North Cyprus Student Visa and Residence Permit: The Full Route
How to reach North Cyprus through Turkey, which entry visa your passport needs, and how to get your student residence permit after arrival.
A North Cyprus student visa is not a document you get from a consulate before you fly. International students usually enter the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on a short entry visa, then apply online for a student residence permit after arrival.
The route has three parts. First, you travel through Turkey, because flights to Ercan Airport come from Turkish airports. Second, you enter the TRNC with a visa on arrival or, for some passports, an e-Visa issued before travel. Third, you apply for the student residence permit (Öğrenci İkamet İzni), pass a medical check in the TRNC and pay the fees online.
This page walks through each step for the next intake, with the rules that matter for applicants from Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, Egypt and the Gulf. We also cover what the permit does not allow: paid work without a work permit and free travel to the South.
For the full country overview, see our Study in North Cyprus guide.
Cyprus student visa: North or South?
Most searches for a student visa in Cyprus are about the Republic of Cyprus in the south. That is a separate state, an EU member with its own immigration system, universities and visa rules. This page covers only the north.
The two systems do not overlap. A residence permit from the TRNC is not a residence permit of the Republic of Cyprus. Under EU rules, a non-EU citizen can cross from the north to the south only with a Republic of Cyprus residence permit, or with a valid travel document and, where required, a Republic of Cyprus visa.
The Republic of Cyprus also treats entry through Ercan Airport and northern ports as illegal entry. Its legal entry points are the airports of Larnaca and Paphos and the ports of Larnaca, Limassol, Latchi and Paphos. If your long-term plan is to live or work in the EU, read the section on the Green Line below before you choose North Cyprus.
Getting there: entry through Turkey
In practice, every student reaches North Cyprus through Turkey. Direct flights to Ercan Airport operate only from Turkish airports, so your trip always includes a Turkish leg.
That means two separate questions. Does your passport need a Turkish visa for the connection or stopover? And which TRNC entry option applies to your passport? The answers depend on nationality.
| Passport | Turkish leg | Entry to the TRNC |
|---|---|---|
Nigeria | Check Turkish visa or transit rules with the Turkish consulate before booking | e-Visa required before travel |
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Egypt | Check Turkish visa or transit rules with the Turkish consulate before booking | Visa on arrival, up to 90 days within 180 |
GCC residents | Depends on your passport, not your residence country | Visa on arrival for most passports, up to 90 days within 180 |
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan | Visa-free, 90 days within 180 | Visa on arrival, up to 90 days within 180 |
Book the Turkish leg only after you have checked the Turkish requirements for your exact passport and route. A short connection and a stopover with a night in Turkey can fall under different rules. Your university offer letter and payment receipt are useful to carry in hand luggage at both borders.
TRNC e-Visa and visa on arrival
The TRNC introduced an e-Visa on 24 August 2026. According to local reports and published visa policy summaries, an e-Visa issued before travel is mandatory for citizens of Nigeria, Armenia and Syria. Other nationalities receive a visa on arrival, valid for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.
This entry visa is only the start. It covers your arrival and first weeks, not your whole degree. Your legal status as a student comes from the residence permit you apply for after you land.
Nigerian applicants should plan the e-Visa as a separate step in the timeline, after the university offer and before booking non-refundable tickets. Rules introduced in 2026 can change in detail, so check the requirements again before your departure.
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Student residence permit in North Cyprus
Every international student in a TRNC associate, bachelor's, master's or PhD program needs a student residence permit (Öğrenci İkamet İzni). You apply online through the system of the Civil Registry and Migration Department (Muhaceret Dairesi) of the TRNC Ministry of Interior.
Timing matters. Reported guidance says you should apply within 30 days from the start of your entry visa. Treat this as a firm deadline and start in your first week.
How to get the student residence permit
Submit the online application — through the Muhaceret Dairesi system, with your passport and university details.
Pass the medical check in the TRNC — at an authorized medical institution in North Cyprus; certificates from Turkey or your home country are not accepted, according to university guidance.
Pay the fees online — after the medical results, in the same system, in Turkish lira.
Receive your permit — keep a digital and paper copy with your passport.
| Permit length | Student fee | Standard fee for other foreigners |
|---|---|---|
Up to 6 months | 690 TL | 1,340 TL |
6–12 months | 1,015 TL | 2,665 TL |
12–24 months | 2,025 TL | 5,330 TL |
Fees are per Muhaceret Dairesi, plus a stamp duty of 38.70 TL. The student rate is roughly half of the standard rate. Government fees in the TRNC are set in Turkish lira and change over time, so check the official fee page before you pay.
