Cyprus’s Civil Registry and Migration Department has begun an urgent information campaign after Brussels confirmed that old-style national identity cards lacking biometric security features will cease to be valid for intra-EU travel on 3 August 2026. (in-cyprus.philenews.com)
The change stems from EU Regulation 2019/1157, which aims to harden the bloc’s external and internal borders by mandating tamper-resistant polycarbonate cards with embedded chips. In practice, Cypriot and Greek citizens who still carry paper-laminate IDs issued before 2015 must apply for the new eID cards well before the deadline or fall back on passports for travel within the Union.
![EU Sets Deadline: Cypriot Travellers Must Replace Old ID Cards by 3 August 2026 or Risk Domestic-Schengen Travel Ban]()
For frequent business travellers the switch is more than a bureaucratic footnote. Airlines and cross-border bus operators will be obliged to refuse boarding to passengers presenting obsolete documents, and some automated e-gates at Larnaca and Paphos airports will be re-programmed to reject the old format as early as spring 2026 as part of Entry/Exit System (EES) testing.
The Interior Ministry estimates roughly 420 000 Cypriots—almost half the resident population—still use non-compliant cards. To avoid processing bottlenecks, district offices will add Saturday opening hours and a fast-track lane for travellers who can show imminent bookings.
Companies that regularly send staff to mainland Europe are being encouraged to audit employee travel documents now, budgeting time for fingerprints and photographs. After the deadline the only alternative will be a passport, which for some individuals could require renewing if validity is less than six months—effectively doubling the administrative burden.
The change stems from EU Regulation 2019/1157, which aims to harden the bloc’s external and internal borders by mandating tamper-resistant polycarbonate cards with embedded chips. In practice, Cypriot and Greek citizens who still carry paper-laminate IDs issued before 2015 must apply for the new eID cards well before the deadline or fall back on passports for travel within the Union.
For frequent business travellers the switch is more than a bureaucratic footnote. Airlines and cross-border bus operators will be obliged to refuse boarding to passengers presenting obsolete documents, and some automated e-gates at Larnaca and Paphos airports will be re-programmed to reject the old format as early as spring 2026 as part of Entry/Exit System (EES) testing.
The Interior Ministry estimates roughly 420 000 Cypriots—almost half the resident population—still use non-compliant cards. To avoid processing bottlenecks, district offices will add Saturday opening hours and a fast-track lane for travellers who can show imminent bookings.
Companies that regularly send staff to mainland Europe are being encouraged to audit employee travel documents now, budgeting time for fingerprints and photographs. After the deadline the only alternative will be a passport, which for some individuals could require renewing if validity is less than six months—effectively doubling the administrative burden.
Source: In-Cyprus
