Police confirmed on 30 October 2025 that travellers presenting identity cards issued by the unrecognised ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ are now subject to manual data entry at Green-Line checkpoints. The change follows a software upgrade that prevents the older IDs from being scanned.
Although the rules allowing crossings remain unchanged, the manual process adds 2–3 minutes per traveller, compounding queues during morning and evening peaks. Turkish-Cypriot commuters reported waits of up to 90 minutes at Ayios Dometios on Thursday.
Government sources say a technical patch will be deployed “within weeks”, but until then border police must key in biographical data by hand. Business travellers driving rental cars across the divide should allow extra buffer time and carry alternate EU photo ID where possible.
The delay is impacting supply chains as well: logistics firms moving goods under the Green-Line regulation report missed delivery slots in Nicosia and Limassol. The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce has asked the Interior Ministry to prioritise a fix before the Christmas peak.
Although the rules allowing crossings remain unchanged, the manual process adds 2–3 minutes per traveller, compounding queues during morning and evening peaks. Turkish-Cypriot commuters reported waits of up to 90 minutes at Ayios Dometios on Thursday.
Government sources say a technical patch will be deployed “within weeks”, but until then border police must key in biographical data by hand. Business travellers driving rental cars across the divide should allow extra buffer time and carry alternate EU photo ID where possible.
The delay is impacting supply chains as well: logistics firms moving goods under the Green-Line regulation report missed delivery slots in Nicosia and Limassol. The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce has asked the Interior Ministry to prioritise a fix before the Christmas peak.
