TRNC short-term residence permit: the 60-day window after graduation

If you are finishing a degree in North Cyprus and need a bit more time before you leave or move to a work permit, there is a specific short-term residence permit for that. The Ministry of Interior's rules (Article 14 of the Residence and Visas Regulation) set out several categories of short-term permit, and one applies directly to graduating international students.

Graduates of two-year higher education programmes who completed the full programme, or graduates of four-year-plus programmes who completed at least three years, can apply for a one-time short-term residence permit of up to six months. The catch: you must apply within 60 days of your graduation date. Miss that window and this route is closed.

This matters because a student residence permit typically ends with your studies. This short-term permit is a bridge, not a new student or work permit, and it is granted once. Plan your paperwork before the 60-day clock starts, not after.

Other short-term categories in the same regulation are unlikely to apply to most students but are worth knowing about if your situation changes. There is a permit for foreigners who own property in North Cyprus, tied to proof of a residential unit used for that purpose and, if bought on contract, at least a third of the price paid plus a pending application for permission to acquire property. Property-based permits run one year at a time for the first three years, then two years at a time once the title deed is in the applicant's name.

There is also an income-based short-term permit for those who can show a monthly income of at least five times the minimum wage, or that amount held as a year's income in a bank account. Others cover research, archaeological work, internships, treatment for non-threatening illnesses (capped at six months per stay and two years total), and exchange programmes under international agreements.

None of this replaces your primary student residence permit while you are enrolled. For that process, see the student visa walkthrough and the residence permit checklist, which cover the paperwork you need before and during your studies, separate from this post-graduation option.