Turkish Cypriots entering or leaving the Republic can now present their identification documents at the same counters as all other travellers, after the Greek Cypriot side seemingly abolished the long-standing, Turkish-Cypriot-only document-check windows at crossing points.

“The common counters for Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots and foreign nationals at the crossing points began operating in recent months,” the police told the Cyprus Mail.

Until recently, crossing points had a designated window exclusively for Turkish Cypriots.

With the removal of the signs marking separate counters, Turkish Cypriots no longer need to queue at a separate line.

Police said the signs were removed to streamline checks and improve their quality, though, when asked, could not specify exactly when the change was initiated.

An officer at one crossing point, who wished to remain unnamed, told the Cyprus Mail that the signs at his location had been taken down about a month earlier, at the end of October.

The police added that the previous system of separate counters had been “dictated by the circumstances at the time,” but a recent evaluation deemed them obsolete.

“Today’s needs showed that a review of the way these checks are conducted was required, resulting in these changes,” they said.

With the decision, all travellers – regardless of nationality – now present their ID cards or passports at the same counters.

The physical layout of the crossing points remains unchanged.

“I was very happy to see they removed it,” one young Turkish Cypriot told the Cyprus Mail, saying he had always found the separate counters unsettling. He noted, however, that the signs had not yet been removed at the Deryneia and Ledra Palace crossings.

Asked to confirm this, police said they could not yet provide details on the status of each individual crossing point but stressed that the aim is to create common counters islandwide gradually.

Another Turkish Cypriot the Cyprus Mail spoke to expressed similar enthusiasm about the decision. “Thank God they removed it,” he said.

Ledra crossing point, north, Turkish Cypriots, police, crossing points
Ledra street crossing point

While police have maintained that the original signs were intended to facilitate operations, some Turkish Cypriots viewed them as unnecessary and segregative, marking them – via their documents – as distinct from other travellers.

According to police, the “new method of conducting police security checks at crossing points” has so far yielded positive results. “However, we must wait for time to pass so that we have a larger sample to draw more secure conclusions,” they added.

There are nine crossing points across Cyprus. Most allow vehicle crossings, except for Ledra Street, which is pedestrian-only, and Ledra Palace in Nicosia, which requires special permission for vehicle crossings.

Recently published figures showed that the number of Greek Cypriots using Cyprus’ crossing to the north fell by more than 15 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

The number of crossings made by Greek Cypriots in April, May and June totalled 645,404, whereas the number of crossings made over the same period last year was 760,810.