Child of a Cameroon father and a Greek Cypriot mother unable to get Cypriot citizenship

Carlos Do Loizou was born in Nicosia to a Cypriot mother and Cameroonian father on October 8, 2020, recently celebrated his third birthday, and soon to enroll in primary school.

Carlos cant get a Cypriot citizenship due to the fact that the process is far from straightforward due to his father, who hails from Cameroon, entering the Republic of Cyprus illegally through north Cyprus.

For almost three years, since January 21, 2021, Carlos’ mother has been knocking on doors, seeking to register her child as a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus, but so far, no response has been received.

Unfortunately, this case is not unique. According to the Ministry of Interior, “the issue exists with several children of mixed marriages, where one parent is Cypriot and the other is a national of a third country who entered or resides in the Republic illegally.”

Thus, these children face direct challenges in enrolling in school, accessing social support, and receiving healthcare, with no clear state policy for their integration into Cypriot society.

The Ministry of Interior stated that the difficulties in handling the issue stem from the fact that, according to current data, in the case of the naturalization of a minor, the child automatically acquires Cypriot citizenship, and the foreign parent who entered and/or resides in Cyprus illegally also gains Cypriot citizenship.

Since there is no discrimination in the legislation and the existing criteria, this implies that, in cases of children from mixed marriages between Turkish Cypriots and Turkish nationals, the Turkish parents will also acquire Cypriot citizenship.

The Ministry also notes that since 2013, no proposal has been submitted to the Council of Ministers (as provided in such cases) for the approval of granting Cypriot citizenship to these children.

In other words, children born from 2013 until today to a Cypriot parent and a second foreign parent who entered the Republic of Cyprus illegally are not recognized as Cypriot citizens, with implications for their health, education, and upbringing.

According to the Ministry, the current Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, who was not in office when the initial application from Carlos’ mother was submitted but was subsequently informed, chose not to shelve this specific case and others like it.

Instead, he seeks ways to comprehensively address the issue to implement a new policy for the children in this category.

Towards this direction, the Minister has already conducted two meetings with the relevant department to explore ways within the existing legislation or, if necessary, to make amendments.

In-Cyprus