Cyprus residency: a residence permit for you and your family

Cyprus residency for a non-EU founder: a permanent permit for €300,000 invested and €50,000 a year of income, or a temporary one through work or income. We file it.

€300,000 Investment for permanent residence
2 months Expected decision on an investor file
10 years Term of the card, renewed with no end date

Get a quote

A founder works on a laptop on a terrace above the sea

Which Cyprus residency route fits you

Find your situation and read across to its route.

Take permanent residence by investment: €300,000 in property, a Cyprus company or a fund, and €50,000 a year of income. The right has no end date and covers your spouse and children under 18.

Cyprus residency in 2026: which permit gives you the right to live here

€300,000Permanent residence by investment

A non-EU investor who puts €300,000 into a new home, other property, a Cyprus company or a Cyprus fund receives an Immigration Permit under Regulation 6(2). The right has no end date, covers the spouse and children under 18, and the decision is expected in 2 months.

1 to 3 yearsTemporary permits through work or income

A founder who works in Cyprus or lives here on income from abroad holds a temporary permit: a staff permit, the EU Blue Card or the digital nomad visa. The first permit runs 1 to 3 years and is renewed while its conditions hold.

2020Residence, not a passport

Cyprus stopped granting citizenship for investment on 1 November 2020. What is sold today as the Cyprus golden visa is the permanent residence permit above, and a Cypriot passport comes through naturalisation after years of living here.

What clients write about Legarithm

4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.

…they handled my Cyprus company setup while I was still in London. Smooth remote process and great communication.

Arturo Oliva Google review

We set up a company in Cyprus. Nobody pushed extra services, everything was to the point. They explain things clearly, give a real timeline and help with the tax details.

Maxim Hetmanskii Google review

Everything is well coordinated and clear. Half an hour of the first meeting was more useful than two weeks of trying to work it out myself.

Octavian Wellspring Google review

All 26 reviews on Google

Cyprus residence permits for non-EU citizens, route by route

Each route is a separate permit of the Migration Department.

Route	Who it suits	Main condition	First permit
Permanent residence by investment	An investor who needs no job in Cyprus	€300,000 invested and €50,000 a year of income	No end date, card renewed every 10 years
Category F	A person living on income from abroad	€9,568 a year from abroad, €4,613 per dependant	No end date, card renewed every 10 years
Staff permit, company of foreign interests	A founder on the payroll of their company	€2,500 gross a month, a 2-year contract	Up to 3 years, by the contract
EU Blue Card	A specialist in ICT, pharma research or shipping	€43,632 gross a year	24 to 36 months
Digital nomad visa	A remote worker paid from abroad	€3,500 a month net	1 year, then up to 2 more
Visitor permit	A relative, or a person who will not work	No work in Cyprus	1 year, renewable
Registration certificate (yellow slip)	A citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland	Work, or own means and health insurance	No expiry date

What Cyprus residency costs: the state fees and our work

Our prices are before VAT. State fees are those of the Migration Department.

Choosing the route, preparing and filing your application

Fixed in your quote

You get the figure in writing by the end of the next working day.

Get a quote

State fee, permanent residence application: €500
Family member added to a permanent residence permit: €50 a person
Aliens' Register, first registration: €70 a person
Nomad visa, visitor or staff permit: €70 to €80
EU Blue Card with an entry permit: €110
Family member, staff permit or Blue Card: €200 a person
Yellow slip of an EU citizen: €20

All prices for a company in Cyprus

Who qualifies for permanent residence by investment in Cyprus

A new house or flat from a developer, up to two units, plus VAT. Or other property such as an office or a shop, shares in a Cyprus company with five staff, or units of a Cyprus investment fund.

Living in Cyprus without investing: Category F, the nomad visa and a staff permit

€9,568Category F: income from abroad

Category F is a permanent permit for a person who lives on income from abroad and takes no work in Cyprus. It asks for €9,568 a year, and €4,613 more for each dependant, from pensions, dividends, deposits or rent. The Immigration Control Committee examines each file.

