Syrian applicant triumphs in citizenship appeal

In a recent legal development, a Republic of Cyprus citizenship appeal by a Syrian-born individual of Turkish Cypriot origin proved successful. The appellant, who possessed a Turkish Cypriot "passport" and "identity card," anchored his claim on his grandmother, N[...] N[...] MUSTAFA, born in Neo Horio, Cyprus, in 1918. He asserted that she obtained a passport from the colonial government in 1952. With two of the appellant's siblings already holding Cypriot nationality since 2005, he submitted his citizenship application on November 10, 2015.

The Department of Civil Registry and Immigration's delayed response led to the appellant filing an appeal under Article 146 of the Constitution on February 22, 2017, claiming a failure to act promptly. Subsequently, in January 2018, the department requested additional documents, and the appellant duly complied. Following a thorough examination, the Court of Appeal sided with the appellant, overturning the initial judgment. The court declared the nullity of the department's failure to respond promptly and awarded the appellant EUR 4000 plus VAT in total costs.