EU-REG01
Yellow slip
The registration certificate for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, form MEU1. It is not a permit. It records a right you already have. Apply within four months of arrival if you stay over three. It costs €20 and does not expire.
Living and working in Cyprus · 2026
Six questions. One permit that fits you.
Answer six questions and see which Cyprus permit fits you, how long it takes, and what you need to file. For non-EU founders, executives, skilled staff, remote workers and families, for the employers who sponsor them, and for EU citizens who only need to register.
Permit route finder
Tool 1 of 3 · six questions
Your routes, updated as you answer
Assumptions. Thresholds used: company of foreign interests highly skilled salary €2,500 gross a month; EU Blue Card €43,632 gross a year, which is €3,636 a month; Digital Nomad Visa €3,500 net a month, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for a child; visitor permit €24,000 a year plus the same uplifts; permanent residence under Regulation 6(2) €50,000 a year plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 for a child; Category F €9,568 a year plus €4,613 for each dependant. Income tests compare the lower edge of your band with the threshold, and show "check" when the threshold falls inside your band. Your band is gross, while the Digital Nomad test is net, so treat a borderline result as a no until checked. One child is assumed where children are included. Conditions about your employer, your investment and open scheme quotas cannot be known from six questions and always show as "check". The ranking is a rule table: purpose gives the base score, the time horizon adjusts it, and each failed condition costs two points. It is a guide, not a legal opinion.
€2,500Minimum gross monthly salary for a highly skilled hire at a company of foreign interests
€43,632Minimum gross annual salary for the EU Blue Card in Cyprus
€3,500Minimum net monthly income for the Digital Nomad Visa, before family uplifts
3monthsContinuous absence that can cancel a temporary residence permit
01 / Rules
Every route, with its key condition and figure.
Immigration is run by the Deputy Ministry of Migration and its Migration Department, with the Business Support Center handling companies of foreign interests. Figures here were checked against government notices, KPMG, Deloitte and Cyprus law firms in September 2026. Policy in this field moves by ministerial decision, often without notice.
In law sources agree, in force for 2026
Confirm sources differ, or practice rather than statute
| Route or rule | Key condition and figure | Status |
|---|---|---|
| EU, EEA and Swiss citizensEU-REG | No permit. Registration certificate (yellow slip, form MEU1) if staying over three months, applied for within four months of arrival. Fee €20. Non-EU family members apply on form MEU2 | In law |
| Company of foreign interests, company testBFU | Majority foreign ownership and at least €200,000 invested in Cyprus, with independent offices. Registered through the Business Facilitation Unit, now inside the Business Support Center | In law |
| Highly skilled employeeBFU-HS | Gross salary of at least €2,500 a month, a degree or two years of relevant experience, and a contract of two years or more. Permit of up to three years. No labour market test | In law |
| Staff ratio at such companiesBFU 70:30 | Non-EU nationals may be up to 70% of staff. Cypriot and EU staff must reach 30% within five years of joining. Reported enforcement on new hires from January 2027 | Confirm |
| Standard work permitWP-STD | Employer must pass a labour market test and have the contract stamped by the Department of Labour. Stay usually capped at four years, with sector rules for hospitality, retail and farming | Confirm |
| EU Blue CardEUBC | Open since 7 July 2025. Gross salary of at least €43,632 a year, in ICT, pharmaceutical research or shore-based shipping. Higher education, or three years of ICT experience. Valid up to three years | In law |
| Digital Nomad VisaDNV | Net income of at least €3,500 a month from outside Cyprus, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child. One year, renewable for two more. Cap reported at 1,000 permits and open | Confirm |
| Visitor temporary residence (pink slip)VIS-TR | Stable income from abroad, reported at €24,000 a year plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child. No employment in Cyprus. One year, renewable | Confirm |
| Permanent residence by investmentPR-6.2 | Regulation 6(2). Investment of at least €300,000 plus VAT, and secure annual income from abroad of €50,000, plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 for each child. No employment, though a directorship without salary is tolerated. Visit once every two years | In law |
