Residence Permits in the Republic of Cyprus

CITIZENS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS

TEMPORARY RESIDENCE PERMITS

 

Temporary Residence Permit for an EU Citizen and his/her Family Members also EU Citizens

The application for the issue of a registration certificate is submitted by an EU citizen and his/her family members who are also citizens of a Member State, within four months from the date of entry into the Republic of Cyprus.

This residence permit is usually issued for a period of five years, but the permit’s validity always depends on the decision of the Civil Registry and Migration Department of the Republic of Cyprus.

Temporary Residence Permit for Non-EU Citizens, Family Members of an EU Citizen

The application for the issue of a residence card is submitted by family members of an EU citizen who are not citizens of a Member State, within four months from the date of entry into the Republic of Cyprus.

The residence card shall be valid for five years from the date of the issue or for the envisaged period of residence of the EU citizen, if this period is less than five years.

PERMANENT RESIDENCE PERMITS

Permanent Residence Permit for an EU Citizen and his/her Family Members also EU Citizens

The application for the issue of a permanent residence certificate is submitted by an EU citizen and his/her family members who are also citizens of a Member State, after a five year period of uninterrupted legal residence in the Republic of Cyprus.

Once acquired, the right of permanent residence shall be lost only through absence from the Republic of Cyprus for a period exceeding two consecutive years.

Permanent Residence Permit for Non-EU Citizens, Family Members of an EU Citizen

The application for the issue of a permanent residence card is submitted by family members of an EU citizen who are not citizens of a Member State, within one month after the expiration of validity of their residence card.

The validity of the residence card shall not be affected by temporary absences not exceeding six months in a year, or by absences of a longer duration for compulsory military service or by one absence of a maximum of 12 consecutive months for important reasons such as pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, study or vocational training, or a posting in another Member State or a third country.

Once acquired, the right of permanent residence shall be lost only through absence from the Republic of Cyprus for a period exceeding two consecutive years.

THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS

TEMPORARY RESIDENCE PERMITS

Visitors

The application for the issue of a residence permit under the status of a visitor is submitted by third country nationals who enter the Republic of Cyprus and wish to stay for more than 3 months, without employment rights.

Only third country nationals who come to Cyprus in order to get married to a Cypriot or an EU citizen or have in their possession stable or adequate income deriving from abroad, are eligible to apply for a visitor’s residence permit.

The term adequate income means a minimum deposited amount of EUR 10,000 for every adult and EUR 5,000 for every minor, per year. These amounts are proven by bank statements and swift confirmations, and are considered to be sufficient for a person to reside in Cyprus for one year, without negatively affecting the country’s economy.

The visitor’s residence permit is issued for a maximum period of 1 year, with the right of renewal.

General Employment

The application for the issue of entry and temporary residence and employment permit is submitted by the employer of the third country national, along with the contract of employment certified by the Department of Labour of the Ministry of Employment and Social Insurances, which is the competent Department for securing that there are no Cypriots or citizens of Member States of the European Union, available or adequately qualified for the specific job or post prior to recommending the employment of third country nationals.

Third country nationals must proceed for registration, photographs and collection of their biometric data, such as finger prints and electronic signature, within 7 days from the date of their arrival in the Republic of Cyprus.

The maximum period of stay for third country nationals for the purpose of employment is 4 years, with the exception of the livestock farming and agriculture sectors, where the maximum period has been set to 6 years. The following third country nationals are exempted from this limitation

• highly skilled personnel employed in companies with turnover of more than a million or hundreds of thousands euros and with activities within the priorities set for economic development,
• executive directors, middle-management staff, executive staff and other key personnel working in companies with foreign interests,
• athletes and coaches of individual or team sports,
• religious icon painters (until the completion of a specific project).

Employees at International Companies

 

All Cypriot companies of foreign interests, in order to be eligible to employ third country nationals in Cyprus, should fulfil the following requirements:

• The majority of the company’s shareholders should be third country nationals and in case of shareholders whose ultimate beneficial owners are foreign companies, their shareholding structure should be declared leading up to each company’s ultimate beneficial owner.
• In case where the percentage of the foreign participation in the share capital of a company is equal or below the 50% of the total share capital, this percentage should represent an amount equal or higher of EUR 171,000 in order for a company to be considered eligible.
• It should be proved by banking and other documents that the direct foreign capital investment amounts at least EUR 171,000 and it was brought to Cyprus legally form abroad and at the time of the application’s submission a balance of at least EUR 41,000 should exist in the company’s bank account (same account as EUR 171,000 were deposited).
• The company should operate from its self-contained offices in Cyprus, which should be located in suitable distinct premises, not part of private residence or another office, except form cases of companies that share lodging. Cases in which the nature of the work allows people to work from their home will be examined.

