A man of Cypriot descent living in Jordan has been waiting 17 years for a decision on his application for Cypriot citizenship, and is appealing to the state to give him a final answer.
Tamer Al-Ebayyat told philenews that he applied to the Interior Ministry’s migration service for a certificate of citizenship on July 22, 2009. The latest official reply he received, dated July 22, 2026, said his application “is still being examined”.
The Interior Ministry told philenews that the request concerns registration as a Cypriot citizen by descent and that “examining such requests is time-consuming and complex”. It said an investigation had been carried out in this case but it could not comment further because an appeal was pending before the court.
Al-Ebayyat says he has not filed any appeal with the court on the matter.
He said he fully understood that citizenship applications require careful checks and verification, but could not see how one could remain under examination for 17 years without a final decision. He was not asking for the law to be bypassed, he said, only for the examination to be completed and a clear, final decision issued. After so many years, he said, he was entitled to know whether a specific legal, administrative or other reason was preventing a decision.
He said he was ready to provide any further documents or information needed. If the authorities consider that he does not meet the legal requirements, he said, he is also ready to accept an official decision setting out the reasons and informing him of any legal remedies available.
“I just want to know the outcome,” he said.
His application is based on his family ties to Cyprus. His mother, who is of Syrian origin, is a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus and holds a Cypriot identity card and passport, and his roots on the island go back to 1934, when his grandmother was born there, he said.
He said he received confirmation that his application had been submitted and a file opened, and has since repeatedly contacted the authorities for updates.
Al-Ebayyat was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, and his health has deteriorated in recent years, so he now needs continuous medical care and monitoring. He has informed the Cypriot authorities in writing. He said he was not asking for preferential treatment or for his health to be used to bypass the law, only for his humanitarian circumstances to be taken into account alongside the length of time his application has been pending.
He says he has exhausted every official channel, repeatedly approaching the Interior Ministry and filing a formal complaint with the Office of the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights. The complaint was first registered in 2021 and given a new reference number in 2025.
He added he was not making his story public to speak out against Cyprus.
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