Visas and residency

The scheme was created by a Council of Ministers decision of 15 October 2021 with a ceiling of 100 permits. The ceiling was raised to 500 on 3 March 2022 and remains 500. The Deputy Ministry confirmed in an announcement dated 26 March 2025 that applications are being accepted.

Who qualifies

Non-EU/EEA nationals who work remotely using telecommunications technology, either employed by a company registered abroad or self-employed serving clients abroad.

Income threshold

Stable and sufficient net monthly income of at least €3,500, after deduction of contributions and taxes.

Duration

First permit one year, renewable for a maximum of two further years.

Family

Spouse or civil partner and minor children get permits for the same period — but without the right to work or carry out economic activity.

When to apply

Within three months of arrival. Renewals at least one month before expiry.

Where

At the Migration Department's central offices in Nicosia. Digital Nomad applications are examined exclusively at headquarters, not at district offices.

Fees and timing

€70 issuance or renewal plus €70 Aliens' Registry registration on first registration; examination five to seven weeks.

There is no published figure for how many of the 500 permits remain — no official counter exists, and every number circulating online is guesswork.

This is the fast-track permanent residence permit, currently governed by the 4th revision of May 2023, in force since 2 May 2023. It is a third-country-national route; EU citizens have no need of it.

The investment is €300,000 in exactly one of four categories:

1. A house or apartment — must be a first sale from a development company, at least €300,000 plus VAT.
2. Other real estate — offices, shops, hotels or combinations, total value €300,000. Resales are permitted in this category.
3. Share capital of a Cyprus company with physical presence in Cyprus employing at least five people — €300,000 as initial investment or an increase.
4. Units in a Cyprus collective investment organisation (AIF, AIFLNP, RAIF) — €300,000, with the investments held in Cyprus.

Income requirement

Secured annual income of at least €50,000, plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 per dependent minor child. Under category A the income must come from abroad and be evidenced by a tax return from your country of tax residence; under B, C and D it may come wholly or partly from Cyprus sources. A clarification also allows proof via certificates from an independent certified accountant.

Quality criteria

Clean criminal record from the country of origin and of residence, for applicant and spouse; a health insurance policy covering inpatient and outpatient care; and written confirmation of no intention to take employment in Cyprus — except as a director of the company invested in.

Fees

€500 on submission, plus €70 per person for the Alien Registration Certificate where one does not already exist.

Examination time

Approximately two months — by a wide margin the fastest route in this article.

Duration

The residence right itself has unlimited validity for the holder and adult dependants. The card expires ten years from issue and must be replaced. Cards for minor dependants run until age 18.

Adult children

May be included on a multiplied investment: €300,000 × the number of adult children invoking the same investment — one adult child means €600,000, two means €900,000. Each adult child must separately show €50,000 annual income, and for real estate 66% of market value must be proven paid at application.

Students aged 18–25

Financially dependent children in tertiary education abroad may apply separately; parents show an extra €10,000 per such child. The permit survives the child passing 25, marrying or ceasing to be dependent — but their future spouses and children cannot be added to it.

Ongoing obligations, as amended by the clarification: annual proof that the investment is maintained; a health insurance certificate if you are no longer a GESY beneficiary; and a clean criminal record every three years rather than annually. The requirement to prove income annually has been abolished.

Regulation 6(2) is not the only permanent route. Cyprus also operates EU long-term resident status as a separate five-year track with its own procedures, and Immigration Permits under Regulation 5, Categories A–F — which include Category F, for persons of independent means. Category F requires a secured annual income, from abroad, of at least €9,568 for the applicant plus €4,613 per dependant (per the Migration Department's own page), with no business or employment in Cyprus; the income may be pensions, dividends, deposit interest or rent. The Immigration Control Board may ask for more.

Naturalisation by years of residence rests on the Civil Registry (Amendment) Law of 2023, in force since 19 December 2023, which added Article 111B. Applications are on Form M127, submitted at District Administration Offices and signed in front of a Registrar.

The standard route requires all of the following:

1. Legal and continuous residence for the 12 months immediately before applying. Absences totalling 90 days or less do not break continuity.
2. During the 10 years preceding that 12-month period, legal residence for cumulative periods of at least 7 years.
3. Good character.
4. Greek at B1 level (CEFR), certified by the Greek Language Centre exams via the Ministry of Education's Examination Service or by the University of Cyprus School of Modern Greek. Exempt: holders of a secondary-school diploma taught mainly in Greek, or a degree taught in Greek.
5. A pass (60% or above) in an examination on the basic elements of Cyprus's contemporary political and social reality.
6. Suitable accommodation and stable, regular financial resources for yourself and your family.
7. An intention to reside in the Republic.

Fees: €500 on submission plus two stamps of €8.54 each, and a further €500 on approval for issuing the naturalisation certificate.

The high-skilled employment route (Article 111B(2)) shortens the residence requirement for people employed by companies covered by Council of Ministers Decision 92.018 of 15 October 2021 — foreign-interest companies, Cypriot shipping companies, hi-tech and innovation businesses, pharma and biotech, companies on the Foreign Companies Register, and accredited international higher-education institutions.

• Three years of residence with B1 Greek, or four years with A2 Greek, during the preceding 10 years — plus the same 12 months of continuous residence.
• Qualifying employees are directors, specialists and key personnel on foreign-interest-company permits; or, regardless of residence status, people with a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,500 plus a university degree or equivalent, or two years of certified experience in a corresponding role.
• You must have been employed by such a company for at least two years before applying.
• An accelerated examination not exceeding eight months is available for €5,000.
• Family members — spouse or civil partner, and a dependent adult child with a disability — may apply with or after the principal, subject to the same residency and language requirements.

There is no published processing time for the standard route. Firms quote two to three years after the residence period ends, but there is no official service-level commitment — only the €5,000 accelerated track carries a stated eight-month limit. Naturalisation by marriage to a Cypriot citizen is a separate procedure with no official source available yet.