that is the end of the process.
Winter Time Clocks
The clocks go back one hour on Sunday 28th October 2018 at midnight.
Vehicle Registration Office
The new vehicle registration office in Lefkosa [the old CTA office] has now opened for business. It is located on the main road into Lefkosa and opposite the Merit hotel and next to the Garanti bank on the left. The office name is Kibris Turk Hava Yollari which is displayed in large orange letters.
You will still have a long wait to be processed [the same as the old office] but in a more congenial environment.
Bayram Holidays October 29 – Turkish Republic Day
One more Turkish Bayram and this is to commemorate the declaration of an independent Republic of Turkey in 1923, the culmination of the War of Independence and the victory of Turkish troops on 30th August.
On this day all Government, Local Government offices, schools and Banks will be closed for the day
For any further information please email me through the contact box below.
[contact-form-7 id=”605543″ title=”Contact form 2″]
