Cyprus residence permit.
A full member of the European Union where English is spoken everywhere and the tax framework is among the continent’s most favourable — held alongside beachfront, marina and resort homes from Limassol and Paphos to Ayia Napa and Protaras.
Cyprus is an EU member state; its Schengen accession has been technically assessed and EU-backed, but remains subject to a unanimous EU Council vote with no confirmed date. A Cyprus residence permit is valid for Cyprus and does not by itself confer Schengen short-stay travel; this changes only upon Cyprus joining the Schengen Area.
A European base, secured properly.
Cyprus permanent residence from a €300,000 new-build — an EU base, English-speaking, the whole family. Approval runs about two to three months from a complete file, roughly four to seven months end to end. One advisor coordinates the property, the legal work and the government application, from first call to card in hand.
- Permanent residence held for life — one visit to Cyprus every two years to keep it
- Spouse and children on a single application
- From a €300,000 new-build, vetted and coordinated end to end
A 3-minute eligibility check · confidential · no obligation
One advisor, accountable for the whole route — the permit, the property and the due diligence, weighed against your objectives.
A European residence card.
Your qualifying investment secures a biometric permanent-residence card of the Republic of Cyprus — a European Union member state. It is your family’s legal right to live in Cyprus, held for life: not a visa to renew anxiously, not a passport you don’t need — a residence card, issued by the Republic, in your name.
Illustrative specimen. Your card is issued by the Republic of Cyprus, in your name.
What our clients come for.
EU residency, five routes
Permanent or temporary residency through one of five routes — an established, EU-member foothold secured for you and your family.
A tax-friendly base
Cyprus tax residency through the 60-day rule, no inheritance tax, and one of Europe’s most favourable frameworks for relocating individuals and their capital.
Holiday homes
Beachfront and resort residences in the island’s most sought-after addresses — used privately, let when you are away.
Land for your own development
Build plots and development land for clients who would rather create than buy — sourced, vetted and held end to end.
Capital growth
A market underpinned by EU membership, tourism and steady foreign demand — held for appreciation over the long horizon.
Rental income
Strong seasonal and long-let yields, with tenancy, maintenance and management handled discreetly on your behalf.
Built around your situation.
Israeli families
A short flight from home, EU residency, and a familiar Mediterranean climate and community.
Lebanese nationals & expatriates
A stable, English-speaking EU base for families and diaspora capital seeking security and mobility.
Russian & CIS citizens
An established European foothold with a deep, trusted advisory relationship on the ground.
Germans, British & northern Europeans
Year-round sun, EU continuity post-Brexit for UK buyers, and a refined second-home market.
Residences we hold in Cyprus.
A curated selection of residence-qualifying developments — beachfront, resort and urban — sourced and coordinated end to end by 8T20 Capital. Select any residence for its full gallery, floor plans and pricing.
6 residences · sourced & coordinated by 8T20 Capital
Recently completed
Indicative pricing; final figures, availability and VAT are confirmed with the developer and admitted local legal counsel on engagement.
The routes we open.
Cyprus levies no inheritance tax and offers tax residency via the 60-day rule for qualifying individuals. Final positions are confirmed with licensed tax counsel.
Permanent Residency — Regulation 6.2
Fast-trackFast-track permanent residency through a qualifying €300,000 (+ VAT) investment in new-build residential property bought directly from the developer (resale does not qualify), with the price paid in full from funds remitted from abroad before filing. For the investor and their family. Indicative processing ~2–3 months once the file is complete.
Permanent Residency — Category F
Permanent residency secured on the basis of a stable annual income generated from abroad.
Permanent Residency — Category C
Permanent residency through substantial business or self-employment investment within Cyprus.
Yellow Slip — EU Registration
Registration certificate for EU citizens and their families exercising free-movement rights.
Pink Slip — Temporary Residence
Renewable temporary residence for non-EU nationals with sufficient means and accommodation.
What a Cyprus permit actually does for you.
Beyond the asset itself, this is the real value of the right you hold — the tax position it unlocks, the mobility it adds, what it gives your family, and the protection it quietly puts in place.
Become Cyprus tax-resident on as little as 60 days a year, then take dividends, interest and securities gains at a near-zero personal rate under the non-domicile regime.
