Moving to Cyprus

The current WBAS FAQ section ‘Επίδομα — Ύψος Επιδόματος Τέκνου’ gives, by dependent-child count, EUR 599.77 / 719.12 / 1,318.89 / 2,114.51 for previous-year gross family income up to EUR 22,000; EUR 536.53 / 655.88 / 1,255.65 / 1,924.79 for EUR 22,000.01–44,000; EUR 479.41 / 479.41 / 958.82 / 1,590.22 for EUR 44,000.01–49,000; EUR 0 / 435.55 / 871.10 / 1,432.11 for EUR 49,000.01–59,000; EUR 0 / 0 / 871.10 / 1,432.11 for EUR 59,000.01–64,000; EUR 0 / 0 / 0 / 1,432.11 for EUR 64,000.01–69,000; and EUR 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1,432.11 for EUR 69,000.01 and above with five or more children. Families with one or two children receive one annual instalment; families with three or more children are paid after the first four months and then monthly. The FAQ states that the amount is adjusted by automatic indexation.

The official Welfare Benefits Administration Service (WBAS) Child Benefit FAQ states that a family must have lawful and continuous residence in the areas under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus for at least five years before applying. The same FAQ separately states that holders of a residence permit in the Republic must provide a Cyprus residence certificate or Alien Registration Card (ARC), with a renewed permit if the permit expires. it does not generalise the source to every lawful resident or every residence document.

The current official Cyprus instruction gives maximum basic-needs allowances of EUR 186/279/372/465/558 for family sizes 1/2/3/4/5+, electricity-water-minor-expense allowances of EUR 75/100/140/170/200 with a rental contract or EUR 28/37/52/63/74 without one, and city/family rent-allowance tables ranging from EUR 100 to EUR 397. The actual package varies by family size, residence, rental contract and the statutory conditions; no single national EUR amount is asserted.

The current official Cyprus Social Welfare Services instruction states that Material Reception Conditions are granted by the Social Welfare Services under the Refugee Laws. Its section ‘Beneficiaries of Material Reception Conditions’ states: ‘Beneficiaries are applicants for International Protection’ for whom the conditions cannot be met at the reception/accommodation centres and who reside in areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus. the document’s family-unit and means, residence, accommodation and work conditions remain mandatory, and no broader foreign-resident category is inferred.

The current official Cyprus instruction gives maximum monthly rent allowances by district and family size: Nicosia EUR 100/200/290/364, Limassol EUR 100/218/317/397, Famagusta EUR 100/146/211/265, Larnaca EUR 100/174/252/315 and Paphos EUR 100/146/211/265 for family sizes 1, 2, 3–4 and 5+. The rent amount varies by district and family size and is paid to the landlord; no single national EUR amount is asserted.

The current official Cyprus Social Welfare Services instruction states that Material Reception Conditions are granted by the Social Welfare Services under the Refugee Laws. Its section ‘Beneficiaries of Material Reception Conditions’ states: ‘Beneficiaries are applicants for International Protection’ for whom the conditions cannot be met at the reception/accommodation centres and who reside in areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus. This housing-support row publishes only international_protection_applicant_in_cyprus_receiving_material_reception_conditions; it does not broaden the rent-allowance component to ordinary foreign residents or other residence categories.

The current official WBAS FAQ gives the monthly EEE formula: the payment is the arithmetic difference between the basic-needs amount and the household income or benefits received in the previous month. The basic-needs amount is EUR 480 for the applicant, EUR 240 for a spouse, EUR 240 for each child over 14 and EUR 144 for each child under 14, with an additional housing allowance where the source-defined conditions show need.

The official WBAS eligibility page lists an EU citizen; a third-country national with long-term-resident status in the Republic under the Aliens and Immigration Law; a third-country national holding a legal status under the Refugees Law, excluding asylum seekers; and a victim under the trafficking law. The same official eligibility page requires five years of legal and continuous residence before application and continuing residence for the EU-citizen and long-term-resident profiles. It states that Refugees Law status holders and trafficking victims may apply regardless of age and residence time, subject to the source-defined family-unit rule. , third_country_long_term_resident_with_five_year_legal_continuous_cyprus_residence_for_eee, third_country_refugees_law_status_holder_exempt_from_five_year_residence_for_eee and trafficking_victim_status_holder_exempt_from_five_year_residence_for_eee; it excludes asylum seekers and does not generalize to every lawful resident.

The current Cyprus Social Insurance Services FAQ states that the weekly unemployment benefit is a basic component equal to 60% of the weekly value of the insurance unit for the relevant contribution year, increased by 20% for a dependent spouse and 10% for each child or other dependant up to three; the supplementary component is 50% of the weekly value of insurance units above basic insurable earnings. No unsupported fixed national EUR amount is asserted.

The official Cyprus Department of Labour page ‘Procedure for the Employment of EU Citizens’ states that an EU citizen who has secured employment in Cyprus must apply for a Social Insurance Number, with the process carried out by the employer. The Cyprus Social Insurance Services unemployment-benefit material requires the statutory insurance conditions and involuntary unemployment. it does not claim that every EU citizen or every foreign worker qualifies, and the contribution and unemployment conditions remain mandatory.