Rule
Six listed circumstances (not living together, or a report the marriage isn't a real family union; no shared language; an unreasonable age gap; a spouse's own admission; a spouse's record of earning income illegitimately; family income inconsistent with living standard) trigger an investigation into whether a marriage was entered into solely to obtain a residence permit or citizenship. The investigation can occur before or after a family residence permit is granted. A finding that a marriage is one of convenience stands for at least a year without needing to be repeated. Where the marriage found to be one of convenience is to a TRNC citizen specifically, the foreign spouse's residence exemption under Article 12(1)(a) ends; if they do not leave within 15 days of notification and hold no other exemption, they are treated as staying without authorisation from day 16.[1]
Exceptions
- Article 18(5) carries an 'A.E.336/2025' amendment marker on this specific consequence clause — not independently re-traced.
- Does not establish what the general overstay penalty regime actually consists of in fine/consequence terms from day 16 — that is a separate, not-yet-researched question.
- Article 18(2)'s investigation-conduct safeguards (privacy, joint/separate interviews, use of social workers) are not restated here as a separate proposition, being procedural detail rather than a foreigner-facing decision point.
Applies to
- Who:
- Dependants