During the lockdown, between 24th March 2020 and 13th April 2020 the Cyprus Government have issued guidelines on the exceptions to the ban on unnecessary travel. Leaving your home is subject to approval of the purpose of movement. The purpose of movement is limited to the following categories.
Purpose of Movement
Movement of citizens for serving needs, which cannot be covered in alternative ways, are allowed only for the purposes mentioned below:
- Movement to and from work during working hours
- Visit to a pharmacy, blood donation center or a doctor
- Visit to a store to buy essential goods / services.
- Visit to a bank, provided that electronic transactions are not possible.
- Absolutely necessary visits to government services or services of the wider public sector and local government
- Movement with the purpose of assisting people who are unable to serve or protect themselves or who are in self-confinement and / or compulsory confinement (quarantine)
- Movement for physical activity or for the needs of a pet, alone or in a group of no more than 2 persons and in areas adjacent to their homes
- Movement with the purpose of attending a ceremony (e.g. funeral, wedding, christening) of first and second degree relatives not exceeding 10 persons
- Movement for any other purpose which may be justified under the prohibition of movement measures
Approval of Purpose of Movement
Movement of an Employee
Form A must be completed (see link below). To move from and to the workplace during working hours, the confirmation of movement is fixed and is provided, under the sole responsibility of the signatory, by the employer, or in the case of a legal person, by his legal representative or, in the case of a freelance professional or self-employed, by him or herself.
Movement By Individuals
Movement by individuals by way of an exception should be requested by sending a text to 8998 (instructions on sending the text are below). If sending a text is not possible the movement can be recorded on Form B (see link below).
The confirmation of movement on Form B refers to each movement per se, is signed by the interested person under his or her sole responsibility and contains his or her name/surname, date of birth, identity or passport number, residence address, time of movement as well as the specific purpose of movement.
In each movement, citizens must carry identification proof – identity card or passport – as well as the filled out document of the confirmation of movement (printed or handwritten) or the confirmation SMS that they have received, in order to present it in case of a check.
Confirmation of Movement Documents
English language versions of Documents A and B are available in PDF and Word Format on the official Government Covid-19 website. The following are links to those forms.
Form A: Confirmation of Movement of an Employee
Form B: Statement for the movement of citizens by way of exception
- Confirmation of Citizens’ Movement by way of exception (PDF)
- Confirmation of Citizens’ Movement by way of exception (MS-Word)
Instructions for Sending SMS
The SMS can be sent from your mobile phone to the number 8998 without any charges.
The SMS must have the following format:
X space ID or passport number space postal code
Χ stands for the purpose of movement with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 corresponding to the following reasons:
- Visit to a pharmacy, blood donation center or a doctor
- Visit to a store to buy essential goods / services.
- Visit to a bank provided that electronic transactions are not possible.
- Absolutely necessary visits to government services or services of the wider public sector and local government
- Movement with the purpose of assisting people who are unable to serve or protect themselves or who are in self-confinement and / or compulsory confinement (quarantine)
- Movement for physical activity or for the needs of a pet, alone or in a group of no more than 2 persons and in areas adjacent to their homes
- Movement with the purpose of attending a ceremony (eg funeral, wedding, christening) of first and second degree relatives not exceeding 10 persons
- Movement for any other purpose which may be justified under the prohibition measures
Once they send the message, citizens will have the right to move for a reasonable amount of time depending on the purpose of movement.
After sending the SMS, a reply will be received. In case of a police check, citizens should show the SMS along with their ID or passport.
Solemn Declaration by Citizens
In the event that citizens do not have access to the announced documents for a confirmation of movement, they may carry with them a handwritten confirmation containing the following information: full name, date of birth, ID or passport number, residence address, time of movement as well as the specific purpose of that movement (which must fall within the categories excluded from the prohibition of unnecessary movements, as these are stipulated in the relevant Decree.) Signature and Date.
For further updates, announcements and information concerning Coronavirus can be found on the Covid-19 section of the Public Information Office website on the following link:
