Students
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Φοιτητές as of 2025-12-31[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Students as of 2025-12-31[1][2] The department's own English rendering; English is not an official language of Cyprus. |
| Legal basis | Directive (EU) 2016/801, transposed by the Aliens and Immigration (Conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects) Law of 2019, L. 7(I)/2019, together with Council of Ministers Decisions setting further admission conditions as of 2025-12-31[1][2] |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2025-12-31[1][2] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2025-12-31[1][2] The regime applies to third-country nationals; EU and EEA nationals are recorded as outside its scope on that basis. Whether Swiss nationals are likewise outside its scope is not stated. |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Not established from a qualifying source[1][2] Not stated. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 1 year as of 2025-12-31[1][2] 'The duration of the permit can be up to one year and is renewable every year by submitting an application until the program of studies followed by the student is completed.' |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2025-12-31[1][2] Renewed annually, subject to the student making sufficient progress in the studies under the conditions of the legislation. A change of study programme or institution requires a renewal application with a transfer form, forwarded to the Ministry of Education; where the Ministry does not recommend it the permit is refused, and where the change appears to be made to avoid the academic-progress provisions the permit is not renewed. |
| Maximum total duration | Not established from a qualifying source[1][2] Not stated; renewal runs until the programme of studies is completed. |
| Work rights | hours capped as of 2025-12-31[1][2] Students may be employed in paid economic activity outside study time, in occupations and sectors specified by Order or Decree of the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance published in the Official Gazette, taking the labour market into account. A contract must first be signed and approved by a District Labour Office, with the study schedule attached. Students also have access to occasional paid domestic activity in private households, recorded each time on a special form carried by the student. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
Requirements
| Enrolment status required | admitted as of 2025-12-31[1][2] 'A third-country national who has been accepted by a higher education institution and is admitted to pursue as a main activity a full-time course of study leading to a higher education qualification recognized by the Republic of Cyprus.' The institution must be registered with, recognised by or considered as recognised by the Ministry of Education. |
|---|---|
| Means requirement | Not established from a qualifying source[1][2] No figure is published. The page states that Council of Ministers Decisions determine 'which evidence they should submit to prove their financial ability to cover their study and living expenses' without stating the amount; the intra-EU mobility section requires evidence of 'sufficient resources to cover subsistence costs without having recourse to Cyprus social assistance system, study costs, as well as the travel costs to the first Member State', again without a figure. |
| Work-hours cap | 20 as of 2025-12-31[1][2] 'The maximum number of hours per week during which employment is allowed does not exceed twenty (20) hours and during the period of interruption of classes, the maximum number of hours per week during which employment is allowed does not exceed thirty-eight (38) hours.' The field holds one number; the term-time cap is recorded and the vacation cap of 38 hours is described here. |
| Post-study route exists | Yes as of 2025-12-31[1][2] |
| Post-study permit duration | 12 months as of 2025-12-31[1][2] Maximum twelve months to seek employment or set up a business, for students who have completed studies at EQF level 7 (master's) or above. |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2025-12-31[1][2] 'The application shall be submitted and examined either when the third-country national concerned is residing outside the territory of Cyprus or when the third-country national is already residing as holder of a valid residence permit. The application cannot be submitted when the third country national is already in Cyprus as a holder of a tourist/visiting visa.' The application is submitted by the higher education institution. |
|---|---|
| Fees | |
| Stages |
Physical presence
| maximum consecutive absence | 3 months · to keep the permit as of 2025-12-31[1][2] Re-entry on a valid residence permit is available on presentation of the permit and a valid passport 'provided that the person concerned has not remained outside the Republic for more than three months'. Stated as a re-entry condition rather than as a lapse rule. |
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Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 2 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 2 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2025-12-31 |
| Newest as-of date | 2025-12-31 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-11 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Students
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-31 · Accessed 2026-08-08 - [2] Φοιτητές
Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-12-31 · Accessed 2026-08-08