Cyprus
Residency route coverage
| Route family | Routes | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Investment | Routes recorded | |
| Remote work |
| Routes recorded One route: the Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa, a Council of Ministers scheme with a standing ceiling of 500 residence permits and a EUR 3,500 monthly net income condition. |
| Passive income |
| Routes recorded |
| Entrepreneur |
| Routes recorded |
| Work |
| Routes recorded |
| Study |
| Routes recorded |
| Family | Routes recorded Two routes: the general family-reunification regime for family members of third-country nationals legally residing in Cyprus, and the facilitated regime for third-country family members of Cypriot citizens. Family members of EU/EEA citizens and of UK citizens with free movement rights are separate regimes and are not recorded — free-movement beneficiaries are outside this knowledge base's third-country-national scope. Dependants of Immigration Permit holders are recorded as family_inclusion on those routes, not as a route. |
Country facts
Identity
| Local name | Κύπρος |
|---|---|
| ISO code | CYP |
| Region | Europe |
| Currency | EUR as of 2026-08-07[2][7] The EU country profile records the currency as the euro; the Migration Department states immigration-permit fees and category thresholds in euro. |
| Official languages | el, tr as of 2026-08-07[2] The EU country profile states that Cyprus has two official languages, Greek and Turkish, and that only Greek is an official EU language. English is not an official language, although the Migration Department and the Ministry of Interior publish parallel English versions of their pages. |
Memberships
| Memberships |
|
|---|
Permanent residence
| Qualifying years | 5 as of 2026-08-07[8] |
|---|---|
| Language requirement | Not established from a qualifying source[8] |
| Integration requirement | Not established from a qualifying source[8] |
| Income requirement | Not established from a qualifying source[8] |
| Absence rules |
|
Citizenship
| Years to naturalisation | 8 as of 2026-08-07[13] Civil Registry (Amendment) Law of 2023, in force 19 December 2023, as described by the Ministry of Interior: legal and continuous residence for the 12 months immediately before the application (absences totalling not more than 90 days do not interrupt it), plus, in the 10 years immediately preceding that 12-month period, legal residence for cumulative periods of not less than 7 years – eight qualifying years in total. A separate track under art. 111B(2) applies to persons residing for the purpose of highly qualified employment in companies covered by Council of Ministers Decision no. 92.018 of 15/10/2021: 12 months plus 4 years (Greek at A2) or 3 years (Greek at B1) within the preceding 10 years, i.e. five or four qualifying years, with a minimum gross monthly salary of EUR 2,500 and at least two years' employment with such a company before the application. |
|---|---|
| of which on permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source[13] |
| Dual citizenship | Not established from a qualifying source[13] |
| Language requirement | B1 as of 2026-08-07[13] Sufficient knowledge of Greek at B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference, proved by a certificate of success in the Greek Language Certification Examinations or from the School of Modern Greek of the University of Cyprus. Holders of a secondary-school diploma or an academic degree taught in Greek are exempt. Under the art. 111B(2) highly qualified employment track the requirement is A2 or B1, with the length of qualifying residence differing accordingly (4 years at A2, 3 years at B1). |
| Citizenship test required | Yes as of 2026-08-07[13] Sufficient knowledge of the basic elements of the contemporary political and social reality of Cyprus, proved by a certificate of success with a grade of at least 60% in an evaluation examination conducted by the Examination Service of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth. |
Tax
| Tax-residency day threshold | Not established from a qualifying source[11] |
|---|---|
| Other tax-residency triggers | Not established from a qualifying source[11] |
| Headline income tax rate | Not established from a qualifying source[11][12] |
| Income tax structure | Not established from a qualifying source[12] |
| Net-wealth tax | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Inheritance or estate tax | Not established from a qualifying source |
Your next step
Select the routes above whose requirements you could plausibly meet. Read their rules and terms in full.
