The one-stop-shop shipping centre at the Deputy Ministry of Shipping will be operating as of next Monday, starting with the services of the Department of Population Records and Immigration, announced the competent Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis.

In her statements after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, which was informed about the operation of the Centre, Hadjimanolis stated that the purpose of the Deputy Ministry is to gradually expand the services of the Centre, so that all transactions with government departments and services, related to shipping can be handled by the Centre.

As she mentioned, every Monday the Centre, which will operate in the offices of the Deputy Ministry in Limassol, will receive applications for which physical presence is required to obtain biometric data for the issuance of registration certificates for citizens of EU countries who will be employed in Cyprus, as well as from shipping companies. The Centre will accept applications for residence cards from family members of EU citizens who are not themselves citizens of the Union.

It will also receive applications for issuing and renewing permits for temporary distribution and employment in Cyprus of third-country nationals employed by shipping companies and for arranging the residence of family members of third-country nationals employed by shipping companies.

In addition, Hadjimanolis said that the service will concern all shipping companies as well as companies whose activities are related to shipping and are based in Cyprus.

According to the Deputy Minister, the project is implemented in close cooperation with the Department of Population Records and Migration of the Ministry of the Interior, which has provided, among other things, the necessary know-how, IT equipment and personnel.

As she explained, by this service, the Deputy Ministry facilitates the interested companies as, because of the current situation, they would have to make an appointment with the Civil Registry Department and travel to Nicosia ibn order to carry out these transactions, which may not be completed in a single day.

The ultimate goal of the Centre, she emphasised, is the expansion of issues related to the shipping industry, so that all shipping-related transactions that fall under the competence of other government Departments and Ministries are carried out from the same point, that is, from the Deputy Ministry of Shipping.

As Hadjimanolis noted, the continuous upgrading of the services of the Deputy Ministry is one of the main priorities of the Deputy Ministry and of the governance programme of President Christodoulides.

"We support the shipping industry, which is a pillar of development with a significant contribution to the country's GDP. We launch policies and actions that serve our strategy to provide quality services", she concluded.