| Category F permanent residencePR-F | Reported income of €9,568 a year plus €4,613 for each dependant, with no investment minimum. No employment. Processing is slow and unpredictable | Confirm |
| Start-up visaSUV | Innovative company, founder capital of €20,000 (€10,000 for a single founder), at least 25% of the shares. Scheme reported to run to December 2026 | Confirm |
| Short business visitsBV-90 | Up to 90 days in any 180. Cyprus is not yet in the Schengen area and issues its own national visa. Holders of a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa may enter on it | In law |
| Family reunificationFAM | Standard sponsors need two years of lawful residence and a permit of a year or more. Staff of companies of foreign interests and Blue Card holders can bring family at once, and their spouses may take paid employment | Confirm |
| Processing timesAqualis | Aqualis's own published times: work permit 4 to 8 weeks, residence permit 6 to 10 weeks, business visa 2 to 4 weeks, family permit 4 to 8 weeks | In law |
| Absence rule | A temporary residence permit can be cancelled after more than three consecutive months outside Cyprus. Blue Card holders and permanent residents have longer allowances | In law |
| Long-term residence and citizenshipLTR | EU long-term resident status after five years of lawful residence, with Greek at level A2. Citizenship after eight years, or after four years (Greek B1) or five years (Greek A2) for highly skilled staff | In law |
02 / Explained
Eight terms you will hear, in plain words.
Cyprus immigration runs on nicknames. Most of them come from the colour of paper the permits were once printed on.
VIS-TR02
Pink slip
A one-year temporary residence permit for non-EU nationals. The visitor version suits retirees and people living on foreign income. It carries no right to work in Cyprus, and lapses after three months abroad.
BFU03
Company of foreign interests
A Cyprus company with majority foreign ownership and €200,000 invested, registered with the Business Facilitation Unit. It may hire skilled non-EU staff without a labour market test, in about a month.
EUBC04
Blue Card
The EU-wide permit for highly qualified workers, available in Cyprus since July 2025. It needs €43,632 a year in one of three sectors. After twelve months the holder can move to a Blue Card in another member state.
DNV05
Digital Nomad Visa
For non-EU nationals who work remotely for employers or clients outside Cyprus, on €3,500 net a month or more. One year, renewable to three. Family may come but may not work. The scheme has a quota.
PR-6.206
Permanent residence by investment
The fast track under Regulation 6(2). Invest €300,000 in new housing, commercial property, a Cyprus company or a local fund, and show €50,000 of income from abroad. It is residence for life, not a passport, and not a right to take a job.
FAM07
Family reunification
The right of a lawfully resident non-EU national to bring a spouse and minor children. Ordinary sponsors wait two years. Staff of companies of foreign interests and Blue Card holders do not wait, and their spouses may work.
LTR08
Long-term resident status
An EU status open after five years of lawful, continuous residence, with stable income, health cover and Greek at level A2. It gives near-equal treatment with citizens and survives longer absences than a pink slip does.
Permit and tax
An immigration permit is not tax residence.
The Migration Department decides whether you may live in Cyprus. The Tax Department decides whether you are tax resident. They use different tests and do not talk to each other on your behalf.
You become tax resident by spending more than 183 days in Cyprus in a calendar year. Or, under the 60-day rule, by spending at least 60 days here, not more than 183 in any other single country, not being tax resident elsewhere, and keeping a home plus a business, job or directorship in Cyprus.
A Digital Nomad who stays seven months is a Cyprus taxpayer on worldwide income, whatever the visa is called.
The reverse also bites. A permanent residence holder who visits for two weeks a year is not tax resident, and cannot claim the non-domicile dividend exemption. Plan the two together: the permit sets how long you may stay, and your tax position follows how long you do stay. For new employees on over €55,000, the 50% income tax exemption depends on timing the first Cyprus employment correctly.
For employers
Becoming a company of foreign interests.
Registration takes about ten working days once the file is complete. The company must show majority foreign ownership, €200,000 brought into Cyprus within the prior six months, and real offices that are not someone's home.
