Cyprus
Permanent Residence Permit (Fast-Track / Regulation 6.2)
Minimum investment
EUR 300,000
Processing time
officially around 2 months, though practitioners report 4-8 months in practice
Physical presence
must visit Cyprus at least once every 2 years to keep the permit valid — this applies to every family member included on the permit, and even a brief visit satisfies the requirement; failure to visit can result in revocation
- Investment route
- •Purchase of a first-sale house or apartment from a development company (one or two units from the same developer), minimum EUR 300,000 plus VAT
- •alternatively, investment in commercial real estate, Cyprus company share capital, or units in a Cyprus collective investment fund, same threshold
- Investment breakdown
- •at least EUR 200,000 of the EUR 300,000 must be paid before the application is submitted
- •legal basis is Regulation 6(2) of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations, with criteria revised effective 2 May 2023
- •applicants who lodged Sale Agreements between 2 January and 28 April 2023 may still apply under the earlier 24 March 2021 criteria
- Additional fees
- VAT on the property purchase, legal and translation fees apply separately from the core investment
- Eligibility
- •secured annual income of at least EUR 50,000 for the main applicant, plus EUR 15,000 for a spouse and EUR 10,000 per dependent minor child
- •income may come from salary, pension, dividends, bank interest, or rent
- •for the property route, income must originate from abroad
- •clean criminal record
- Due diligence
- •clean criminal record and general suitability required
- •applicant and spouse must sign a declaration confirming they do not intend to take up employment in Cyprus (the sole exception being an unpaid director role in the invested company)
- •from 1 September 2026, applicants and dependants must also submit blood test results for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis, plus a chest X-ray for tuberculosis
- Family inclusion
- •spouse
- •dependent children under 18
- •children studying in Cyprus may hold a temporary student permit and apply for their own Permanent Residency (with a further fee) once they complete their studies, regardless of age
- Path to citizenship
- •the CBI citizenship route linked to this permanent residence scheme was suspended in 2020
- •PRP holders may apply for citizenship through ordinary naturalization after 8 years of residence (7 years within the preceding 10, plus a final continuous 12 months)
- Renewal
- the Permanent Residence Permit is a lifetime permit with no renewal requirement, subject to the once-every-2-years visit condition
- Dual citizenship
- Fully permitted — Cyprus allows dual and multiple citizenship (note: this specific Permanent Residence Permit does not itself grant citizenship)
- Key benefits
- •fast processing relative to most EU programs
- •minimal physical presence requirement (a single visit every 2 years)
- •Cyprus is actively progressing toward Schengen accession, often referenced around 2026, which if completed would meaningfully increase the mobility value of this permit
- Taxation
- Cyprus's non-domicile regime exempts qualifying residents from tax on foreign dividends and interest for 17 years
Application process
- 1.purchase a qualifying new-build property
- 2.submit the residence permit application with proof of income and property ownership
- 3.attend interview if required
- 4.permit issued