Eligible companies which fulfil the above conditions may employ third country nationals in the following positions:

A. Executive Directors

The term “Executive Directors” includes third country nationals registered as:

• Consulting Directors or Partners (in the Registrar of Companies)
• General Managers of branches and subsidiary foreign companies
• Departmental Managers

The maximum number of such executives is 5, unless the Civil Registry and Migration Department is persuaded that a greater number is justified.

The minimum acceptable monthly salary for a newly appointed Executive Director is EUR 3,872 and above per month. This amount may be adjusted from time to time according to fluctuations in the salary index.

B. Middle-Management Staff, Executive Staff and any other Key Personnel

The abovementioned staff includes Directors who are not considered to be Executive Directors as well as other Executive/Middle-Management Staff or other Managerial, Clerical or Technical Personnel with a monthly salary ranging from EUR 1,936 to EUR 3,871. The amounts may be adjusted from time to time according to fluctuations in the salary index.

The maximum number of these employees permitted in this category is 10. The Civil Registry and Migration Department has the discrete authority to decide on the employment of more than 10 people, if justified (depending on each company´s operation data). In case that the total maximum number is exceeded, the company should justify the necessity of the employment of the third country individual, taking into consideration the payments, as well as:

• The scope of the company´s activities;
• The proportion of foreigners to Cypriots; and
• The duration of the company´s operation.

C. Supporting Staff

All third country nationals employed in other Professional, Managerial, Technical, Clerical etc. positions in Cyprus and do not fall under the abovementioned categories, are classified in the remaining Supporting Staff.

Companies are expected to employ Cypriots or European citizens for this category. In case that there are not available or suitable Cypriots or European citizens with the required qualifications, a company may employ third country individuals in positions of this category, after an affirmative decision (stamp of contact) is ensured by the Labour Department.

The residence permit issued for an employee of a company with foreign interests, depends on the duration of the employment agreement between the parties, as well as the decision of the Civil Registry and Migration Department. Usually such a permit is issued for 1-2 years, with the right of renewal.

PERMANENT RESIDENCE PERMITS

Category F

The application for the issue of a residence permit under Category F is submitted by third country nationals who possess and have fully and freely at their disposal a secured annual income, high enough to give them a decent living in Cyprus, without having to engage in any business, trade or profession in the country.

The annual income required is of the amount of, at least, EUR 10,000 for a single applicant and moreover, at least, EUR 5,000 for every dependent person. However, the Civil Registry and Migration Department may, at its discretion, demand additional amounts if considered to be necessary.

This income may derive from pensions, dividends, deposits, rents, etc. and it should be proven that the amounts have been transferred to Cyprus legally from abroad.

It is very important to note that holders of this kind of permit, are not entitled to work in Cyprus.

Following the permit’s issuance, in case that its holder is residing out of the Republic of Cyprus and has failed to move to the country, within a year from the application’s approval, the permit will be automatically cancelled. It will also be cancelled if the holder acquires permanent residence abroad or is absent from Cyprus for a period of two years.

The majority of the applicants for this kind of residence permit are either pensioners or retired persons.

By Investment

This way of acquiring a residence permit in the Republic of Cyprus, requires the satisfaction, by the third country national, of the following requirements:

Investment / Financial Criteria

• A deposited amount of at least EUR 30,000 in a Cypriot bank account, transferred from abroad, pledged for a period of at least 3 years.

