Frank and Joan's news for 24 July 2005 in Northern Cyprus

Frank and Joan's Adventures in Northern Cyprus

Our adventures in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus continue....

Early morning start to get some hedge cutting done before the sun got too fierce because by midday the temperatures are getting to 40 and above. Then a chance to get some newspaper reading done and look see if there is anything of interest to you.

A plan to build four new power stations that will serve as peak load back up has been approved. Don't know how long to get them on-line but we have had numerous power cuts this last week so it would be a relief if they eventually get built.

The first direct flight, from Azerbaijan and TRNC will take place next Wednesday, this is a prelude to weekly schedule flights by a private airline, starting in 2/3 weeks time. Interesting! Azerbaijan has in fact formally recognised the TRNC and this decision will open up new doors in world politics for the

Turkish Cypriots.

There is a big article about the residency permit saga from the BRS chairman which is intended to clarify the situation and the article was written after consultation with the Immigration Police Chief.

First you can enter the country on a three months visitors permit, but it was made clear that crossing the border to the south does not mean that the three month permit is renewed, it is necessary to leave the island completely in order to renew this status and by law you are required to do exactly that, or get fined at the airport for every day you exceed your time.

After that there are annual renewable options, the most significant for those of us who live here, or come regularly are:-

Residents permit - a permit for which applicants have to prove they meet certain criteria: ie that they can sustain there living in North Cyprus.

Work permit - Allows the entrant to extend his/her stay in the country and take employment. The application is supported by the employer. An applicant also requires a residents permit in this instance.

Business permit - for foreigners who decide to set up business in TRNC. You still require a Residency to go with this, but being self employed require no employer back up.

On a more amusing note, a language school owner accidentally left his brief case propped up at one of the passport cabins at the Metehan crossing point. The police closed the border then came along and blew it up. It was found to contain business papers, £1,300 in sterling and 213.50 YTL. The guy was lucky as the money survived.