'Get ready for Brexit' launches in Cyprus

The UK Government launched on Monday a major information campaign urging UK nationals living in Cyprus to get ready for Brexit on 31 October. 

A press release issued by the British High Commission in Cyprus says that UK nationals on the island will receive information about specific actions they need to take to keep their rights and access to services in Cyprus, including around residency, healthcare, driving licences and passports.

The campaign will use multiple channels - from Facebook posts to advertisements in the media - urging people to take action ahead of 31 October. It is part of a wider communications campaign effort across Europe.

The British High Commission in Cyprus has already been doing a lot over the past months to inform UK nationals, including town hall information meetings and updates via traditional media and our social media channels.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that the government is stepping up efforts to ensure Britons abroad are prepared for Brexit on 31 October. This campaign, he said, provides practical advice to the more than one million British people living in the EU, as well as British tourists and business travellers.

There are more than one million UK nationals living in the EU, with around 85,000 living in Cyprus.

The UK Government recently announced up to £3 million in grant funding for charities and other voluntary organisations who can inform UK nationals about the need to register or apply for residency and to support them as they complete their applications.

The Government has also allocated an extra £300,000 to British diplomatic missions across the EU to engage with ‘hard to reach’ UK nationals such as disabled people, those living in remote areas or people who might need extra help to complete any paperwork in preparation for Brexit.

This extra assistance, the press release says, will build on the support that British diplomatic missions are already providing with more than 541 outreach events with UK nationals since November 2017.

The new information campaign asks UK nationals to take action to prepare for Brexit by checking the Living in Cyprus Guide at gov.uk/livingincyprus and apply for residency, register with the Cypriot general health scheme (GeSY), exchange their UK driving licence for a Cypriot one or apply for an international driving permit and check their passport is valid for travel.