Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides used his meeting with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris on 10 February to press Cyprus’ bid for full Schengen membership in 2026—a move that would abolish systematic passport checks for travel between Cyprus and the rest of the EU.
According to a statement from Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Macron “welcomed the progress achieved so far and reiterated France’s readiness to provide technical expertise on external-border management, police co-operation and the roll-out of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System”. Diplomats say Paris’ backing is critical because France chairs the Schengen Council working party that will examine Cyprus’ compliance report later this spring.
Cyprus has already connected its national Visa Information System to the central Schengen VIS database and begun biometric enrolment trials at Larnaca airport. Remaining milestones include full data exchange with the Schengen Information System, a Frontex-led evaluation of sea-border controls and a live test of new automated border-control gates.
![Christodoulides & Macron Reaffirm Fast-Track for Cyprus’ Schengen Accession]()
While those upgrades proceed, travellers and firms can simplify current entry formalities through VisaHQ’s Cyprus page (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), which provides easy online visa applications, document checks and alerts on Schengen-related policy shifts—a handy resource that will continue to add value even after Cyprus joins the border-free zone.
For multinational companies operating on the island, Schengen entry would slash administrative friction: EU-based assignees could enter without showing passports, and Schengen multi-entry visas issued elsewhere would automatically be valid for Cyprus. Travel-risk consultants also foresee reduced queues at immigration, easing crew-change logistics for Cyprus’ large shipping sector.
However, the island must still convince sceptical members—most notably Austria and the Netherlands—that its “green line” buffer zone with the Turkish-controlled north does not pose a back-door migration risk. Officials in Nicosia insist that a reinforced returns policy and closer Frontex liaison will allay those concerns before the decisive Council vote expected in December 2026.
According to a statement from Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Macron “welcomed the progress achieved so far and reiterated France’s readiness to provide technical expertise on external-border management, police co-operation and the roll-out of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System”. Diplomats say Paris’ backing is critical because France chairs the Schengen Council working party that will examine Cyprus’ compliance report later this spring.
Cyprus has already connected its national Visa Information System to the central Schengen VIS database and begun biometric enrolment trials at Larnaca airport. Remaining milestones include full data exchange with the Schengen Information System, a Frontex-led evaluation of sea-border controls and a live test of new automated border-control gates.
While those upgrades proceed, travellers and firms can simplify current entry formalities through VisaHQ’s Cyprus page (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), which provides easy online visa applications, document checks and alerts on Schengen-related policy shifts—a handy resource that will continue to add value even after Cyprus joins the border-free zone.
For multinational companies operating on the island, Schengen entry would slash administrative friction: EU-based assignees could enter without showing passports, and Schengen multi-entry visas issued elsewhere would automatically be valid for Cyprus. Travel-risk consultants also foresee reduced queues at immigration, easing crew-change logistics for Cyprus’ large shipping sector.
However, the island must still convince sceptical members—most notably Austria and the Netherlands—that its “green line” buffer zone with the Turkish-controlled north does not pose a back-door migration risk. Officials in Nicosia insist that a reinforced returns policy and closer Frontex liaison will allay those concerns before the decisive Council vote expected in December 2026.