€3,500Digital nomad visa: remote work

A non-EU national who works remotely for an employer or clients abroad and earns €3,500 a month net lives in Cyprus for 1 year, then renews for up to 2. The threshold rises 20% for a spouse and 15% per child, and the Department grants up to 500 such permits.

€2,500Staff permit: work in your own company

A founder employed by a Cyprus company of foreign interests earns €2,500 or more a month gross. The permit is decided within one month, under the rules for a company of foreign interests. A specialist paid €43,632 a year takes the EU Blue Card.

What each Cyprus permit lets you do, and how it ends

Read across for work, time away and the years before naturalisation.

Route	Work in Cyprus	Time away	Years before naturalisation
Permanent residence by investment	Director of the invested company only	Lapses after 2 years away	8 years
Category F	None	Lapses after 2 years away	8 years
Staff permit	For the employer on the permit	Cancelled after 3 months away	4 years with Greek B1, 5 with A2
EU Blue Card	For your employer; family may work or trade	Re-entry on a valid card after any absence	8 years; 4 or 5 where the employer is a listed company
Digital nomad visa	None for Cyprus employers or clients	Cancelled after 3 months away	8 years; this permit runs 3 years

How we obtain your Cyprus permanent residence permit

week 1
We choose the route and check your papers
We match your income, family and plans to a route and list each document you need.
before filing
You invest, we check the deal
You buy the property or the shares. We check the Land Registry filing and the transfers from abroad.
day 1
We file the application in Nicosia
As your authorised representative we file form MIP2 with the Migration Department and pay the €500 fee.
with the filing or after
You give your biometrics
You give a photograph, fingerprints and a signature in Nicosia or at the police immigration unit of your district.
2 months, expected
The Deputy Minister decides
The Deputy Minister of Migration decides under the expedited procedure, and a letter tells you where to collect the card.
every year
You settle and keep the conditions
You take up residence within one year. Each year we send the Department proof of the investment and the insurance.

Documents for a Cyprus residence permit

Documents

For permanent residence by investment

Form MIP2 and the family's passports
Title deed or sale contract, or share or fund certificates
Bank remittances from abroad
Tax return or accountant's certificate for the income
Criminal records of you and your spouse
Health insurance for the family
Marriage and birth certificates

For the digital nomad visa

Contract with an employer or clients abroad
Bank statements for the last 6 months
Criminal record, medical tests and a chest X-ray
Lease or title deed with a utility bill

You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.

See the platform

Cyprus residence documents explained: ARC, MEU1, MEU3 and the yellow slip

A citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland registers and receives a certificate. A citizen of any other country receives a permit, and the Migration Department enters that person in the Aliens' Register under an ARC. We tell you at the start which you will hold.

Document	Held by	What it gives	Term and fee
ARC	A non-EU national at the first permit	Your entry in the Aliens' Register and your registration number	Entered once, €70
MEU1, the yellow slip	A citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland who stays beyond 3 months	Residence and free access to work, employed or self-employed	No expiry date, €20, decided within a month
MEU2 residence card	A non-EU family member of an EU citizen	Residence and free access to work	5 years or the EU citizen's stay if shorter, €20
MEU3 permanent card	An EU citizen or a non-EU family member after 5 years of legal residence	Permanent residence	Family member: 10 years, €20, decided within 6 months
Immigration permit card	An investor or a Category F holder	A right of residence with no end date	Card valid 10 years, €500 application
Temporary permit	A staff, Blue Card or nomad holder	Residence, and work as the permit states	1 to 3 years, cancelled after 3 months away
Long-term resident permit	A non-EU national after 5 years of legal residence	Long-term status	5 years, €30, decided in 6 to 12 months

Using your Cyprus residence card: renewal and travel

Renew a month before expiry

File the renewal at least one month before the permit ends. From 1 January 2027 renewals of employment, family reunification and long-term resident permits go online only, on gov.cy with a verified CY Login account.

Travel with a temporary permit

Your permit and passport let you back in when you were away up to 3 months. After a longer absence the permit is cancelled, and you enter again by the entry procedure for your purpose. An investor permit lapses after 2 years away.

