Information about studying in South Cyprus does not circulate that much in Cameroon, and this justifies why students have limited ideas about it. Therefore the majority do not know they could as well study in Cyprus at a higher level and at a cheaper rate; compared to other countries.
Some of the reasons why people are not much interested in studying in Cyprus are:
- Cyprus is not as famous as other countries in central Europe that they most often hear about.
- Lack of accurate information about South Cyprus and its institutions.
- Most importantly, because Cyprus is not a Schengen member state yet.
Related article: Will Cyprus ever join the Schengen Zone in the future?
Again, they have little or no knowledge of how to apply and go about the whole process.
Hy! My name is Aloysius, and I am from Cameroon. I am currently doing MBA in Cyprus in a reputed college. Today in this article, I will be guiding you on how to apply Cyprus on a student visa from Cameroon.
I want to thank Mr. Ashish Poudel Genuine for providing me this opportunity to publish my article on his site. One of his articles about applying Cyprus on a student visa from Nepal motivated me to write one for my people.
I will guide you through the entire process, starting from the collection of information about the Universities and Colleges, documents to be submitted during the application phase, and what to compile after admission has been granted.
Related article: Cyprus Student Visa: A Detailed Guide (Everything You Need To Know)
On that note, here is a step by step guide on how to apply Cyprus on a student visa from Cameroon.
Collecting information about the place before applying
It is still fresh in my mind the day I went online searching for Universities and colleges in countries in Europe. Suddenly Cyprus popped up, and I started researching schools immediately and eventually found my college, but that was not enough.
So I decided to go to the Cyprus Consulate center for more information, but little was provided for the start until the moment I started submitting.
However, I did not miss my session, as it is often the case with many applicants. Though going through the entire process was quite challenging. Basically, each required document had to be certified in a particular place before going to the ministry of foreign affairs.
I went through this because I was not fully informed about the whole procedure.
As a matter of fact, this article will go a long way to guide students who intend to take their higher studies in Cyprus to excel with relative ease. It will equally help them do their things without falling into the hands of dishonest agents.
These agents most often extort huge amounts of money from desperate students who are vulnerable most of the time.
Take a look at the convincing things agents say about Cyprus that you must not trust.
I happened to be a victim, and I don’t like to see it happen to anyone else.
This article contains everything you need to go through the process.
College Selection and getting the Acceptance letter
Firstly, you need to choose a college, scan and send the documents your college needs, wait for the college to issue an Acceptance Letter maybe a few days or weeks after submission, and that is done after the college must have analyzed your file.
Required Documents for Admission:
- Academic Documents and Transcripts (mark sheet)
- Passport pages (front and backsides)
- Passport size photo
- Application fees depending on the level (Bachelors/ Masters)
After doing all that, you need to wait for a while for the college to send your acceptance letter, and that could take something like three weeks maximum.
As soon as your acceptance letter is given, you will need to compile the following documents:
- Police Clearance or Certificate of Non-Conviction
- Medical Reports from Laboratoire Prima because it is the only Clinic Cyprus consulate in Cameroon recommends applicants to go do their medical checkups, and you have to do the following:
-
- Blood Test
- X-ray
- TB
These might cost you 55000frs approximately.
Note:
You will have your results on the same day in the afternoon; if you take it in the morning and you have to cross-check if the Doctor has signed. This is because if the Doctor’s signature is not there, neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the consulate will consider it, and you will go there back and forth.
Related article: How Much Is The Actual College Fee In Cyprus For International Student?
Academic Documents ( Certificates and Attestations)
Your academic documents need to be certified in the institution or institutions where you obtained them by competent officials. So this must be done before taking them to the ministry of foreign affairs and the consulate eventually.
For example, If you did your level 1 and 2 in the University of Maroua and have completed in the University of Yaounde 1 with a Degree, you’ll have to certify your Degree and its transcript in Yaounde 1 University and the transcripts of level 1(one) and 2(two) that you had in University of Maroua would be certified only in Maroua University.
After all that, you will put them together for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from where you will go to the consulate for checking.
You’ll also do the same if you are applying as an undergraduate. You’ll need transcripts of both Ordinary and Advanced Level, and you’ll need to take both along with the certificates to the District Officers for certification. Remember, fiscal stamps must be placed on each of them before whatever signature.
Bank Statement
A bank Statement with a minimum of €7000 is required. But not necessarily your account, your sponsor’s account is also accepted.
An Affidavit of the sponsor is also needed, and your sponsor must be the one to provide it for you. It must be signed by a notary and sponsor Bank Statement, and his/her ID card certified copy must be included and their signatures.
However, an affidavit of the sponsor is needed when you declared that someone else is going to take care of your studies in Cyprus.
