The Cyprus relocation guide
Twelve sections covering the move end to end. Where the procedure differs by citizenship, the article splits into tabs — EU, visa-required and visa-free entry — instead of hiding the difference.
Sections
Visas and residency
How long you may stay, which registration or permit applies to you, and the route to permanent residency and citizenship — split by entry status.
Opening a bank account
Which banks still exist after the 2025 consolidation, what they ask for, the one sanctions rule that is actually law, and why nobody can honestly tell you which bank will say yes.
Renting and buying a home
How Cyprus's rental market works, how not to get scammed renting from abroad, what a normal deposit and lease look like, and what buying property involves.
Taxes and tax residency
The 183-day and 60-day rules after the 2026 reform, what non-dom status actually exempts, how income, dividends and crypto are treated, and where the double tax treaties really stand.
Healthcare: GESY and private insurance
Who is entitled to the national health system, what it covers, when private insurance is mandatory for a permit, and how to find a doctor who speaks your language.
Schools, kindergartens and universities
Public schools teach in Greek — the fact that decides most families' choices. Private and international options, when to apply, and how foreign diplomas count.
Driving and bringing a car
Exchanging a foreign licence — including whether yours is exchangeable. Plus importing a car, buying locally, and the fact that Cyprus drives on the left.
Working and doing business
The right to work is where EU and third-country paths differ most: work permits, the Foreign Interest Company route, setting up a Cyprus company, and salaries.
Bringing pets to Cyprus
The order of steps is legally fixed — microchip, then rabies, then (for some countries) a blood test with a long wait. Plus what's genuinely a Cyprus rule versus what's an internet myth.
Moving your belongings
Container versus groupage, the duty-free relief on your used household goods and its conditions, the €10,000 cash rule, and a timeline that lines up with your checklist.
Daily life and culture
SIM cards now need ID registration, utilities go in your own name with a deposit, and you'll likely need a car. The practical setup of ordinary life in Cyprus.
Family: reunification, spouses and children
How family members join you, why a dependent spouse can usually work despite what you have read, what children's permits involve, and what happens when a child is born in Cyprus.