If you have an assignment order for Cyprus you can expect a big difference in the way of life to in the UK. Whilst Cyprus has a large footprint of RAF personnel, it is important to do your research to ensure your needs (and your family’s needs, if accompanied) can be met.
Here we provide a starting point for your research, signposting known locational information sources:
Local HIVEs
The best place to get information about the local area is the station HIVE. You can contact them prior to your assignment as well as whilst you are in-country.
Cyprus information sources
Life in Cyprus
Life in Cyprus is very different from the UK, or any other overseas location. The MOD are quick to point out that:
“While you will undoubtedly have ‘fun in the sun’, a tour here will be operationally focused for most people. There are important jobs to do, which will require commitment and dedication. We are quite a long way from home, some of the accommodation is pretty old and we can’t replicate all of the health and social welfare facilities available in the UK.
“There are many compensations – great weather for most of the year, plenty of opportunities for sport, hobbies and adventurous training, and many interesting places in the region to visit”.
Points of note
- Plugs are the same as the UK – you will not need to pack plug adapters.
- Take sports equipment – there are lots of opportunities for an outdoor lifestyle; golf, hiking, cycling, water sports and skiing (in winter). Therefore you may want to take your own equipment.
- The winter is cold – the winter is cold, and often very wet, in Cyprus. Therefore you will need to pack warm clothes, a duvet, etc.
- Limited flights to other European countries – there is lots of choice for flights to the UK, however flights to other European countries are limited.
- The UK has a double taxation agreement with Cyprus – this means you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries. Ask the relevant tax authority your questions about double taxation relief.
Welfare support in Cyprus
If you are currently in Cyprus and you are in need of personal support or social work services, Core Assets are the local providers and can be contacted on:
Phone: 0808 168 3111
Email: [email protected]
Web: Visit Forces Social Work website
Leaving Cyprus
EU Settlement Scheme amendment
Until now, European Economic Area (EEA) and non-EEA family members of British citizens in the UK Armed Forces serving in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus were unable to enter or return to the UK by applying for an EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit, or to the EUSS. This is because the SBAs, as British Overseas Territories, are not part of the EEA meaning free movement rights could not be exercised.
The Home Office has now amended the immigration rules. For the purposes of qualifying British citizens serving in UK Armed Forces assigned back to the UK from Cyprus, the SBAs will be treated as part of the EEA.
This means that where an EEA or non-EEA family member is accompanying a qualifying British citizen in the Armed Forces who was posted in the SBAs before the end of the EU transition period (31st December 2020), and providing they meet all other requirements as a ‘family member of a qualifying British citizen’ (FMQBC), they will now be able to use this temporary FMQBC route to apply to the EUSS.
