In a judgment with wider ramifications for mixed-nationality families, the Nicosia District Court on 1 April quashed the interior ministry’s inaction on a 2018 citizenship application filed on behalf of an 11-year-old born to a Turkish-Cypriot mother and Turkish father. The court ruled the ministry had failed to exercise its authority within a “reasonable period,” rendering the delay unlawful. The decision obliges the ministry to complete the registration process without further delay and is expected to accelerate hundreds of pending citizenship files involving Turkish-Cypriot descendants. Officials had argued they were overwhelmed by applications “from alleged Turkish Cypriots,” but the court found the explanation irrelevant to this case. For mobility practitioners, the ruling underlines Cyprus’s constitutional safeguard against administrative inertia in citizenship matters—a useful precedent when family-status issues intersect with long-term assignments or permanent transfers. Companies supporting dual-citizen or bi-national staff should monitor whether the government streamlines processes following the judgment or tightens criteria to offset faster timelines.
Source: Cyprus Mail