Cyprus lets you become a tax resident in one of two ways: the classic 183-day rule, or the '60-day rule'. Under the 60-day rule you need only spend at least 60 days a year in Cyprus, provided you (a) do not spend more than 183 days in any other single country, (b) carry on business in Cyprus, are employed there, or hold a directorship in a Cyprus tax-resident company, and (c) maintain a permanent home in Cyprus that you own or rent. As of 1 January 2026, the old extra condition that you not be tax-resident anywhere else was removed, which makes the rule materially easier to use. Once you are tax-resident, you separately register as 'non-domiciled' (available because you were not born domiciled in Cyprus). A non-dom is exempt from the Special Defence Contribution (SDC) for up to 17 years. In practice this means 0% SDC and 0% personal income tax on dividends and on most interest, and an unconditional exemption from tax on gains from the disposal of securities (shares, bonds, fund units). Cyprus also levies no inheritance, estate, succession or wealth tax. The 2026 tax reform raised the corporate tax rate to 15% (from 12.5%) to meet the OECD global-minimum standard, and cut the SDC dividend rate for ordinary domiciled residents from 17% to 5%, but it left the non-dom 0% exemption fully intact.
The standard structure is to convert what would otherwise be salary or trading profit into dividend income, then receive it as a Cyprus non-dom. Profits are taxed once inside a Cyprus company at 15% corporate tax; when distributed to you as a non-dom shareholder there is 0% SDC and 0% income tax on the dividend. The only personal charge is the General Healthcare System (GESY/GHS) contribution at 2.65%, and that is capped: it applies only on the first EUR 180,000 of income per year, so your maximum annual healthcare contribution on dividend income is roughly EUR 4,770 regardless of how large the dividend is. Investment gains on listed securities are exempt outright, so an investment portfolio can be realised without Cyprus capital gains tax. Salary actually drawn for substance can use the separate 50% first-employment exemption (for qualifying high earners). The 17-year clock starts the year you first become Cyprus tax-resident, and can be extended for two further five-year periods by a EUR 250,000 lump-sum payment per period, giving up to 27 years of the exemption.
Illustrative only. Assume a Cyprus company earns EUR 1,000,000 of profit in a year. Corporate tax at 15% is EUR 150,000, leaving EUR 850,000 distributable. As a Cyprus non-dom shareholder you pay 0% SDC and 0% personal income tax on the dividend. Your only personal charge is GESY at 2.65%, capped at EUR 180,000 of income, i.e. about EUR 4,770 for the year. Net to you: roughly EUR 845,230. Separately, if in the same year you sold a listed equity portfolio at a EUR 500,000 gain, that securities gain is exempt, so it adds nothing to your Cyprus tax bill. Effective personal tax on the EUR 850,000 dividend is under 0.6%. Compare this only as an order-of-magnitude illustration, not a quote for your situation.
These figures describe the Cyprus regime in isolation. Your actual outcome depends on your citizenship, where you are also tax-resident, controlled-foreign-company and place-of-management rules, double-tax treaties, and the substance of your Cyprus company. The 2026 reform changed several headline rates, so older summaries can be out of date. Tax outcomes must be confirmed by a qualified Cyprus and home-country tax adviser before you act. We provide the residence structure, not tax advice.
An EU residence right in an English-speaking, common-law-influenced jurisdiction, with Schengen short-stay access expected to follow.
Cyprus is a full EU member state. Your Cyprus residence permit gives you and your registered family the legal right to enter and live in Cyprus indefinitely, with the stability and rule of law of an EU jurisdiction. Important to be precise about today: Cyprus is not yet inside the Schengen area, so a Cyprus residence permit does not by itself let you travel visa-free into Schengen countries for short stays today, and time spent in Cyprus does not yet count toward the Schengen 90/180-day allowance. Cyprus has completed the technical requirements (Entry/Exit System, Visa Information System, border infrastructure) and the government's stated goal is to join Schengen during 2026, with EU institutions supportive, but final accession requires a unanimous EU Council vote and no firm date is fixed. Once Cyprus accedes, holders of a Cyprus residence permit will be able to travel to other Schengen states for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a separate short-stay visa.