Company of foreign interests
No labour market test for staff on €2,500 or more.
Decision in about one month. Permits of up to three years.
Family comes at once. Spouse may take employment.
Staff can reach citizenship in four or five years.
Standard work permit
Vacancy advertised and tested, often four to six weeks, before the application starts.
Permit tied to one employer and role. Stay usually capped at four years.
Family reunification normally after two years.
The obligations are real. Payroll must show the declared salaries, with social insurance at 8.8% each side and General Healthcare System contributions paid. The 30% Cypriot and EU staffing target has to be met within five years. Inspectors do visit, and a company that falls out of compliance puts every employee's permit at risk.
Keeping the permit
Absences, renewals and the mistakes that cancel a permit.
Most permits are not lost through refusal. They are lost through inattention after approval.
- Three months away. A temporary permit can be cancelled after more than three consecutive months outside Cyprus, even if the card has not expired.
- Late renewal. File at least one month before expiry. A late application can break the continuous residence you need for long-term status and citizenship.
- Changing job without consent. A standard work permit is tied to the employer. Moving first and asking later makes the stay unlawful.
- Working on a permit that forbids it. Pink slip and permanent residence holders who take local employment risk both permits and fines for the employer.
- Letting insurance lapse. Health cover is checked at each renewal, and yearly for permanent residents.
- Missing the two-year visit. Permanent residence under Regulation 6(2) lapses if you do not visit Cyprus at least once every two years.
03 / Examples
Three moves, three different routes.
The same island, and three unrelated sets of paperwork. Each case uses the thresholds in the table above.
€4,200 a month in Limassol, with spouse and child
Priya's employer is a registered company of foreign interests. Her salary clears the €2,500 test by €1,700, she has a degree, and the contract runs three years. At €50,400 a year she would also clear the €43,632 Blue Card line in ICT, which matters if she may later move within the EU.
Route BFU-HS
Decision in about four to eight weeks. Her husband and daughter file with her, and her husband may take a job. With Greek at B1 she can apply for citizenship after four years.
Decision in about four to eight weeks. Her husband and daughter file with her, and her husband may take a job. With Greek at B1 she can apply for citizenship after four years.
Two pensions, £3,100 a month, renting in Paphos
Since Brexit, Alan and Judith are non-EU nationals. They may visit for 90 days in any 180 without a visa, but cannot simply stay. Their pensions come to about €43,000 a year, well above the €28,800 reported for a couple on the visitor permit, and below the €65,000 needed for permanent residence by investment.
Route VIS-TR
Pink slip, renewed yearly, no work allowed. They must not leave for more than three months at a stretch. After 183 days a year they are Cyprus tax resident, which often suits UK pensioners.
Pink slip, renewed yearly, no work allowed. They must not leave for more than three months at a stretch. After 183 days a year they are Cyprus tax resident, which often suits UK pensioners.
Moving herself and a five-person product team
Noa forms a Cyprus company she owns outright, transfers €200,000 to its Cyprus bank account, and leases an office in Nicosia. The company registers as a company of foreign interests. She is appointed director on €6,000 a month. Her five engineers earn €3,000 to €5,500, all above the €2,500 line.
Route BFU, then BFU-HS six times
Roughly ten working days for the company, then about a month for each permit. She must plan to hire two or three Cypriot or EU staff within five years to meet the 30% target.
Roughly ten working days for the company, then about a month for each permit. She must plan to hire two or three Cypriot or EU staff within five years to meet the 30% target.
04 / Planner and checklist
Work back from the day you need to start.
The decision time is only part of the wait. Documents issued abroad need apostilles and certified translations before anyone in Nicosia will look at them.
