More than 15 categories of applicants are eligible for a Cyprus residence permit. Among them are foreigners with international income, digital nomads, students, researchers, and volunteers.
Investors can get a permanent residence permit when buying real estate or shares of Cypriot companies for €300,000 or more. The status is issued in three months, for life.
A residence permit allows staying in Cyprus for over 90 days every six months and, in some cases, getting a work permit. A tourist Schengen or Cyprus national visa does not provide such opportunities.
There are 15 grounds for applying for a Cyprus residence permit. The Government of Cyprus publishes up-to-date information on obtaining a residence permit on the website of the Civil Registry and Migration Department.
A Cypriot ID card confirms the right to live in the country. It contains basic information about the foreigner, including two digital fingerprints.
Until 2020, a Pink Slip was issued instead of an ID card: a registration certificate printed on pink paper. Pink Slips were given to third-country citizens. Applicants from the European Union or the European Economic Area received Yellow Slips, certificates on yellow paper.
Residence permit holders can’t leave Cyprus for over 3 consecutive months: otherwise, their resident status will be automatically revoked.
Cyprus’s permanent residence by investment allows foreigners to get residency for life without moving to the island. Investors can visit Cyprus once every two years.
Cyprus permanent residence has been granted for investing €300,000 or more since 2021. The money can be invested in residential and commercial real estate, Cypriot company shares, or units of AIF, AIFNLP, and RAIF investment funds.
The Golden Visa program replaced the Cyprus citizenship by investment program after the latter ended in November 2020.
Foreigners over 18 with a legal income and good character can apply for permanent residence by investment. They should not be included in any sanction lists or have criminal records and EU or UK entry bans.
The investor can add their spouse and children under 18 to the application.
Children between the ages of 18 and 25 can also apply if they are:
From May 2023 onwards, parents of investors or their spouses can not be added to the application.
The main applicant fulfils the conditions of one of the four investment options, contributing at least €300,000 to the country's economy.
Most investors prefer buying real estate in Cyprus, such as residential properties from the developer or commercial premises on the primary or secondary market.
Under the Cyprus residency by investment terms, real estate can be rented out but not sold when the investor retains their permanent residence. They can sell the property after living in the country for five years and obtaining Cyprus citizenship by naturalisation.
The cost of obtaining permanent residence by investment in real estate includes property value and additional expenses:
The additional expenses are approximately 20% of the transaction value. When buying a property worth €395,000, the total cost of obtaining permanent residence will start at €474,000.
The investor shows financial solvency by providing an annual income of at least €50,000. This minimal income increases depending on the applicant number:
Applicants obtain permanent residency within 3 months. However, the application processing depends on the workload of the Civil Registry and Migration Department.
Permanent residence is valid for life. The investor does not need to collect documents annually and renew the status; changing the ID card once every five years is enough.
Foreign citizens with a stable income outside Cyprus can apply for a residence permit called Autonomous Visitor Permit and still unofficially referred to as a “Pink Slip”. It is valid for 1 year and can be extended unlimited times. The holder can not live outside Cyprus for more than 90 days.
Main applicants for Cyprus residence permits must be non-EU citizens over the age of 18. They can bring their spouses and children under 18.
The main applicant confirms an income of €2,000 per month or €24,000 per year. The qualifying income is salary, pension payments, rental yields, and dividends. Before submitting the residency application, one must transfer €24,000 to a Cypriot bank account.
These minimal income and bank deposit thresholds should increase by:
Starting January 1st, 2023, main applicants can provide international and Cyprus-earned income as proof of their financial solvency. Applicable types include rental or dividend income.
A registered address in Cyprus is required to obtain a Pink Slip. Applicants can buy or rent a property and submit either the long-term lease or the sale and purchase agreement as proof. No minimum cost is required when buying or renting an apartment or house.
The timeframe for obtaining a Cyprus residence permit for financially independent foreigners is at least three months.
A visitor residence permit is issued for a year, but the status can be extended unlimited times. The renewal application is submitted at least one month before the residence permit validity ends.
500 remote workers can get Cyprus’s Digital Nomad visas every year. Applicants must:
Family members — spouses and children under 18 — can get residence permits with the main applicant. Additional applicants are not allowed to work for hire or register a company in Cyprus.
A Digital Nomad visa can be obtained within 5 to 7 weeks. It will be valid for one year and subject to renewal for another two years.
