Visa Request Process
Delegates travelling to Cyprus may require to obtain a visa to attend the International Congress of Health Workforce Education & Research. Some may also request a letter from the International Network for Health Workforce Education to verify the attendance at the event. Embassies may need to verify that registration fees have been paid in full and may require applicants to appear in person for an interview, causing delays in the application process. We strongly recommend interested parties to apply for a visa no later than three months prior to the event. As the event organiser, we are keen to provide delegates with a visa invitation letter to verify their intent to attend the event. Please note that Cyprus is not in the Schengen Area.
Larnaka
Larnaca International Airport is Cyprus' main international gateway and the largest of the country's two commercial airports, the other being Paphos International Airport on the island's southwestern coast. Larnaka's geographic location in-between Europe, Africa, Russia and the Middle East facilitates it as an airline hub for traffic and flight operations between these locations. It currently holds domestic, regional and international passenger and cargo services by over 30 airlines.
Paphos
The new terminal building of Pafos International Airport covers an area of 20.000 sq. meters, which has the capacity to serve 2.7 million passengers per year. It is commonly used by tourists on vacation in western Cyprus, providing access to popular resorts such as Coral Bay, Limassol and Paphos itself.
Transportation
When you arrive in Cyprus, there are four (two if landing in Pafos) main ways you can get to Nicosia:
Airport Shuttle: Kapnos Airport Shuttle has regular, direct services between Nicosia and Larnaka International Airport (40 minutes) and Pafos Airport on the west coast (90 minutes). The pick-up/drop-off point in Nicosia is quite a hike from the Old City, but both OSEL buses 158 and 160 run along Leoforos Lemesou, near to the Kapnos station, down to the Urban Bus Station at the edge of the Old City.
Service Taxi: Service taxis (shared taxis) run by Travel & Express operate between Nicosia and Larnaka International Airport (11,00 EUR Monday to Saturday, 13,00 EUR on Sundays, hourly 9am to 6pm, 40 minutes) and to the west coast's Pafos Airport (23,00 EUR Monday to Saturday, 25,00 EUR on Sundays, five daily, 90 to 120 minutes). When going to the airport, make sure you leave at least an extra hour for your journey, to allow for picking up other passengers. This particularly applies to those flying out of Pafos Airport, as a change is required in Lemesos, which can sometimes include a wait of around 30 minutes.
Taxi: A taxi between Larnaka Airport and Nicosia (30 minutes) costs approx. 40,00 EUR, while between Pafos Airport and Nicosia (90 minutes) it's approx. 100,00 EUR.
Bus: The cheapest transport option between Larnaka Airport and Nicosia is to take one of Larnaka's city buses from the airport to the Finikoudes bus stop in central Larnaka (1,50 EUR) and from there catch the Intercity bus to Nicosia (4,00 EUR).
Accommodation
Accommodation reservation is done directly between the hotels and the participants. If you haven’t booked your accommodation yet, we strongly recommend to do it as soon as possible through the online search engines. The International Network for Health Workforce Education is unable to sell any accommodation directly but will try to help if there is a situation that you don’t have accommodation upon your arrival in Nicosia. Recommended budget hotels nearby the Congress venue (walking distance, between 60 and 120 EUR per night):