High
Commission briefing for British expat representatives on island
The British High
Commissioner Matthew Kidd held a meeting with representatives of the British
community in Cyprus at his Nicosia residence on 23 November in order to brief
them on the current priorities of the British government in Cyprus and exchange
views in a range of areas.
Following the result of the
referendum of 23 June, Britain will in due course be leaving the European
Union. The High Commissioner outlined the processes currently being followed
within government to prepare for the Brexit negotiations in order to try to
achieve the best possible outcome for the UK. These negotiations are expected
to start before the end of March 2017. Until these negotiations are complete,
there will be no change in the way that UK citizens can travel, live, work,
retire or collect their pensions in an EU country.
While the UK’s future relationship
with the EU is still to be determined, the High Commissioner stressed that the
UK is not leaving Europe. Britain will remain a close friend, ally and trading
partner with its European neighbours, including Cyprus. The government’s
intention post-Brexit is to strengthen bilateral links within Europe, as well
as with the UK’s close friends in North America, the Commonwealth and other
important partners around the world. Those new relationships should reflect the
kind of cooperative relationship that close friends and allies enjoy.
In planning for Brexit, the High
Commissioner explained that the government wants to make sure that the concerns
of British nationals currently living within the EU are properly understood and
taken into account. Similarly, the government is conscious of the concerns of
many Cypriots who currently live or study in the UK and how Brexit may affect
them. Areas that the government have already identified as of concern to
British nationals within other EU countries include healthcare, benefits,
residency, work, travel, property, tax, legal and nationality issues.
Aside from Brexit, the High
Commissioner outlined other priority areas of work, including UK support for a
settlement of the Cyprus issue. He also stressed that the safety, welfare and
livelihoods of UK citizens overseas will continue to be a top priority for the
UK Government. He offered a number of top tips to Brits living in Cyprus, based
on the type of the requests the High Commission consular team frequently
receives, as follows:
·
British nationals living in Cyprus as
residents should apply for their MEU11 form (yellow slip). Further information
on how to do this can be found here: http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/CRMD/crmd.nsf/All/69E690A161D174D6C2257D2C0045750B?OpenDocument
·
The Immigration Department has advised that
British nationals who have been living in Cyprus since before its accession to
the EU (2004) should arrange to have their Alien Registration Card (ARC)
converted into an MEU11 (yellow slip).
This may affect those, in particular state pensioners, who are renewing
the medical cards.
·
Passport applications are now processed in
Belfast. The majority of the application
process is now to be completed on line: https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports
·
Make sure you complete the emergency contact
details section in your existing or new passport.
·
The contact number for the International
Pension Centre is +44 191 218 7777. Call
either early morning or later if the lines are busy.
British nationals in Cyprus
can keep up to date with the work of the High Commission through their website
(https://www.gov.uk/government/world/cyprus),
Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ukincyprus/) and on Twitter (https://mobile.twitter.com/ukincyprus)