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Reference figures
| Reference figures | No reference figures recorded |
|---|
Changes
Recent changes
| 2026-01-01 | A tax reform applies to individuals from tax year 2026 onwards, replacing the pre-reform regime. Among other things it changes who must file: Cyprus tax residents with income within the scope of section 5(1) of the Income Tax Law regardless of age, and, regardless of income, individuals aged between 25 and 70 during the tax year. Before the reform the filing threshold was gross annual income above EUR 19,500. The Tax Department published an explanatory guide, FAQs and worked examples for individuals (edition of 11 May 2026) and a reform landing page on 29 May 2026.[11][12] |
|---|---|
| 2026-01-28 | The Cyprus Startup Visa Scheme was renewed and is stated to be valid until December 2026. Date recorded is the publication date of the Migration Department page announcing the renewal, not necessarily the date of the renewal decision, which the page does not give. Affects: Cyprus Startup Visa[10] |
| 2025-07-07 | The Migration Department began accepting EU Blue Card applications. The minimum gross annual salary for highly qualified employment is set by Decree of the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance at EUR 43,632, and highly qualified employment is confined to three sectors: information and communication technologies, pharmacy for research purposes, and maritime excluding ships' captains and crew. Affects: EU Blue Card[3][6] |
| 2026-01-01 | The Stamp Duty Laws (1963–2025) were repealed with effect from 1 January 2026. Employment contracts drawn up and signed on or after that date are no longer subject to stamp duty; contracts signed on or before 31 December 2025 remain subject to the previous regime, typically a fixed EUR 2.00 per copy, assessed and collected by the Tax Department. This removes a cost that previously attached to every work route resting on a stamped employment contract. Affects: Remunerated employment (single permit – GEN), Domestic work (DW)[5][9] |
Pending changes
| not stated | Cyprus is in the process of joining the Schengen area. No date is given by the source.[2] |
|---|---|
| 2026-12-31 | Transitional grandfathering under the Strategy for attracting companies ends. Third-country nationals already holding permits at the Business Support Centre Key Personnel level of companies of foreign interests, on a gross monthly salary of EUR 2,000 or more, may renew with the same employer without a payroll increase only until 31 December 2026; the standing condition is EUR 2,500 gross per month. Affects: Employment at a company of foreign interests (Strategy for attracting companies to operate and/or expand their activities in Cyprus)[4] |
| 2027-01-02 | Five years after the Strategy entered into force on 2 January 2022, the ratio for new hires at companies of foreign interests will be checked against the commitment that Cypriots or EU citizens make up 30% of total staff. A company not adhering to the 70:30 ratio has its case evaluated on its own merits and put before management for an administrative decision. No consequence is published in advance. Affects: Employment at a company of foreign interests (Strategy for attracting companies to operate and/or expand their activities in Cyprus)[4] |
Verification
| Sources cited | 13 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 13 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-08-07 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-07 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-11 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Agreement on the European Economic Area, consolidated text (CELEX 21994A0103(01))
EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [2] Cyprus – EU country
European Union (Directorate-General for Communication) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy - [3] Press Release by the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection of the Republic of Cyprus on the EU Blue Card
Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2025-07-04 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [4] Companies of Foreign Interests — Legislation and policy
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-30 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [5] Domestic work (DW)
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-31 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [6] EU Blue Card
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-30 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [7] Immigration Permits
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-29 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [8] Acquisition of the status of long-term resident in the Republic
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-29 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [9] Remunerated employment (single permit – GEN)
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-30 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [10] Startup Visa
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-01-28 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [11] Individual Income Tax Return
Tax Department, Ministry of Finance · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [12] Φορολογική Μεταρρύθμιση 2026
Τμήμα Φορολογίας, Υπουργείο Οικονομικών (Tax Department, Ministry of Finance) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-05-29 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [13] Acquisition of Cypriot Citizenship By Naturalization (Due to years of residence) (form M127)
Ministry of Interior, Republic of Cyprus · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07 · Archived copy