Why did we decide to move to Cyprus?
We have been planning to move to another country for a long time, mainly to give the child a decent education and the opportunity to live a more stable life. We considered many different options.
- The process of adaptation is going on without much difficulty: everyone around us speaks English and many people speak Russian.
- You can get a classic English education and get an international diploma opening the door to serious European universit
- The climate is almost always summer, and a little autumn (December-January) and spring (February-March).
- Ecology is an island with mountains, forests and without heavy industry - you have no idea how to breathe here! Sleeps and eats very much too - the food is delicious, I can't say that it is cheap, although seasonal fruit vegetables cost almost a penny.
Cypriot peculiarities.
Everything here is "Sega-Sega": nobody is in a hurry, everything is measured and quiet. This quickly infects yourself, but sometimes, of course, you have to bring them, for example, in case of registration of any documents. But island life as if pushes you to calmness, contemplation, search for yourself. I started to draw, do sports, which I never had time for in Kiev.
In Cyprus, there is one feature - money does not solve anything here, only connections, mostly related. But it is easy to make friends with Cypriots, to make friends with them. They are very cheerful and friendly people, our mentality is similar, the sense of humor is the same.
And also, they love children, even worship them, and there are no prohibitions for them here. This is in contrast to the adult parent-parent relationship we have.
Visa issues and permanent residence in Cyprus.
Pro-visa is a one-time visa and is issued free of charge. You can stay in Cyprus on it for no more than 90 days. If you decide to stay for a longer period of time, you must obtain a Pink Slip from the Immigration Service (Pink Slip - a document that gives the right to legal residence in Cyprus to citizens of "third countries"). It is issued for one year, upon re-submission - for two years, and does not give the right to work.
You need to justify your stay in Cyprus for a long period of time. This will be helped by: the availability of real estate or a long-term rental contract, a certificate from the local kindergarten or school, a certificate of income in your country, a bank statement on the movement of funds and other documents. Health insurance for all family members is also required
However, you can also obtain a permanent residence permit in Cyprus - the so-called F visa - but it is subject to higher requirements by the immigration service.
By the way, not everyone is aware that there are two completely different countries on the island of Cyprus. One is the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, with the euro unit; and the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a territory illegally occupied by Turkey and the currency is the Turkish lira. It is possible to get to the territory of Northern Cyprus by the pro-visa without any problems.
Work in Cyprus.
If your purpose is to work in Cyprus, you need to obtain a permit in advance, which includes either a work visa or a student visa.
Many Russian and Ukrainian families live like this - moms with children are constantly on the island, children study in private English schools, and the dads fly in as they do business in their homeland. In general, I would divide immigrants from the former CIS into such categories:
- The type described above
- One or both family members work on a contract (mostly IT specialists).
- Students
- Business owners in Cyprus
- Married to a Cypriot
- Filancers
It is difficult to find a highly qualified and well-paid job, so that the company would like to invite an employee and issue all work permits, you need to be a good specialist. As a rule, knowledge of English, Greek and Russian here must-have for a good vacancy.
What is most often found in ads - a sales consultant, a master beauty salon, a teacher for afterschool, an employee in a travel company. The latter, by the way, are often invited to seasonal work of employees from the CIS countries.
The cost of housing in Cyprus.
Prices for accommodation in Cyprus vary depending on the duration of the lease and the city in which you intend to live.
Long-term studio rentals (for contracts of 1 year or more) range from €150 per month, to three-bedroom houses from €450 per month. Water and electricity are paid separately by meter. Short-term rentals are much more expensive. During the season even in our favorite Paphos small apartments - from €40-50 per day.
Moving to Cyprus with a child.
It is not difficult to find a suitable educational institution in Cyprus. Kindergartens and schools have public schools that teach in Greek and private English schools that offer international education.
And the cost of education in these schools is much lower than in other European countries, and depends on the age of the child you give to study. Kindergarten - €250-300 per month, primary school - €400-500, last grades - €600-700.
You need to sign up in advance, and this "in advance" depends on the popularity of the institution. In Limassol, the so-called "Russian capital of Cyprus", in the most popular schools line for a year or two in advance. In Paphos - 3-4 months before the beginning of the school year. In the primary school come only on interview, and, as a rule, the child does not experience problems with the English language after six months. Older children need to take an exam in English for the main subjects, i.e. start learning the language before moving to Cyprus.
Winter in Cyprus.
Of course, there are fewer tourists in winter, but they come here not only in summer. That's where life really subsides in winter - so it's in Ayia Napa, a summer resort, where most restaurants, shops and hotels are closed from November to April.
In Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos, winter life is not much different from summer life. We visit concerts, exhibitions, cinemas (there are also sessions in Russian), in Cyprus all kinds of festivals are held all year round - wine, roses, tulips, honey...
In winter, there is also a carnival, starting in every city and ending with the chic Grand Carnival in Limassol, where people from all over the island come to have fun. For this event are prepared in advance, buy costumes, masks, clappers, colored foam.
Tips of the experienced.
The most important recommendation is to have a good financial base or a permanent passive income, so that at least the first time to calmly adapt to the island and decide what to do here. The most active directions are tourism and services. As for the language issue, if you are not going to work for hire, the knowledge of the Russian language is quite sufficient for a comfortable life.
Good luck to everyone!