How foreign residents in Cyprus can access the Digital Citizen app

Living in Cyprus migrationTop News How foreign residents in Cyprus can access the Digital Citizen app Digital Citizen Relevant News Cyprus paediatricians flag rise in staph skin infections as pupils return to school 15 September 2026 How foreign residents in Cyprus can access the Digital Citizen app 15 September 2026 Cyprus hourly labour costs rise 3.8% year-on-year in second quarter 15 September 2026 newsroom 15 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Foreign nationals living in Cyprus can access the government’s Digital Citizen app, but must register using their ARC number rather than a national identity card, the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy has told philenews. Both Cypriot citizens and foreign residents can use Digital Citizen, provided they have created an account through CY Login, the Deputy Ministry said. Foreign nationals set up that account using their ARC number together with their residence document or permit. At this stage, foreign nationals can only add two items to the app: their vehicle’s MOT and, their Fan Card to access sporting events. To add the Fan Card, users must first obtain it through the Cyprus Sports Organisation’s website, fancard.cy, and then add it to Digital Citizen. Foreign nationals should also be able to add their Cyprus residence document or permit to the app by the end of October or early November, the Deputy Ministry said. The app foreign residents are now navigating is also about to change considerably. The Deputy Ministry has opened a public tender worth an estimated €9.7 million, excluding VAT, to upgrade, maintain and support Digital Citizen and integrate the EU’s Digital Identity Wallet, known as the EUDI Wallet. That figure is roughly 6.5 times the €1.5 million Cyprus paid for the app’s previous phase — reflecting, the Deputy Ministry said, a five-year project that is considerably broader in scope. The aim is to expand what the app can do, adding more official digital documents and new functions. The Deputy Ministry wants Digital Citizen to become a comprehensive daily tool for dealing with both the state and private businesses. The EUDI Wallet is central to that plan: Cyprus’s national solution is expected to be ready within 2027, once technical interconnections, security and interoperability checks, and the required certification are completed. It also depends on the national electronic ID, which already operates in Cyprus as IDMe.cy. In practice, the upgraded app will let users: Generate certified PDF copies of digital documents with a QR code for verification, and send them electronically to bodies that request them, such as banks Give electronic consent for sharing specific data with approved third parties Gradually add further documents, including refugee ID, disabled parking permits, the European disability card, birth certificates, driving licence penalty points and property information Update personal and contact details through the app Receive notifications, for instance about expiring documents Track the progress of applications submitted to state services On security, the Deputy Ministry said protecting personal data and cybersecurity were built into the project’s design from the outset, with vulnerability checks, risk assessments, penetration testing, incident-management procedures, and disaster-recovery infrastructure planned. The EUDI Wallet will go through a European evaluation and certification process before entering live use. The price tag has already faced criticism. An Audit Office report on the app’s previous phase, published a few months before the new tender, found a “lack of adequate and documented costing,” noting there was no cost estimate or detailed costing in place when that contract was signed. The Deputy Ministry said the €9,778,000 figure is the estimated tender value, not the final contract price, and follows a detailed assessment of the project’s scope, technical requirements, deliverables and full lifecycle. It covers the EUDI Wallet’s development, new functions and documents, migration to the government’s G-Cloud, cybersecurity and recovery infrastructure, five years of maintenance and support, a user-support platform, and staff training, the Ministry said. Read more: Digital IDs on your phone are legally binding in Cyprus — and organisations have no excuse to refuse them Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Cyprus paediatricians flag rise in staph skin infections as pupils return to school Cyprus hourly labour costs rise 3.8% year-on-year in second quarter Abandoned Agios Sozomenos picked as new site for Cyprus Central Prisons From hallucinating AI chatbots to wiping out humanity: How did we get here? MEPs vote on plan to strengthen Europe against foreign interference and digital manipulation New details emerge on Stylianos Konstantinou’s relationship with his parents, court hears US ambassador hails ‘wonderful meeting’ with Christodoulides as Cyprus ties deepen Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.