At an informal Justice and Home Affairs Council in Nicosia on 26 January 2026, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner delivered what Cypriot officials hailed as a ‘game-changing’ statement: the island’s unique UN-administered buffer zone—the Green Line—will not prevent the Republic of Cyprus from acceding to the Schengen Area next year.
Brunner praised Cyprus for installing biometric e-gates at both Larnaca and Paphos airports and for connecting its police databases to the Schengen Information System (SIS). The forthcoming evaluation mission, he said, would take account of the island’s “special circumstances” without lowering security standards.
Cyprus is the only EU member, apart from opt-out Ireland, that remains outside Schengen. Business groups have long argued that absence imposes a hidden cost on mobility: executives flying from Nicosia to Paris, for example, still face passport checks on arrival, complicating posted-worker notifications and adding to door-to-door times. Accession would remove those formalities for intra-EU travel and allow Cypriot residence-permit holders unfettered movement across 25 other countries.
![EU Commissioner: Green Line will not derail Cyprus’ bid to join Schengen in 2026]()
For companies and individual travellers already planning itineraries around these anticipated changes, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork well before the formal switch-over. Through its Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the service offers real-time guidance on entry rules, visa requirements and residence-permit renewals, helping executives, tourists and HR departments stay compliant as the new border regime comes into force.
Under contingency plans shared with airlines, border officers will double staffing at the Green Line crossing points during the transition year to reassure partner states that secondary movements from the Turkish-controlled north remain under control. Multinationals should brief staff that the ceasefire line will retain its legal status; entry from the north will still be limited to designated checkpoints, even after Schengen entry.
If the evaluation proceeds on schedule, Cyprus could lift checks at air and sea borders as early as December 2026, in time for the holiday-travel peak—good news for tourism operators and international companies alike.
Brunner praised Cyprus for installing biometric e-gates at both Larnaca and Paphos airports and for connecting its police databases to the Schengen Information System (SIS). The forthcoming evaluation mission, he said, would take account of the island’s “special circumstances” without lowering security standards.
Cyprus is the only EU member, apart from opt-out Ireland, that remains outside Schengen. Business groups have long argued that absence imposes a hidden cost on mobility: executives flying from Nicosia to Paris, for example, still face passport checks on arrival, complicating posted-worker notifications and adding to door-to-door times. Accession would remove those formalities for intra-EU travel and allow Cypriot residence-permit holders unfettered movement across 25 other countries.
For companies and individual travellers already planning itineraries around these anticipated changes, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork well before the formal switch-over. Through its Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the service offers real-time guidance on entry rules, visa requirements and residence-permit renewals, helping executives, tourists and HR departments stay compliant as the new border regime comes into force.
Under contingency plans shared with airlines, border officers will double staffing at the Green Line crossing points during the transition year to reassure partner states that secondary movements from the Turkish-controlled north remain under control. Multinationals should brief staff that the ceasefire line will retain its legal status; entry from the north will still be limited to designated checkpoints, even after Schengen entry.
If the evaluation proceeds on schedule, Cyprus could lift checks at air and sea borders as early as December 2026, in time for the holiday-travel peak—good news for tourism operators and international companies alike.