Application timeline planner
Tool 2 of 3Assumptions. The plan uses the slow end of each range. Decision times are Aqualis's published times where they exist: work permit 4 to 8 weeks, residence permit 6 to 10 weeks, business visa 2 to 4 weeks, family permit 4 to 8 weeks. Others are reported figures: EU Blue Card up to 13 weeks (the three-month legal limit), permanent residence under Regulation 6(2) about 26 weeks, EU registration about 1 week, start-up visa about 5 weeks for ministry approval plus a residence permit. Gathering documents takes 4 weeks, plus 1 week with family. Apostille and translation takes 3 weeks, plus 1 week with family. Entry is 1 week after documents are ready, biometrics 1 week after entry, submission 1 week after that. A standard work permit adds a 6-week labour market test, and a company of foreign interests hire adds 2 weeks of employer preparation. Both run alongside your own document work. Category F has no reliable decision time and is planned at 52 weeks as a placeholder only.
Document checklist generator
Tool 3 of 3Assumptions. The list reflects what the Migration Department commonly asks for in 2026, drawn from its published forms and from Cyprus law firm guidance. Officers may ask for more. Criminal record certificates are treated as valid for six months from issue, medical tests for four months, and bank statements should cover the last three to six months. Documents issued outside Cyprus need an apostille, or consular legalisation where the country is not in the Hague Convention, and a certified translation into Greek or English. The checklist does not replace the official form for your route.
05 / Process
From decision to residence card, in four steps.
The order matters. Documents gathered in the wrong sequence expire before they are filed.
Weeks 1 to 2
Choose the route
Match your purpose, income and horizon to one route, and check the tax consequences of the stay it allows. For employees, confirm whether the employer is a registered company of foreign interests.
Passport copies, draft contract or income evidence, and the route finder result.Weeks 2 to 8
Gather and legalise
Order the criminal record certificate last, because it is valid for about six months. Have degrees, marriage and birth certificates apostilled and translated by a certified translator.
Start with the documents that take longest in your country, usually degree verification.On arrival
Enter, test, give biometrics
Enter on the right visa or entry permit. Take blood tests and a chest X-ray in Cyprus, arrange health insurance and a tenancy, then attend the Migration Department in person for photograph, fingerprints and signature.
Each applicant attends in person. There is no remote option for biometrics.4 to 10 weeks later
Decision and card
You may normally stay while the application is pending. On approval the residence card is printed and collected. Diarise the renewal date, the absence limit and the day-count for tax residence.
Register with the General Healthcare System and social insurance as soon as the card arrives.
06 / Questions
What people ask before they move.
Fourteen questions, answered plainly. Each carries the review date in the page's structured data.
01Do UK citizens need a visa to live in Cyprus after Brexit?
To visit, no. British citizens may stay 90 days in any 180 without a visa. To live in Cyprus, yes. They are now non-EU nationals and need a residence permit, usually the visitor pink slip for retirees, a work route, or permanent residence. Britons who were resident before 1 January 2021 keep their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement and hold a different document.
02How long does a Cyprus work permit take?
Aqualis's published time is 4 to 8 weeks from a complete application. For a company of foreign interests the Migration Department aims to decide within about a month. A standard work permit takes longer in total, because the labour market test, often four to six weeks, must finish before the application starts. The EU Blue Card has a legal limit of three months.
03What salary do I need for a Cyprus work permit?
For a highly skilled post at a company of foreign interests, at least €2,500 gross a month. For the EU Blue Card, at least €43,632 gross a year, which is €3,636 a month. A standard work permit has no single national figure. The salary is set by the contract the Department of Labour approves, and by collective agreements in some sectors.
04Can my spouse work in Cyprus if I hold a work permit?
It depends on your route. Spouses of highly skilled staff at companies of foreign interests, and of EU Blue Card holders, have free access to paid employment. Spouses of Digital Nomad Visa, pink slip and permanent residence holders may live in Cyprus but may not work. Spouses of EU citizens may work whatever their nationality.
05Is Cyprus in Schengen in 2026?
Not yet. As of September 2026 Cyprus is an EU member outside the Schengen area. The European Commission issued a positive assessment in summer 2026, and accession needs a unanimous Council vote and then an implementation date. Until then Cyprus issues its own national visas, days in Cyprus do not count towards the Schengen 90 days, and a Cyprus permit gives no right to travel freely in Schengen.
