Welcome to British Forces Cyprus

Dual Serving Couple are entitled to a Status Card, if the following criteria are met:

• The PStat Cat 1s member of the relationships’ main residence is in Cyprus
• The PStat Cat 5s member of the relationships’ home address is listed as the same address as the PStat Cat 1

If a Serving Partner is also assigned to Cyprus, they would have entitlement to status in their own right.

When both partners of the LTR(E) are serving members of the Armed Forces, co located within Cyprus SBAs and they intend to reside together, one partner will be designated as PStatCat1s and the other partner PStatCat5s (as defined in JSP 752 Chapter 2 Section 2). Both parties must declare their intention to serve accompanied. The partner designated as PStatCat1s has the entitlement to SFA which they may exercise at their duty station, and if applicable, the allowances stated within this DIN, as governed by JSP 752. The partner designated as PStatCat5s has no entitlement to SFA, but may retain SLA if the Service Couple are assigned separately to ESBA and WSBA locations. Applications for SLA Retention must be made to HQ BFC J1.

When partners are co-located, but the SP designated as PStatCat1s is assigned away from the duty station before their partner, it is acceptable for the couple to amend their PStatCat in order to retain an entitlement at that duty location. In these circumstances there is no expectation that a family must move on the assignment of the licensee due to a difference in the rank entitlement of a Service couple.

The new licensee will be liable for all accommodation charges and should expect to pay for the occupied grade and band for charge of the allocated SFA.

If members of a Service marriage/civil partnership (Personal Status Category 1s/5s) are not co-located and both occupy Single Living Accommodation (SLA) or Substitute Service Single Accommodation (SSSA) at their respective duty stations, the accommodation occupied by the PStat Cat 1s partner will be designated the Service couple’s family home. However, if they own or rent a private property which they would normally occupy, other than for the exigencies of the Service, this property will be designated the family home. Where the PStat Cat 1s partner is a CEA claimant, the Family Home must be as defined at Paragraph 02.0118a above (see also Chapter 14, Section 1, Paragraph 14.0109b).

14.0109b. They are maintaining a Family Home as a Residence at Work Address which, for the purpose of CEA must be within 50 miles of their duty station or have been granted Involuntary Separated (INVOLSEP) status. These requirements continue to apply when the SP has agreed remote working arrangements with their CofC.

There is no requirement to review entitlement to CEA when the PStat Cat 5s is assigned to a location more than 50 miles from the RWA of the PStat Cat 1s partner. Where the PStat Cat 5s has the opportunity to remain in a privately owned or rented property at their duty location, this is permitted, but the couple are reminded that the RWA of the PStat Cat 1s remains the family home for CEA and it is at this address that children should spend the majority of their time when not at school.

Married Accompanied Service Couples (MASC) both assigned to/from an LOA location are both considered as single/unaccompanied and entitled to one vehicle move each when eligible. No second car provision is permissible.

Service Couples. Service personnel married to, or in a registered civil partnership with another Service person who are both assigned overseas (not necessarily in the same country), will each be entitled to Respite (RP) in their own right. Eligible children of service couples are entitled to the same RP entitlement as the parent who is PStat Cat 1s. Claims in respect of eligible children can only be made by the Service person nominated as 1s.

Entitlement of SP Married to or in a Civil Partnership with a member of the Armed Forces. Where SP are married to each other or in a civil partnership and assigned to the same LOA area, they will both receive the appropriate Single/Unaccompanied rate of LOA regardless of the type of family accommodation they are living in. If any qualifying children are present in the LOA area, the child element will be paid to the PStat Cat 1s, including when the SP is absent from the LOA area. Rebated rates of LOA will be paid to the SP who is temporarily absent from the permanent LOA area (other than for Individual Leave or Rest and Recuperation) where the most applicable residual, temporary or Exercise/Field condition LOA rate will be applied. If one partner of a Service Couple is undertaking a Career Intermission (or other period of unpaid leave) and therefore not in receipt of pay or allowances or has a remote working arrangement to accompany their spouse/civil partner in an LOA location, the assigned partner should receive the Accompanied rate of LOA. See JSP 752 para 09.0726 for when the married/civil partner service couple are assigned to different LOA areas.

Service personnel married to, or in a registered civil partnership with another Service person and where both are assigned overseas (not necessarily at the same location), will each be entitled to GYH(O) in their own right from their country of assignment to the UK with the exception of terminal travel where the restrictions at JSP 752 Para 09.1122 will apply where both members of the Service couple are collocated and travel together. Eligible children of Service couples are entitled to the same GYH(O) entitlement as the parent(s) they are residing with. When claiming, Unit HR are to check that a duplicate claim has not already been made for the entitled child.

Service Couples. Where partners of a Service marriage or civil partnership, including marriage to a member of the Civil Service, are not collocated and are required to serve on permanent assignments in different countries (with the UK being considered as one country as per JSP 752 para 02.0166, and the home base), the partner nominated as serving away from the family home (PStat Cat 5s/c) will be deemed to be INVOLSEP and therefore eligible to claim LSA at whatever level their personal accumulated QS dictates. The Service spouse/civil partner deemed to be occupying the family home will not be entitled to LSA for the period of separation. If both partners are absent from their permanent duty station on qualifying temporary duty, then both are eligible for LSA, at whatever level their personal accumulated QS dictates, even if they are collocated or in the same country.

Service Couples (as per definition at JSP 752, para 02.0205). A PStat Cat 1(s) or (c) SP, whose authorised change of PStat Cat was effected at the time of the new assignment, may claim DE provided a claim, other than at the SLA rate, has not been made by either of the partners in the previous 182 days. For determination of entitlement in exceptional circumstances (e.g. short notice change of assignment) casework should be submitted to DBS MIL PERS-MIL OPS PACCC.

Where a Service couple occupy the same private accommodation (owned or rented) or SFA/SSFA, only one individual is eligible to claim DE for that accommodation. This is normally the individual who is recognised as PStat Cat 1s.

Where the PStat Cat 1s duty station is based overseas, the PStat Cat 5s Service person who is remote working in the overseas location is not entitled to any location specific allowances in their own right unless they are permanently assigned to that location. However, the PStat Cat 5s may be entitled to any applicable allowances at their assigned duty station in the UK.

The partner with primary status (1s) has the entitlement to family accommodation based on their family size / rank which they may exercise at their Duty Station.