In the European Union, there is an agreement among member states on receiving and processing asylum applications. This agreement is known as the Dublin Regulation.
Whether you have arrived in Cyprus by choice, or unintentionally, you must apply for asylum in Cyprus once you are here, even if you intend to move on to another country under the Dublin Regulation.
When applying for asylum, you will be given a questionnaire regarding the Dublin Procedure, asking about any other EU Member States you have been to before entering Cyprus, and any relatives you may have in any EU Member State.
- If you have family in another EU Member State, you must state this in your application and you must inform the Asylum Service the soonest possible as you may be entitled to leave Cyprus and join your family abroad.
- If you entered another EU Member State before entering Cyprus, or if you travelled through another EU Member State to come to Cyprus, or applied for asylum before in another EU Member State, you must inform the Asylum Service as there is a possibility that the other Member State is the one responsible to examine your asylum claim.
- Until the authorities determine which Member State is responsible to examine your case, you are considered an asylum-seeker. You are entitled to the same rights as asylum-seekers.
- If you leave Cyprus before a decision is made on your asylum application and go to another EU Member State, that state has a right under the Dublin Regulations to request you are sent back to Cyprus. If you are returned to Cyprus from another EU Member State, the Cypriot authorities may detain you upon arrival. If the examination of your asylum application was not concluded, the examination will resume at the stage it was left off. If your application was examined and you were refused, you have the right to appeal, provided the deadline has not passed, and submit any new elements to your application. If you do not have any new elements to submit, the authorities may begin procedures to return you to your country of origin.