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• A secured annual income of at least EUR 30,000, increased by EUR 5,000 for every dependent person of the applicant’s family (spouse and children) and EUR 8,000 for every dependent parent or parent-in-law. This income should derive from abroad, and may include salaries from employment, pensions, dividends from shares, fixed deposits, rents etc. For the calculation of the total amount of the annual income, the spouse’s income may be also taken into consideration.
• The applicant should also submit, title deeds or a sale and purchase agreement in his/her name and/or his/her spouse’s name, which has been officially filed at a Land Registry Office of the Republic of Cyprus, of a real estate, of total market value of at least EUR 300,000 (V.A.T. is not included therein) and official payment receipts of at least EUR 200,000 (excluding V.A.T.), irrespective of the delivery date of the real estate. It should be stressed that the full payment of the real estate value shall be settled in an account in a financial institution in Cyprus and the amount must be proven to have been transferred to Cyprus from abroad. It is noted that the real estate purchase may be accepted even when made in the name of a legal entity, provided that the applicant and/or his/her spouse are the sole shareholders or the ultimate beneficial owners of it, and that this legal entity is legally established in the Republic of Cyprus or other member state of the European Union. The applicant may purchase up to two housing units (apartments or houses), which can be independent, but be purchased from the same development company, or one housing unit and a shop of a surface of up to 100 sq.m., or a housing unit and an office of a surface of up to 250 sq.m., provided that the total market value satisfies the conditions mentioned in the above paragraph. In case of a couple, these restrictions apply for the couple and not for each of the persons involved. The said purchase must be in relation to a property (and the combinations described above) sold for the first time by a development company. In case of acquiring two dwellings, both must be sold by the same development company. It is noted that the alienation of the purchased property without an immediate replacement with another property, of the same or/and higher value and in accordance with the conditions of this procedure, (i.e. sold for the first time by a development company), will result to the cancellation of the residence permit.

Dependent Persons

• The permit issued to an applicant covers his/her spouse and children under the age of 18. Two separate residence permits may be granted to each spouse, if desired, provided that a separate application is submitted and the relevant fee is paid, without being required for the other spouse to satisfy the criterion of the purchase of a property, the secure annual income and the deposit in a financial institution in Cyprus. Children under the age of 18 may be included as dependent persons in both permits with the payment of the relevant fee.
• Unmarried children aged between 18 and 25, who prove that they are students in an institution of tertiary education abroad with at least six months of remaining study period from the date of the submission of the application and, furthermore, that they are financially dependent on the applicant, may submit a separate application to obtain a permit with the payment of the relevant fee. In such case, the father or mother and/or both parents together must present an additional annual income of EUR 5,000 for every such dependent child.  The said permit is still valid even if the holders have exceeded the age of 25 years old and even if they do not remain unmarried and/or students and/or financially dependent on their parents. It is noted that their future spouses or underage children cannot be included as dependent persons on this permit. If children wish to study in an institution of tertiary education in the Republic, they have to submit through the institution an application for the acquisition of a temporary residence permit in the Republic as students, according to the provisions of the relevant legislation. After the completion of their studies in the Republic, these children regardless of their age, will be able to submit their own application to obtain a permit, as described above, with the condition that their parents present only an additional annual income of EUR 5,000 for every such child.
• A permit may also be granted to the parents and parents-in-law of the applicant/holder of a permit with the submission of an application and the payment of the relevant fee, with the condition that the applicant/holder of the permit presents an additional annual income of EUR 8,000 for every such dependent parent.

Investment of a Higher Value for the Inclusion of Children who are not financially dependent

A residence permit may also be granted to children of the applicant over the age of 18, who are not financially dependent on the applicant, provided that the market value of the acquired real estate attributed to each such child is at least EUR 300,000 (excluding V.A.T.), as described hereinabove, (e.g. in the event the applicant has a child that is 30 years old and wishes to obtain a residence permit, the applicant must purchase real estate valued at EUR 600,000, if the applicant has 2 adult children, financially independent, he/she must purchase real estate valued at EUR 900,000 etc.). In such an event a payment confirmation for the 66% of the market value of the real estate must be also submitted (e.g. €400.000 for real estate of a market value of €600.000). It is noted that the purchase of the real estate must be made solely in the name of one or/and both parents, or solely on the child or on both parents and the child.

Provided that in such an event each child shall also satisfy the rest criteria (e.g. secured annual income of €30.000, a deposit in a financial institution in Cyprus amounting to €30.000, which is bound for 3 years).

Other Info

• The applicant and his/her spouse shall confirm that they do not intend to undertake any sort of employment in Cyprus.
• It is noted that the applicant and/or his/her spouse may be a shareholder(s) in a Company registered in Cyprus, and the income from the dividends of such a company in Cyprus are not deemed to be an impediment for the purpose of obtaining a residence permit.
• The holder of a permit is obliged to acquire residence in Cyprus within 1 year from the issuance date of the permit. At the same time, the holder of such a permit, as well as his/her dependent persons who are included in his/her permit are obliged not to be absent from the Republic for more than two 2 years. Otherwise, the permit is automatically cancelled.
• An interview with the applicant may take place if deemed necessary by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior.

 Provided that the above criteria are satisfied and there are no reasons with regard to either the criminal record of the applicant or to public order and public security issues, the application shall be examined by the Minister of Interior in a positive manner and a residence permit shall be issued.

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