The Cypriot authorities have launched one of their most intensive enforcement operations of the year, arresting 43 foreign nationals and issuing 37 deportation orders between Friday 9 May and Monday 11 May. According to statements from the Justice and Public Order Ministry, the campaign brought together the Cyprus Police’s Aliens & Immigration Service, airport border-control teams and the newly created Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection. Twenty-seven people were detained on Monday alone during coordinated checks at worksites and private residences in Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos. Seventeen of those detainees were placed on same-day removal flights, while repatriation procedures began for the remainder. Weekend operations focused on tourist districts and inter-city bus terminals, resulting in 16 additional arrests, 21 enforced removals and 11 voluntary returns. Border officers at Larnaca and Paphos airports also intercepted two travellers attempting to board flights with forged passports, underscoring the government’s growing emphasis on document fraud detection as Cyprus prepares for the EU Entry/Exit System to go live this summer.
![Cyprus steps up enforcement: 43 arrests and 37 deportations ordered in three-day immigration sweep]()
In this tightened compliance environment, VisaHQ can be a valuable ally for both companies and individual travellers. Through its dedicated Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the service offers real-time visa requirements, application assistance, and document-validity reminders, helping you sidestep administrative missteps that could lead to fines, delays, or even removal under the new enforcement regime.
Looking ahead, the ministry confirmed that three forced removals and 30 voluntary departures—including 16 Syrian nationals—are scheduled for Tuesday, 12 May. On Wednesday, Cyprus will participate in a Frontex-co-ordinated joint charter flight to Pakistan and Georgia, during which eight Georgian and two Pakistani citizens who have exhausted all legal remedies will be returned. The crackdown is part of a broader strategy announced by President Nikos Christodoulides in January 2026 to “restore public confidence in the migration system” and ease strains on reception centres. For employers, the stepped-up raids mean that hiring undocumented staff now carries a far higher risk of on-site inspections and steep fines. Global-mobility teams with staff on project assignments in Cyprus are advised to audit residence permits, ensure passport validity extends six months beyond the planned stay, and brief travellers that even minor administrative overstays are likely to result in immediate detention pending removal. Travel-management companies should also flag tighter document checks at both Larnaca (LCA) and Paphos (PFO), where passengers may experience longer queues as officers verify exit permissions.
In this tightened compliance environment, VisaHQ can be a valuable ally for both companies and individual travellers. Through its dedicated Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the service offers real-time visa requirements, application assistance, and document-validity reminders, helping you sidestep administrative missteps that could lead to fines, delays, or even removal under the new enforcement regime.
Looking ahead, the ministry confirmed that three forced removals and 30 voluntary departures—including 16 Syrian nationals—are scheduled for Tuesday, 12 May. On Wednesday, Cyprus will participate in a Frontex-co-ordinated joint charter flight to Pakistan and Georgia, during which eight Georgian and two Pakistani citizens who have exhausted all legal remedies will be returned. The crackdown is part of a broader strategy announced by President Nikos Christodoulides in January 2026 to “restore public confidence in the migration system” and ease strains on reception centres. For employers, the stepped-up raids mean that hiring undocumented staff now carries a far higher risk of on-site inspections and steep fines. Global-mobility teams with staff on project assignments in Cyprus are advised to audit residence permits, ensure passport validity extends six months beyond the planned stay, and brief travellers that even minor administrative overstays are likely to result in immediate detention pending removal. Travel-management companies should also flag tighter document checks at both Larnaca (LCA) and Paphos (PFO), where passengers may experience longer queues as officers verify exit permissions.
