Cyprus’ Auditor-General has delivered a scathing report on the Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD), detailing weaknesses that allowed one individual to obtain Cypriot passports and ID cards five separate times using different photographs. The audit, released 13 February 2026, examined files from 2020-2023 and found 11,891 citizenship applications still pending—some dating back to 2007—while average processing times stretched to 37.7 months.
Among the most serious findings was the department’s 2019 verbal order to suspend new permanent-residence permits, a move the Attorney-General has since declared unlawful. The backlog from that suspension alone totals nearly 3,000 files. Financial controls were equally lax: €4.36 million in administrative fines remain uncollected and €1.9 million in liquidated guarantees have sat idle in a special fund for over two decades.
The report highlighted systemic gaps in verifying language certificates and work-experience documents submitted by foreign workers, raising questions about the integrity of permits already issued. Officials also admitted they cannot confirm whether thousands of former students and seasonal workers actually left Cyprus once their visas expired.
![Audit Exposes Identity-Fraud and 12-Year Backlogs in Cyprus Immigration System]()
If navigating these complexities feels overwhelming, employers and travelers can lean on VisaHQ’s Cyprus desk for end-to-end visa and residence-permit support, from document vetting to real-time status tracking; full service details are available at https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/
For employers that use Cyprus as a base for regional assignments, the audit is a red flag. Long processing times and weak document checks increase compliance risks, while identity-fraud cases threaten the credibility of Cypriot travel documents abroad. The Ministry of Interior says an action plan—covering digital case-management, inter-agency data sharing, and stricter due diligence—will be tabled to Cabinet within 60 days.
Global mobility managers should prepare for tighter scrutiny of future filings and factor longer lead times into relocation schedules until reforms take hold. Companies may also face retrospective checks on previously approved employees if suspect files are re-opened.
Among the most serious findings was the department’s 2019 verbal order to suspend new permanent-residence permits, a move the Attorney-General has since declared unlawful. The backlog from that suspension alone totals nearly 3,000 files. Financial controls were equally lax: €4.36 million in administrative fines remain uncollected and €1.9 million in liquidated guarantees have sat idle in a special fund for over two decades.
The report highlighted systemic gaps in verifying language certificates and work-experience documents submitted by foreign workers, raising questions about the integrity of permits already issued. Officials also admitted they cannot confirm whether thousands of former students and seasonal workers actually left Cyprus once their visas expired.
If navigating these complexities feels overwhelming, employers and travelers can lean on VisaHQ’s Cyprus desk for end-to-end visa and residence-permit support, from document vetting to real-time status tracking; full service details are available at https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/
For employers that use Cyprus as a base for regional assignments, the audit is a red flag. Long processing times and weak document checks increase compliance risks, while identity-fraud cases threaten the credibility of Cypriot travel documents abroad. The Ministry of Interior says an action plan—covering digital case-management, inter-agency data sharing, and stricter due diligence—will be tabled to Cabinet within 60 days.
Global mobility managers should prepare for tighter scrutiny of future filings and factor longer lead times into relocation schedules until reforms take hold. Companies may also face retrospective checks on previously approved employees if suspect files are re-opened.