Use Cyprus as a legally-secured EU base now, and position for Schengen mobility as it lands. For business or leisure travel into Schengen before accession, you still apply for a Schengen visa in the normal way, but holding EU residence generally makes that process more straightforward. If your spouse or child is or becomes an EU citizen, an EU-family-member residence card unlocks visa-free travel across the EU and EEA in its own right. Keep your permit current and your Cyprus home maintained so that, the moment Schengen accession completes, your short-stay mobility upgrades automatically with no new application.
Schengen accession in 2026 is a government objective, not a guarantee; it depends on a unanimous EU Council decision. Do not plan travel on the assumption that the Cyprus permit already gives Schengen short-stay rights today. Visa-free claims here describe the post-accession framework and the separate EU-family-member route, not the current default for a non-EU permit holder.
A single application can secure EU residence and a calm, English-friendly home base for your spouse and children, with first-rate schooling and healthcare alongside it.
- Spouse is included in the main application and shares your residence right and access to services.
- Minor children under 18 are included; adult children aged 18-25 can be included if they are financially dependent and in full-time education.
- English is widely spoken and used in business, the legal system is common-law-influenced, and the lifestyle is safe and Mediterranean, an easy environment for a family to settle into.
- No inheritance, estate or wealth tax, which simplifies passing assets to the next generation.
- A genuine EU home base the whole family can hold from abroad and activate when they choose.
Cyprus has an established network of English-language private and international schools (British curriculum and IB are common), so children can continue an internationally-portable education without a language break. As EU residents, families also gain a recognised pathway toward European university systems. Plan school placement early, as the best international schools have waiting lists.
Cyprus runs a universal General Healthcare System (GESY/GHS) funded by the 2.65% contribution that residents already pay on income. Registered residents access public and contracted private providers through GESY, and a strong private healthcare and insurance market sits alongside it. Many HNW families combine GESY access with private international health cover for full flexibility.
A pre-secured EU residence right your family can fall back on, arranged calmly today rather than negotiated under pressure later.
If conditions at home deteriorate, whether political instability, conflict, civil unrest, capital controls or a sharp decline in personal security, the families who cope best are the ones who already hold the legal right to be somewhere safe. A Cyprus residence permit means that, before any crisis, you and your registered family already have the lawful right to enter and reside in a stable, EU-member jurisdiction with a maintained home waiting for you. There is no scramble for an emergency visa, no queue at a consulate that may have closed, and no dependence on anyone's goodwill at a border. Your destination, your legal status and your accommodation are already arranged. It is the difference between arriving as a rights-holding resident and arriving as a stranded applicant.
The protection is legal certainty secured in advance. Cyprus residence is a standing, renewable right to be admitted and to live in Cyprus, plus access to its healthcare and schooling, decoupled from events at home. Because Cyprus is an EU member with a robust legal order and no inheritance or wealth tax, it is also a sound place to hold the family's assets and continuity, not just its safety. The right does not lapse because a crisis erupts elsewhere; it is yours to use whenever you decide.
Keep the permit live and the family's documents current: valid permits and passports, your maintained Cyprus address, school and healthcare registrations ready to confirm, and copies held securely both digitally and offline. If you need to move quickly, you travel to Cyprus on your existing valid residence right and present yourself as the resident you already are, no new application is required to enter and reside. We recommend a standing 'go-plan': a known route to Cyprus, an identified place to land (your own property or a pre-arranged residence), and your adviser's contact details to hand. Because the legal groundwork is already done, activation is logistical, not bureaucratic.
Be clear-eyed about what this is. A residence permit is a pre-secured legal right to enter and reside in Cyprus; it is not an evacuation service, and 8T20 Capital does not extract people from danger zones. Physically reaching Cyprus, especially if your home airspace or borders are disrupted, remains your responsibility and depends on commercial travel being available. The permit removes the legal and bureaucratic obstacle to having a safe place to go; it does not remove the logistics of getting there. Keep the permit valid and renewed, because an expired permit protects no one.
What it costs, end to end.
Set your programme, property value and family — see the full upfront cost, the ongoing obligations and an indicative timeline, instantly.