Why Cyprus residence applications are refused or not accepted, and our check for each

The reasons the Migration Department publishes in its criteria and pages.

A paper is missing or not certified: The Department does not consider a file without every required document, officially translated and duly certified. We check your papers against its list for your route before we file.
The money trail breaks: A transfer that cannot be tied to the purchase, or a Cyprus loan in the chain, fails the funds test of the investor file. We tie each remittance to the sale contract before you pay the seller.
A concern about record or public order: The Department passes the file to the Deputy Minister only when it has no concern about a criminal record, public order or public security. You and your spouse bring clean certificates from the countries of origin and residence, and we check their translations.
Biometrics are not given: The Department rejects an application without the photograph, fingerprints and signature, and the photograph must pass the quality control of biometric photos. You give them yourself in Nicosia or at your district's police immigration unit; a representative cannot.
A deadline passes: The yellow slip is due within 4 months of entry, with a fine up to €2,500 after it. A nomad application is due within 3 months of arrival, a Blue Card registration within 7 days, a renewal one month before expiry. We list the dates of your route in week 1.
The contract or the employer falls short: A staff permit needs a company of foreign interests and a salary of €2,500 gross a month. You show a degree or 2 years in a matching role. The contract runs 2 years, even for a 1-year permit, and a contract signed from 1 January 2026 carries no stamp duty. We check it before you sign.

If the Department's letter says no: what happens next

from filing
Keep your address current
The rejection letter goes to the latest address you declared. Updating it is your responsibility, and it decides whether you can file a recourse in time.
on receipt
Send us the letter
Send it to us when it arrives. We read each reason against the Department's published criteria for your route.
on receipt
We sort the reasons
We tell you which reasons come from your papers and which from the Department's reading of your case.
inside the legal time
We prepare the recourse
The Department's pages name the hierarchical recourse against a rejection, to be filed within the time the law sets. We draft it and you sign it.

Your family on a Cyprus permit: who joins you on each route

A spouse and children under 18 join you on every route.

Students and grown-up children

An unmarried student of 18 to 25 files a separate application, and the parents show €10,000 more income for each. An independent adult child needs a larger investment: €600,000 for one, €900,000 for two.

A permit of your own for each spouse

Each spouse may hold a separate permit, filed and paid on its own, with no second investment.

Permanent residence by investment

Children: Under 18 students to 25
Spouse: Included, or a permit of their own
Work for the family: A director's seat in the invested company

Category F

Children: Under 18
Spouse: Included, €4,613 more income
Work for the family: No employment

Staff permit or EU Blue Card

Children: Under 18 unmarried
Spouse: Married a year, aged 21 or over
Work for the family: Employment; Blue Card adds self-employment

Digital nomad visa

Children: Under 18 15% more each
Spouse: Included, 20% more income
Work for the family: No work in Cyprus

Keeping Cyprus residency, and the road to long-term status

Two years away ends the permit: The right has no end date and the card is replaced every 10 years. The permit lapses after 2 years outside Cyprus, or once you take permanent residence in another country.
Proof each year, records every 3: Each year the investor proves the investment and the health insurance, and every 3 years the adults file fresh criminal records. Selling the asset without a replacement of equal value cancels the permit.
Long-term status after 5 years: A temporary permit holder with 5 years of legal residence applies for long-term status: €30, decided in 6 to 12 months, a first permit of 5 years.
EU citizens: permanent after 5 years: An EU citizen holds the yellow slip from the start and becomes a permanent resident after 5 years without a break. A non-EU family member then receives a 10-year permanent residence card for €20.
The permit and your tax are separate: A permit gives the right to live here; tax residence follows your days: Cyprus tax residency under the 183-day and 60-day rules. A resident with a domicile abroad then takes non-dom status in Cyprus.

Permanent residence or citizenship: what the law asks before a Cypriot passport

Naturalisation follows the Civil Registry Law, in force in this form since 19 December 2023.

