Reconsider travel to Cyprus due to COVID-19.
Read the Department of State’s COVID-19 page before you plan any international travel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Cyprus due to COVID-19.
Cyprus has resumed most transportation options, (including airport operations) and business operations (including day cares and schools). Other improved conditions have been reported within Cyprus. Visit the Embassy’s COVID-19 page for more information on COVID-19 in Cyprus.
Do not attempt to enter the United Nations buffer zone at any place other than a designated crossing point. Police and UN forces strictly enforce this restriction.
Read the country information page.
If you decide to travel to Cyprus:
UN Buffer Zone: Since 1974, the southern part of Cyprus has been under the control of the government of the Republic of Cyprus. The northern part of Cyprus, administered by Turkish Cypriots, proclaimed itself the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (“TRNC”) in 1983. The United States does not recognize the “TRNC,” nor does any country other than Turkey. A buffer zone patrolled by the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, separates the two sides. For U.S. citizen travelers:
- Enter and exit the Republic of Cyprus ONLY at Larnaca and Paphos airports and at the seaports of Limassol, Larnaca, and Paphos. The Republic of Cyprus does not consider entry at Ercan Airport in the north to be a “legal” entrance into Cyprus.
- You cannot receive a residency permit from the Republic of Cyprus to reside in the area north of the UN buffer zone.
Last Update: Reissued with updates to COVID-19 information.
