The Republic of Cyprus has entered the final phase of technical adjustments required for its full accession to the Schengen Area. Following a recent Cabinet decision, the government has given the green light for a crucial infrastructure project — the upgrade and segregation of departure and arrival zones at Larnaca and Paphos airports into Schengen and non-Schengen areas.

As Brief writes, this development marks a mandatory milestone for implementing the Schengen acquis and sends a clear message to Brussels about Nicosia’s determination to join the area. According to official sources, Cyprus’ full Schengen accession and the categorisation of passengers at its airports are two closely related but distinct concepts: the former being the ultimate objective, and the latter the practical means to achieve it. As a candidate for Schengen membership, Cyprus must demonstrate its capacity to manage two distinct traveller flows with full physical separation within its airport terminals.

The Cabinet decision focuses on the architectural and operational redesign of the two main airports. Once the works are completed, passengers will be divided into two streams:

Schengen Zone (Internal): Travellers to and from the 27 Schengen member states (including Greece, Germany, and France) will use “internal” gates without passport control, significantly speeding up procedures and reducing inconvenience for millions of European citizens.

Non-Schengen Zone (External): Travellers to or from third countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Israel will use “external” zones, where strict common border checks under EU law will apply.

According to the Ministry of Transport, achieving this requires the preparation of tender documents for the procurement of specialised technological equipment necessary to connect with European security systems (e.g. SIS/VIS). This process is currently being coordinated by the relevant national authorities — including the Police and the Department of Civil Aviation — in cooperation with Hermes Airports Ltd.

Despite rapid technical progress, the path to full Schengen accession remains politically complex.

The government’s initial target of joining by 2026 — coinciding with Cyprus’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union — now appears unlikely to be met.

The main obstacle remains the management of the Green Line and maritime borders. Full Schengen membership requires unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nicosia is negotiating a special exemption for the Green Line to ensure it does not become a “hard” external EU border — a scenario that could further complicate the Cyprus problem.