7 of 10 yearsThe ordinary route

You have lived here legally and without a break for the 12 months before you apply, with 90 days of absence in all as the limit. Before those 12 months you have 7 years or more of legal residence in the previous 10. You pass Greek at B1 (a Greek-taught diploma or degree replaces it) and an exam on Cyprus's political and social life at 60%. You show good character, a home, steady income and the intention to stay.

4 yearsStaff on €2,500 a month in listed companies

You qualify with €2,500 gross a month or more, a degree or 2 years in a matching role, and 2 years at a company on the Council of Ministers' list, such as a company of foreign interests. You then need 4 years of residence with Greek B1, or 5 with A2, counting the last 12 months. The accelerated examination costs €5,000 and takes 8 months at most.

€500Filing, fees and papers

You file form M127 at a District Administration Office, sign it in front of a Registrar and pay €500 and two stamps of €8.54. On approval a second €500 buys the certificate of naturalisation. A title deed or a lease with utility bills shows your home, and payroll, tax and bank records show your income.

90 daysWhat a permit holder may not assume

A permanent residence permit is not a Cypriot passport, and the Department's page offers the shorter route only to employees on €2,500 a month or more in listed companies. The permit survives 2 years away, but absences beyond 90 days in the 12 months before you apply interrupt the residence the law counts.

Questions about Cyprus residency

Is there a Cyprus golden visa in 2026, and how much money does residency need?

Yes, as permanent residence: €300,000 invested and €50,000 a year of income under Regulation 6(2). Category F needs only €9,568 a year from abroad. The citizenship programme closed on 1 November 2020.

What is Category F in Cyprus, and can I work on it?

It is a permanent permit for people who live on income from abroad, and it gives no right to work in Cyprus. A founder who runs the business from here takes a staff permit through their own company, formed with company formation in Cyprus.

What is a yellow slip in Cyprus?

The registration certificate MEU1 of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who stays beyond 3 months. You apply within 4 months of arrival and pay €20; the decision comes within a month and the certificate has no expiry date. Not applying carries a fine of up to €2,500.

Can my parents live in Cyprus with me?

Yes, on a visitor permit as dependent adult relatives of an immigration permit holder. The permit runs for 1 year, is renewed each year, costs €70 and gives no right to work.

How long can I stay in Cyprus if I own a property?

A home alone gives no right of residence. A new home from a developer worth €300,000 plus VAT, with the income test, leads to permanent residence; any other home supports a visitor permit of 1 year at a time. The VAT on it: VAT on property in Cyprus.

Does Cyprus residency lead to citizenship?

Through naturalisation: legal residence in 8 of the last 11 years, the last 12 months without a break, and working Greek. Staff of a company of foreign interests paid €2,500 a month apply after 4 years with Greek at B1.

Can I apply for Cyprus residence without travelling?

We file the application as your authorised representative. You come to Cyprus for the photograph and fingerprints, and you take up residence within one year of the approval.

Can US and UK citizens get residency in Cyprus, and how long can they stay without a permit?

Yes. A US or UK citizen takes one of the routes above like any non-EU national, and a UK citizen who lived here under EU law before the end of the transition period keeps rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. A short stay lasts up to 90 days in any 180-day period. For tax, see the 60-day rule for Americans.

Ask your own question

Get a quote for your Cyprus residence permit

Book a 30-minute call about your residence permit

Vladyslav Babaiev, Business Setup Specialist Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist

We email you the Google Meet link.
30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.

We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.

All services for a company in Cyprus

Guides to a company in Cyprus

Can a non-resident open a company in Cyprus? Rules for owners abroad Cyprus tax residency for US citizens: the Cyprus side in 2026 Can Americans open a bank account in Cyprus? FATCA and documents Cyprus company register: how to search it and what it shows Cyprus company formation requirements in 2026 Setting up a company in Cyprus as a UK resident after Brexit

All guides to a company in Cyprus

Updated 27 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.

Cyprus residency: a residence permit for you and your family

Which Cyprus residency route fits you

You invest and need no job here

You live on pensions, dividends or rent

You run the business from Cyprus

You work in ICT, pharma or shipping

You work remotely for clients abroad

You hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport