A new bill making it simpler for Cypriots living abroad to have their foreign spouse registered as a Cyprus citizen has been put forward by the interior ministry.

At the moment, a foreign spouse needs to have been resident in Cyprus for three years before they can apply to become a citizen.

Under the new bill, the three-year requirement will be reduced to just six months, at the discretion of the interior ministry should it agree there are special circumstances, and only if the couple have been married for at least three years.

However, for Cypriots who live abroad whose foreign spouse wants to gain nationality the marriage must have lasted at least five years.

To apply, the foreign spouse must swear an oath of loyalty to the state, and show that they plan to keep living in Cyprus, or to keep working in the civil service, in education or in the police.

None of the proposed amendments applies to anyone who entered Cyprus illegally or is resident in the country illegally.

The only exception is that the interior minister can, in some cases, forgive a spouse who was previously living in the government-controlled areas without proper legal status.

The bill also makes clear that citizenship gained this way cannot be inherited.

Someone who becomes a citizen through their marriage cannot later use that right to help a stepchild become a citizen, or to help a future spouse become one either, should they remarry.