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We have been planning to move to another country for a long time, mainly to give our child a decent education and to have a more stable life. We considered many different options - including Germany, Poland, England, UAE and the States. We traveled to all of them. Why did you choose Cyprus in the end?
It could be love at first sight, which was felt during a 2-hour tour.
Everything here is "sega-sega": no one is in a hurry, everything is measured and calm. This quickly infects you, but sometimes, of course, you have to push them, for example, in the case of registration of any documents. But island life kind of encourages you to be calm, to contemplate, to search for yourself. I started painting, doing sports, which I never had enough time for in Kyiv.
You can book a hotel in Cyprus with a discount of up to -65% on the website.
There is one peculiarity in Cyprus - money doesn't decide anything here, only connections, mostly family connections. But it is easy to make friends with Cypriots, to make them feel at ease. They are very cheerful and friendly people, our mentalities are similar, our sense of humor is the same :)
And also - they adore children, even idolize them, and there are no prohibitions for them here. This is very much in contrast to the "parent-adult" relationship we have here.
Pro-visa is a one-time visa and is issued free of charge. On it you can stay in Cyprus for no more than 90 days. If you decide to stay for a longer period of time, you need to apply for a Pink slip at the immigration service (Pink slip - a document that gives the right to legal residence in Cyprus to citizens of "third countries"). It is issued for one year, or two years if you reapply, and does not entitle you to work.
You need to justify your stay in Cyprus for a long period of time. In this will help: the presence of real estate or long-term lease agreement, certificate from a local kindergarten or school, certificate of income in Ukraine, bank statement on the movement of funds on the account. Health insurance for all family members is also mandatory.
However, it is also possible to obtain an indefinite (lifetime) residence permit in Cyprus - the so-called F visa, but for it the immigration service has higher requirements.
By the way, probably not everyone is aware that there are two completely different states on the island of Cyprus. One is the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, with the euro monetary unit; and the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a territory illegally occupied by Turkey, with the Turkish lira as its monetary unit. The pro-visa can be used to enter the territory of Northern Cyprus without any problems.
If your goal is to work in Cyprus, you need to obtain a prior authorization, which implies either a work visa or a student visa.
Many Ukrainian families live like this - moms with children are permanently on the island, children study in private English schools, and dads fly in as they do business in their home country. In general, immigrants from the former I would divide into such categories:
Highly qualified and well-paid jobs are hard to find, for a company to want to invite an employee and get all the work permits, you need to be a good specialist. As a rule, knowledge of English, Greek and Russian is a must-have for a good vacancy.
What is most often found in ads is a sales consultant, a master of a beauty salon, a teacher for afterschool, a worker in a travel company. The latter, by the way, often invite employees from CIS countries for seasonal work.
Prices for housing in Cyprus vary depending on the term of the lease and the city where you are going to live. For example, in Paphos is much cheaper than in Limassol or Ayia Napa. And this applies not only to the real estate market, but also to the service sector.
Long-term rent of a studio (with a contract from 1 year) costs from €150 per month, a house with three bedrooms - from €450. Water and electricity are billed separately. For short-term rentals, prices are much higher. In season, even in our favorite Paphos small apartments - from € 40-50 per day.
It is not difficult to find a suitable educational institution in Cyprus. Kindergartens and schools are public, where training is in Greek, and private English schools with training in English under an international educational program.
And the cost of education in such schools is much lower than in other European countries and depends on the age of the child you give to study. Kindergarten - €250-300 per month, elementary school - €400-500, last grades - €600-700.
You have to enrol in advance, and this "in advance" depends on the popularity of the school. In Limassol, the most sought-after schools have a waiting list a year or two in advance. In Paphos - 3-4 months before the start of the school year. In elementary school enter only by interview, and, as a rule, the child already in six months has no problems with the English language. Older children need to pass an exam in English in the main subjects when entering, that is, you should start learning the language even before immigrating to Cyprus.
Of course, there are fewer tourists in winter, but people come here not only in summer. This is where life really stops in winter - it is in Ayia Napa, a summer resort, where most restaurants, stores and hotels are closed from November to April.
In Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos, life in winter is not much different from life in summer. We attend concerts, exhibitions, cinemas (there are also Russian-language shows), all year round there are all kinds of festivals in Cyprus - wine, roses, tulips, honey....
In winter there is also a carnival: it starts in every town and ends with a magnificent Grand Carnival in Limassol, where people come to have fun from all over the island. People prepare for this event in advance, buying masquerade costumes, masks, clappers, colored foam.
The most important recommendation is to have a good financial base or permanent passive income in Ukraine, so that at least the first time to adapt to the island and determine what business to do here. The most active directions are tourism and services.
Using our website, tripmydream, you can find airline tickets starting from 15 EUR. Look for the cheapest flights in the Flight Discounts section. To do this, select the departure point, and the service will find the most advantageous offers for you.