06Does the Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa make me tax resident?
The visa itself does not. Your days do. Spend more than 183 days in Cyprus in a calendar year and you are tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at 0% up to €22,000 and rising to 35% above €72,000. Spend fewer, and remain tax resident elsewhere, and you generally are not. The 60-day rule rarely fits nomads, because it needs a Cyprus business, job or directorship.
07Can I get permanent residence in Cyprus by buying property?
Yes, under Regulation 6(2), if the property is new, bought from a developer, and costs at least €300,000 plus VAT. Resale homes do not qualify. You must also show secure income from abroad of €50,000 a year, plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 for each child. You must keep the investment, prove it yearly, and visit at least once every two years.
08How long until I can apply for Cyprus citizenship?
The standard route needs eight years: seven years of lawful residence in the last ten, plus the twelve months just before applying spent continuously in Cyprus, with Greek at level B1. Highly skilled employees of companies of foreign interests can apply after four years with Greek at B1, or five years with A2. The old investment passport scheme closed in 2020.
09Can I change employer on a Cyprus work permit?
Not freely. A permit is issued for a named employer and role. Highly skilled staff may move between companies of foreign interests, but a new application is filed before the move. Standard permit holders need the consent of the authorities, and changes are restricted in the early period. Moving first and filing later makes the stay unlawful.
10How long can I be away from Cyprus without losing my residence permit?
On a temporary permit, no more than three consecutive months. On permanent residence under Regulation 6(2), you must visit at least once every two years. For EU long-term resident status, absences must stay under six consecutive months and ten months in total across the five qualifying years. EU Blue Card holders have more generous rules.
11Do I need private health insurance for a Cyprus residence permit?
Usually yes at the start. Non-EU applicants must show health insurance covering inpatient and outpatient care when they apply. Employees then join the General Healthcare System through payroll, paying 2.65% of earnings. Visitors, Digital Nomads and permanent residents by investment generally keep private cover, and it is checked at each renewal.
12Can I set up my own company in Cyprus and sponsor myself?
Yes, if the company qualifies as a company of foreign interests. That means majority foreign ownership, €200,000 brought into Cyprus, and real offices. The company then employs you as a director or key employee on at least €2,500 a month. Below that level of investment, the start-up visa may fit an innovative business. A small company with no investment cannot sponsor its owner.
13Can my children attend public school in Cyprus?
Yes. Children who live lawfully in Cyprus may attend state schools free of charge, whatever the parents' permit. Teaching is in Greek, so many international families choose private English-language schools in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca or Paphos. Fees vary widely by school and age, so ask for the current schedule before you choose where to live.
14What happens if my Cyprus permit application is refused?
The refusal letter gives reasons. You may ask for a review, file an administrative objection, or apply to the Administrative Court, normally within 75 days. Often the faster course is a fresh application that fixes the defect, such as a missing apostille, an expired certificate or income that was not evidenced. Do not overstay while deciding. Take advice on your right to remain in the meantime.
Free document pack
Personal document pack: what to gather at home before you fly, by route.
- Every document for each of the eleven routes
- Which ones need an apostille, and where to get it
- Validity windows, so nothing expires in transit
- Certified translation rules for Greek and English
- Family file: marriage, birth and custody papers
- A day-count sheet for permit absences and tax residence
Request the document pack →
Sent by the adviser as a PDF. Ask for it in the form below.
Who stands behind this page
Aqualis Ltd, chartered accountants in Nicosia.
Aqualis handles work permits, residence permits, business visas and family permits, along with renewals and inspection support. Because the same firm runs the payroll, tax residency and social insurance, the permit and the tax position are planned as one file. The adviser named here signs off every figure on this page.
ICPAC memberICAEW memberEnglish and Greek
Immigration adviser[name, title]
Office[address], Nicosia, Cyprus
Immigration servicesaqualis.com.cy/immigration
ResponseWithin one working day