A residence permit for employment is obtained following an offer from a Cypriot company. In this case, the employer, not the employee, applies for the entry and residence permit.
Foreigners who apply for key positions in a company with a monthly gross salary of at least €2,500 can get residence permits.
Applicants can sponsor the following family members:
A work residence permit is issued for one year, while the maximum stay in Cyprus is four years. The restriction doesn't apply to highly qualified specialists in key economic sectors.
For sponsored family members, the validity period of a Cyprus residence permit is the same as for the specialist who came to work in Cyprus.
Cyprus residency can be obtained by international company employees who get transferred to a Cyprus branch for work or study. The employer handles the registration of residence and entry permit documents.
The following applicants are eligible for a residence permit:
The validity period of a residence permit for an intra-corporate transfer starts at 90 days. The maximum stay is 3 years for managers and key employees and 1 year for regular employees and interns.
Applicants can obtain residence permits for their spouses and children under 18 through a sponsorship procedure or family reunification.
International applicants who enrolled in Cypriot universities and paid for their studies can get residence permits. So do students of English and Greek language courses.
A student residence permit grants the right to work to foreigners who study at state-accredited universities full-time and plan to work less than 20 hours a week.
The obtainment period for a student residence permit is 3 months.
A residence permit for students in Cyprus is issued for 1 year. The ID card must be renewed annually as long as the holder studies.
The main list of documents for getting a residence permit includes the following:
The list of documents may be expanded depending on why a foreigner receives a residence permit. For instance, applicants for a Digital Nomad visa provide contracts with non-Cypriot companies. Financially independent individuals will be asked to provide a bank guarantee letter confirming that the main applicant's account will be used to cover possible repatriation costs.
The complete lists of documents, forms and instructions for obtaining a residence permit are published on the Cyprus Civil Registry and Migration Department website.
After preparing documents corresponding with their grounds for relocation, foreigners must obtain the following:
Within 1 week after arriving in Cyprus, foreigners must register with the Aliens Register and apply for a temporary residence permit from the Civil Registry and Migration Department.
Authorised representatives can prepare and submit applications on behalf of foreigners, especially digital nomads, individuals with passive income, and Cyprus investment program participants.
Workers with offers, transferred workers, and students can contact their employers or universities to get their applications handled.
The timeline for getting a residence permit depends on the Civil Registry and Migration Department's workload and each applicant’s situation.
Here are the estimated processing times for different types of Cyprus residence permit:
A Cyprus residence permit allows the holder to:
A Cyprus passport is obtained in one of three ways: naturalisation, descent or marriage. Until 2020, a citizenship‑by‑investment program was in effect but closed.
One cannot buy a Cyprus passport: foreigners who obtain permanent residence by investment qualify for Cyprus citizenship on a general basis. Permanent residency does not change the timeline; however, it reduces the number of bureaucratic procedures.
Unlike a temporary residence permit, permanent residence by investment is issued immediately for life: the ID card does not need to be renewed every year.
The main list of documents for a Cyprus residence permit includes the following:
The list of documents may be expanded depending on which grounds a foreigner receives a residence permit. Complete lists of documents, forms and instructions for obtaining a residence permit are published on the Cyprus Civil Registry and Migration Department website.
For up to 90 days on a tourist national or Schengen visa.
A residence permit allows you to spend more than 90 days in Cyprus every six months and, in some cases, get a work permit.
More than 15 categories of applicants can obtain a residence permit in Cyprus, including students, volunteers, researchers, digital nomads and investors.
On average, for 3 months, but the document preparation deadline depends on the Cyprus Civil Registry and Migration Department workload and the grounds for obtaining the status.
Cyprus is a member of the European Union but not a member of the Schengen Agreement. This means that a foreigner with a residence permit in Cyprus will need a visa to Schengen countries, which can be issued at consulates in Cyprus.
“Yellow slip” and “Pink Slip” are the former names of the certificate of registration of foreign citizens in Cyprus. Starting in 2020, the right to live in the country is confirmed by a plastic ID card that contains basic information about a foreigner, including two digital fingerprints.
Despite the digitalisation, the terms “yellow slip” and “pink slip” are still used informally. Yellow slip means certificates issued to EU and EEA citizens, and pink slip — certificates issued to third-country nationals.
ID card holders can live in Cyprus, become tax residents and receive tax benefits, apply for medical care, and give their children a European education on more favourable terms.