Police Clearance Certificate
A Certificate of Non-Conviction or Police Clearance is needed at the consulate. This Non-Conviction is done in the Ministry of Justice, and it could cost you 3500frs.
A certified copy of your passport is also required. Your passport should be certified by a police officer, and it takes a fiscal stamp of 1000frs.
Attestation from Foreign Affairs Ministry
After putting all the above documents together, you have to bring them to the Foreign Affairs for them to get attested. Make sure you place a fiscal stamp on these documents that have signatures, and on each of the sheets (if your medical result is four leaves, you’ll need to get four fiscal stamps on them).
Before bringing documents to the ministry of foreign affairs (External Relation); remember all your documents regardless of where they were certified, you need to place fiscal stamps on those that do not have. Your documents must be verified and signed by the ministry of foreign affairs before the consulate can receive them.
But you must bear in mind that your file will spend three working days in the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Documents submission in the Cyprus Consulate Centre
When your documents have been signed and taken out of the ministry of foreign affairs, the next destination is the Cyprus consulate.
Once the consulate checks and confirms, you have to pay 5000frs per leave (if your file has 20 leaves, for example, you will pay 5000frs times 20). Note that a receipt is issued after submission and it’s with that same receipt that applicants can be able to collect their documents once called up at the consulate.
Once the applicant receives his/her file from the consulate, the next thing to do is to photocopy all the documents before heading to DHL for shipping. DHL issues a Bill way for tracking documents.
Applicants have to send their documents themselves directly to the college or to a trustworthy relative in Cyprus in order to be handed over to the college.
After that, the college will send an email to confirm reception, and they will remind you of the minimum 3000 Euro that will accompany the applicant’s file to the Immigration.
As soon as this money is deposited in the school account, the applicant will receive an email with a receipt of payment while waiting for an Entry Permit. But that takes just a few days to be issued.
The Entry Permit usually has a duration of 15 days for the student to arrive in Cyprus, but don’t worry about the date because applicants have to go back to the Cyprus consulate for the Visa to be stamped in their passports.
As that was not enough, the consulate on its part needs certain documents and visa application fees of 65000frs.
List of documents applicants need to take with them to the consulate:
- Travel insurance of at least one month
- Colored copy of passport
- The passport itself
- The Acceptance Letter
- One(1) passport size photograph (5 by 5)
- Receipt of tuition payment from the collage
- A flight ticket round trip
- A sum of 65000frs
So after submitting all these, the consulate issues a receipt and asks the applicants to go and wait for a call after 48 hours.
The good thing is that the consulate issues visas that have 30 days validity, and the student can now fix a travel date within this period and move to Cyprus.
Which airlines to choose?
This is not some sort of advert about choices of airlines, but I will advise people always to go for Egyptair or Ethiopian air.
This is to avoid going to airlines that might end up asking for transit visas that are challenging to get.
I’m saying this out of the experience, a friend of mine booked a flight from Cameroon with Brussels airlines and couldn’t travel embarked because of this issue of transit visa. It is costly when you miss a flight and/or have to change it.
Another most important thing is knowing who will pick you up at the airport. It is often useful to make this arrangement because Cyprus has just one airport for international travelers. This airport is situated in a City known as Larnaca, and your college might not be in that town. So always make this arrangement first before taking off.
Conclusion
Well, that was a step by step guide for you to follow while applying to Cyprus on a student visa from Cameroon. I hope it helps you.
Cyprus is a magnificent country to complete your higher-level education. In fact, Cyprus provides some of the best options that you don’t get to benefit from other European countries.
Read this article to know about why choosing Cyprus on a student visa from Cameroon might be an excellent idea.
If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment section below. I will try my best to help you as much as I can.
Attention:
If your intention to come to Cyprus is to earn money rather than study, then I suggest you not to come.
Life is a bit hard for students who come here, thinking that they would earn money and pay the tuition fee.
Read in here about How Much Can An International Student Earn In Cyprus to know better.
I wish you all the very best in your plans to get to Cyprus.
Best of Luck.
Read these other articles to know more about Cyprus:
South Cyprus Student Visa Requirements
How Long Does It Take To Get A Cyprus Student Visa?
What Are Kind Of Jobs Available For International Students In Cyprus?
Where to Look For A Job In Cyprus as An International Student?
What to Do After Coming To Cyprus On A Student Visa?
Can You Bring Your Spouse On A Dependent Visa With Your Cyprus Student Visa?
How Much Does It Cost To Live In Cyprus for International Students?
Many thanks for this wonderful information. Please, I wish you give me a list of schools which offer student visa in the said country where someone can choose a study field or better still a website to search such schools .