On top of the permit fee, each student with a residence permit pays a contribution to the TRNC Health Fund through the same system. The amount is tied to the local minimum wage, so we do not quote a fixed figure. Ask your university's international office for the current amount before you arrive.
Keeping your permit valid
A residence permit stays valid only while you remain an active student. Under rules reported on 24 August 2026, universities report each foreign student's status to the GöçSis system every three months: active, passive, on academic leave or expelled.
If you are expelled, your residence permit is cancelled. After graduation or expulsion, you have 60 days of legal stay to leave or change status. For most students, this means one simple rule: stay enrolled, keep your status active, and renew the permit before it expires.
Visa and residence permit deadlines
From the university offer to life after graduation
Before booking tickets
Check Turkish rules and the e-Visa
Nigerian applicants get the e-Visa after the university offer and before booking non-refundable tickets.
On arrival
Visa on arrival
Most nationalities receive a TRNC visa on arrival, valid for up to 90 days within 180 days.
Within 30 days of the visa start
Apply for the residence permit
Apply online with Muhaceret Dairesi, pass the medical check in the TRNC and pay the fees; start in your first week.
Every three months
University reports your status
Your status goes to the GöçSis system; if you are expelled, the permit is cancelled.
60 days after graduation
Legal stay after studies
After graduation or expulsion, you have 60 days to leave or change status.
Can international students work in North Cyprus?
A student residence permit does not by itself give the right to work. To work for an employer in the TRNC, you need a separate work permit, and the employer applies for it. Working without a permit is a violation and can lead to a fine and deportation.
Some student guides say that remote freelance work for clients abroad, such as design, coding or online tutoring, does not need a TRNC permit. This is not confirmed as a legal rule, so do not build your budget on it.
The safe plan is to show enough money for tuition and living costs before you arrive. Our tuition fees and living costs guide helps you build that budget.
Crossing to the South: the Green Line
The Republic of Cyprus considers entry through Ercan Airport and northern ports illegal. EU law is suspended in the north, and crossings over the Green Line follow a separate EU regulation.
The UK Foreign Office lists the consequences: a fine for illegal entry, refusal of entry to or exit from the Republic of Cyprus, and a ban on returning to the north. Canada's travel advice warns that you may be refused at the buffer zone checkpoints if you arrived through Ercan. The Republic of Cyprus Foreign Ministry also mentions possible criminal prosecution.
These are not rare cases. According to a European Commission report, 4,394 people were refused at the crossing point of the British base area (ESBA) in 2024. Foreigners who had arrived through the north were turned away and sent to other checkpoints for checks under Republic of Cyprus entry rules.
What to know before you apply
- The TRNC is recognized only by Turkey. Degrees from its universities are not automatically recognized in the EU, and the Republic of Cyprus does not recognize them at all. The TRNC is not part of the Bologna Process.
- The working path goes through Turkey. Universities are licensed and accredited by the local regulator YÖDAK, and Turkey recognizes them under an intergovernmental agreement through its Council of Higher Education, YÖK.
- International graduates need a YÖK equivalence certificate (denklik) to use their degree in Turkey. Programs missing from Turkey's ÖSYS guide are not considered for denklik, so check your program before you enroll.
These points do not rule North Cyprus out. It remains one of the most affordable ways to study in English with a simple entry process. The key is to choose it with a clear plan for your degree after graduation. Read our full North Cyprus degree recognition guide before you pay a deposit.
If you want more certainty about recognition, compare universities carefully. Graduates of the METU Northern Cyprus Campus receive a diploma from METU in Ankara, a Turkish state university. You can also review the entry rules in admission requirements.
Documents and legalisation: a checklist for nine destinations
Where an apostille is enough, where consular legalisation is required, and what separate recognition step each destination asks for — with the order of steps and timings.
- The basic document pack needed everywhere
- Apostille or consular legalisation — a table by destination
- Denklik, homologación, CIMEA, NCEQE: what they are and how long they take
- Three mistakes that cost applicants a year
Planning to start in the next intake? Book a free consultation with AcademGo. We will check your passport's entry route through Turkey, map the residence permit steps and deadlines for your intake, and assess how your chosen degree will be treated in the country where you plan to work. Write to us via the form, WhatsApp or Telegram on the contacts page.
