PassportSouth Africa

Trip checklist: Cyprus

For South African passport holders. Last checked 5 October 2026.

Visa requirement

South Africans need to apply for a visa before travel to Cyprus.

Permitted stay

You can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

Before you go

  • Purpose of visit

    The short-stay (category C) visa covers non-immigration purposes such as tourism, family visits and business. Multiple-entry category C visas valid for up to 5 years exist for frequent travellers. Stays over 90 days need a long-stay (category D) visa, valid up to one year.

  • Passport validity

    Passport issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least 3 months after the date you leave Cyprus. The South African travel trade guide also asks for at least 3 blank pages.

  • How to apply

    Apply on paper before travel. Visa fee EUR 90 for a short-stay visa (single, double or multiple entry); EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 12; free under 6 (fee schedule in force since 1 December 2022). The GSA guide (updated 21 October 2025) gives the Pretoria fee as R1,630 (R815 for ages 6 to 12), cash only. Processing about 10 working days, up to 20 in peak season (GSA); the High Commission in London states 15 days, up to 45 if extra checks are needed. Visa at the border is only issued in emergencies with Civil Registry and Migration Department approval, so do not rely on it. Exemption: if you hold a valid double or multiple entry Schengen visa, a Schengen long-stay visa or residence permit, or a Bulgarian, Croatian or Romanian visa or residence permit, you can enter Cyprus without a Cyprus visa for up to 90 days in 180, provided the document is valid for the whole stay (EU Decision 565/2014/EU). A single-entry Schengen visa does not qualify.

  • Where South Africans apply

    High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in Pretoria, 375 Marais Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria 0181 (per GSA, October 2025: walk-in submissions Monday to Thursday 09:00 to 10:00, no appointment). In January 2026 BLS International announced a contract to run Cyprus visa applications for the High Commission in South Africa and 10 neighbouring countries, and BLS has Cyprus pages for South Africa referencing Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. Whether BLS centres are now open and have replaced walk-in submission could not be confirmed: the High Commission and BLS pages could not be read.

  • Travel insurance

    Mandatory for the visa application. Travel medical insurance covering medical repatriation, urgent medical care and emergency hospital treatment for the whole stay, minimum EUR 30,000, no deductibles.

  • Return or onward ticket

    A return or onward flight booking is required with the visa application; the booking must show entry and exit through legal ports of entry (Larnaka or Pafos airports, or the southern seaports).

  • Proof of funds

    Bank statements for the last 3 months plus an employer letter confirming salary (or an accountant or bank letter if self-employed). No fixed daily amount is published.

  • Accommodation or invitation

    Hotel reservation or other accommodation confirmation, plus a travel itinerary.

  • Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

    No vaccinations required by Cyprus. Cyprus is not a yellow fever risk country, so no yellow fever certificate is needed to return to South Africa, unless you transited more than 12 hours through the airport of a yellow fever risk country on the way.

  • Arrival forms

    Not published. No arrival form was found. Cyprus is outside the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), so no EES biometric registration applies on arrival in Cyprus.

  • Extending your stay and overstaying

    A short-stay visa can be extended at the local Aliens and Immigration Unit, but only up to 90 days from the date of entry within 6 months. Visas marked 'Final' need prior approval from the Schengen and Consular Affairs Division. Entering via the north (Ercan airport or northern ports) counts as illegal entry to the Republic of Cyprus and can lead to fines, refusal of entry or a ban of up to 5 years. Overstay penalties for visitors are not published.

  • Transit

    South Africans do not need an airport transit visa to change planes airside at a Cypriot airport (South Africa is not on the Cyprus airport transit visa list). Leaving the airport needs a Cyprus visa or a qualifying Schengen document.

  • Travelling with children

    Visa fee halved for ages 6 to 12 and waived under 6. For applicants under 18 the GSA lists an unabridged birth certificate, parental consent by sworn affidavit or Home Affairs form, and copies of both parents' IDs or passports.

  • Confirm with the embassy

    Rules change. Check the official source before you book.

Where to apply

Research sources

  1. 1. EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 (EU visa list, Annex I) (Official, eur-lex.europa.eu) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32018R1806
  2. 2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus (Official, mfa.gov.cy) https://mfa.gov.cy/types-of-visa/
  3. 3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus (Official, mfa.gov.cy) https://mfa.gov.cy/visa-fees.html
  4. 4. EUR-Lex, Decision No 565/2014/EU (Official, eur-lex.europa.eu) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32014D0565
  5. 5. High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in the UK (Official, cyprusinuk.com) https://cyprusinuk.com/visa-information/
  6. 6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus (Official, mfa.gov.cy) https://mfa.gov.cy/application-process-and-requirements.html
  7. 7. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus (Official, mfa.gov.cy) https://mfa.gov.cy/requiring-airport-transit-visa.html
  8. 8. UK FCDO (Other government, gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cyprus/entry-requirements
  9. 9. DIRCO, South African High Commission Canberra (Other government, dirco.gov.za) https://dirco.gov.za/canberra/yellow-fever/
  10. 10. GSA (Global Sales Agency) South Africa country guide (Commercial, thegsa.co.za) https://www.thegsa.co.za/visa-and-country-info/2676-cyprus-country-guide
  11. 11. BLS International (Commercial, blsinternational.com) https://www.blsinternational.com/cyprus/south-africa/south-africa/long-term-tourist-visa.php
  12. 12. NewsDrum (PTI) (News and guides, newsdrum.in) https://www.newsdrum.in/business/bls-intl-bags-visa-outsourcing-contract-from-cyprus-high-commission-in-south-africa-10976978

From doineedavisa.co.za/cyprus. Always confirm with the embassy before you travel.