A person who acquired Cypriot citizenship by registration cannot transfer the right to obtain citizenship to a foreign spouse they marry at a later date, the Administrative Court of Appeal has ruled.
The decision was issued on 15 October 2026, according to an announcement by the Law Office of the Republic.
Court upholds rejection of citizenship application
The Law Office said citizenship by registration is a means of acquiring Cypriot citizenship through descent or marriage to a Cypriot citizen, depending on the circumstances and subject to the provisions of the relevant legislation.
The Administrative Court of Appeal upheld an earlier decision by the Administrative Court to reject an appeal brought by a foreign national against the Ministry of Interior over the refusal to grant Cypriot citizenship by registration.
Ruling aims to prevent abuse of the law
In its judgment, the Court of Appeal highlighted the importance of consistently applying the legal framework governing the acquisition of Cypriot citizenship.
It also stressed that the right to registration must be exercised within the limits set by law.
According to the court, this interpretation is supported by the legislature’s intention to prevent abusive practices and attempts to circumvent the law through successive marriages.
The ruling addresses cases in which a person who initially acquired Cyprus citizenship by registration could seek to extend the relevant entitlement to a new foreign spouse or to a child who is not the child of the spouse through whom the citizenship was originally obtained.
The case was handled on behalf of the Attorney General of the Republic by Republic Lawyer Nikoleta Nicolaou.
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