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President Nikos Christodoulides may have boldly promised that Cyprus will join the Schengen Area in 2026, but the facts on the ground paint a different and far more complicated picture.
A recent investigation by the Cyprus Investigative Reporting Network (CIReN) reveals that Cyprus is nowhere near ready to join the passport-free Schengen zone, despite efforts to tick off technical boxes by the end of next year.
The main stumbling block? The Green Line, the UN-controlled buffer zone that cuts the island in half, and the legal and political chaos it brings to the table when it comes to border control, a key requirement for joining Schengen.
Not just technical, but deeply political
In a May speech, Christodoulides insisted that a “tremendous effort” was underway to meet all technical requirements by the end of 2025 so Cyprus could officially enter the Schengen Zone the following year.
But CIReN’s fact-check says otherwise. Despite progress, like joining the Schengen Information System in 2023, the government has yet to even start discussions with the EU Commission on how Schengen rules would apply along the Green Line.
And that’s not a small oversight.
The Schengen Area relies on strict control of external borders. But Cyprus’ 180 km Green Line isn’t a real border, under EU law, it’s a special zone where border checks are actually prohibited. Any changes would need not only a revision of EU rules but also approval from all 29 Schengen member states, a tall order.
No border checks, no Schengen
The European Commission has made it clear that Cyprus’ accession must “uphold the highest security standards” and “respect its special circumstances.” Those “circumstances” refer to the fact that EU law is suspended in the north of the island, where the Republic of Cyprus has no control.
According to CIReN, no concrete plan has been made public on how Cyprus intends to manage Schengen-level checks along the Green Line without triggering political backlash or disrupting everyday life for the more than 100,000 people who regularly cross it.
That includes Turkish Cypriots with limited or no official documentation, mixed families, students, and workers, many of whom could be caught in bureaucratic limbo if the Green Line becomes a hard border overnight.
While Cyprus may be making technical progress, it still hasn’t cleared major legal, operational, and diplomatic hurdles. There’s no final evaluation report confirming readiness, no political agreement with the EU, and no signs of formal discussions with the United Nations or Schengen partners on how to proceed.
In short, joining Schengen by 2026 isn’t impossible, but it’s definitely not on track.
*With information from CIReN
