Background:

The Cypriot national migration legislation (Article 14 of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations) foresees the possibility to issue "visitor's permits" to third-country nationals for the purpose of (a) entering Cyprus for short or long-term holidays, (b) tourism, or (c) investigating the possibility of residing in Cyprus. Holders of such visitor's permits cannot carry out any economic activity in Cyprus and must therefore prove that they have adequate means of subsistence to ensure a decent standard of living during their stay. Visitor's permits are granted for an initial period of 1 year, renewable for 1 year, provided that the applicant continues to satisfy conditions of eligibility.

The Cypriot National Contact Point (NCP) to the EMN launched this ad hoc query to map existing policies in other EMN Member and Observer Countries regarding temporary residence permits for applicants who must use their own financial means from abroad, with no right to engage in any economic activity in the country of residence.

Respondents:

23 EMN Member and Observer Countries provided a public answer to this ad hoc query.

Findings:

A preliminary analysis of the results of the ad hoc query shows that:

• Out of 23 responding countries, 12 countries (AT, HR, CY, FR, DE, EL, IT, LU, PL, SI, ES, SE) report having a specific temporary residence permit for third-country nationals who reside in the country on the basis of their own financial means from abroad, with no right to any economic activity in the country of residence. In BE, no such residence permits exist. While it is possible to settle in Belgium as a foreign national without engaging in gainful employment, the applicant must first prove strong ties to Belgium, which is subject to the appreciation of the Immigration Office.
   
• The types of permits issued and the conditions required to obtain them vary greatly from country to country. In addition to sufficient means of subsistence, other requirements include quotas (AT), having a purpose for the residence such as medical reasons or learning the language (HR, SI), or proof of housing, including ownership of real estate (AT, IT, LU).
   
• The initial period of validity for temporary residence permits is 1 year in most countries (AT, HR, CY, FR, IT, LU, SI, ES), while only 6 months in SE and 3 years in EL. In DE, the period is determined at the discretion of the competent authorities. AT is the only country that reports implementing a system whereby the period of validity increases progressively according to the number of years the third-country national has lawfully resided in the country (up to 3 years).

For further details, please read the compilation of answers attached above.