- Cyprus officially made Belarus the only country whose citizens can apply for residence permits using an expired passport
- A decree by Alexander Lukashenko left many Belarusians abroad unable to renew their passports through consular offices without returning home
- An activist named Alesia Parkhomenko, who has lived in Cyprus since 2018, spent several months lobbying government bodies to secure the policy change
Cyprus has made Belarus the only country whose citizens can apply for and renew a residence permit using an expired passport, in a move that offers significant relief to Belarusians already living on the island.
Cyprus's Migration Department published an official announcement on August 26, 2026, confirming the new procedure, which has been in place since May 2026.
Source: UGC
The decision was driven by a documentation crisis that left many Belarusians in Cyprus in legal limbo, with no practical way to renew the identity documents that residency applications typically require.
Why Belarusians Cannot Renew Their Passports Abroad
The root of the problem lies in a decree signed by President Alexander Lukashenko in September 2023.
Under that directive, Belarusian citizens living outside the country can no longer, in certain circumstances, renew or obtain a passport through consular offices.
They must instead travel back to Belarus in person to do so, a step that many who left the country after the political unrest of recent years are unwilling or unable to take.
Cyprus's new administrative mechanism acknowledges this reality.
Migration authorities can now process a residence permit application even where the applicant holds an expired Belarusian passport, provided the person meets all other requirements of Cypriot migration law. The measure applies to those already legally residing in Cyprus.
For children born in Cyprus to two Belarusian citizens, a birth certificate issued by Cypriot authorities may be used in place of a passport.
Where one parent holds citizenship of another country, the child will generally need a passport from that country.
What the Residence Permit Does Not Cover
The change resolves the question of legal residency but does not extend beyond it. An expired Belarusian passport remains invalid for international travel, and a Cypriot residence permit is not a travel document.
Belarusians relying on the new procedure will still be unable to cross borders freely outside Cyprus.
There is also an unresolved question around Cypriot citizenship. It remains unclear whether time spent residing in Cyprus under a permit issued on the basis of an expired passport will count towards the minimum residency period required for a citizenship application.
Authorities have advised affected individuals to seek clarification from the Migration Department based on their specific circumstances.
Activist Who Helped Secure the Change
The policy shift did not happen in isolation. Alesia Parkhomenko, a member of the Democratic Embassy of Belarus in Cyprus movement who has lived on the island since 2018, spent several months engaging Cypriot government officials to push the issue forward.
She contacted the office of the Deputy Minister for Migration and held discussions with members of parliament before the new mechanism was eventually developed and adopted.
Cyprus lists conditions for citizenship
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Cyprus updated its citizenship by naturalisation rules in December 2023, setting out conditions all adult applicants must meet cumulatively.
Foreigners seeking Cypriot citizenship must prove at least 7 years of legal residence over a 10-year period, plus an unbroken 12 months before applying.
Source: Legit.ng