VAT is the 19% standard rate that applies to holiday and investment homes. A reduced 5% rate exists only for a qualifying primary residence (first €350k / 130 m², total ≤ €475k, held as your main home for 10 years) — we confirm eligibility on engagement.
- 1Reservation & due diligence1–2 wks
- 2Sale agreement & deposit2–4 wks
- 3PR application filed (Reg. 6.2)4–6 wks
- 4Approval & permits issued~8–12 wks
Indicative for planning only. Final figures — fees, taxes and timelines — are confirmed in writing by licensed counsel on engagement.
One relationship, the whole journey.
Your residence permit is the goal — we coordinate the whole journey to it as a single engagement: advisory, the qualifying investment, the application and aftercare, with licensed local counsel throughout.
Advisory & selection
We confirm eligibility and shape the residence route around your family — the permit first, everything built around it.
Qualifying investments
The single qualifying property your route requires, sourced and vetted — the step that secures residency.
Submission of applications
Every government form prepared, checked and lodged through licensed local counsel.
Aftercare & support
Renewals, your records and your asset looked after for as long as you hold.
Application drafting and lodgement are performed with and through licensed local counsel. 8T20 Capital coordinates the engagement and the qualifying investment; regulated legal, tax and immigration work is delivered by licensed local professionals. We are not a law, tax or immigration firm.
You decide. You instruct. We keep it on track.
Below: how the process unfolds, and where we coordinate, direct and keep it on track.
Cyprus permanent residence under the accelerated Regulation 6(2) procedure is the fastest route to lifelong EU residency: a single qualifying investment (a brand-new €300,000+VAT home being the most common), proof of €50,000 secure annual income from abroad, and a clean record. The Civil Registry & Migration Department examines a complete file in roughly two months. Almost the entire process is done for you under Power of Attorney by admitted Cypriot counsel — you sign a POA once and make exactly one short trip to Cyprus to give fingerprints when the permit is approved. The card is for life, with the only ongoing duty being a visit to Cyprus at least once every two years.
4-7 months from engagement to permit card in hand (≈4-8 weeks to assemble and remit funds, ≈2 months Migration Department examination, then your one biometrics trip and 30-45 days for the card)
Exactly one in-person visit to Cyprus. After your application is approved, every family member aged 14 and over must attend a district immigration unit (Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca or Paphos) once to give fingerprints and a photo for the residence card. This single trip is the only legally irreducible visit — it can be combined with viewing/closing the property. Everything before it (filing, paying, corresponding with the Department) is carried out by your admitted Cypriot counsel under Power of Attorney, with 8T20 directing the sequence and keeping the file on track; no visit is required to lodge the application. The visit must happen within one year of approval.
- 01
Discovery & eligibility assessment
We coordinate itUnder Power of Attorney2-5 daysWe confirm you qualify under Regulation 6(2): non-EU national, clean record, ability to show €50,000 secure annual income (plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 per minor child) sourced from outside Cyprus, and capacity to make the €300,000+VAT investment. We map your family members and pick the investment route.
Your part — Share passports, proof of income and a high-level picture of your funds.
- 02
Engage admitted Cypriot counsel & grant Power of Attorney
Handled together1-2 weeksYour application begins with a €10,000 engagement payment, which opens your private file and sets the work in motion. We instruct a licensed Cyprus advocate who will act for you before the Migration Department, the Land Registry and the banks. You sign a Power of Attorney authorising counsel to open accounts, sign the property contract, lodge the application and represent you throughout. This is the single document you must personally sign; it can be signed at home before a notary and apostilled, or remotely where permitted — no travel needed.
Your part — Make the €10,000 engagement payment, then sign and notarise/apostille the Power of Attorney for each adult applicant.
- 03
Open a Cyprus bank account & remit the investment funds
Handled togetherUnder Power of Attorney3-6 weeks (driven by bank compliance)Counsel opens a Cyprus bank account in your name under the POA and completes the bank's source-of-funds (KYC) review. Critically, the investment money must be transferred into Cyprus from abroad, from your own (or your spouse's) personal account, BEFORE the application is lodged — this is a hard rule of the 6(2) policy. We pre-clear your source-of-funds narrative to avoid bank delays.
Your part — Wire the investment funds from your personal/spousal account abroad and supply source-of-funds evidence.
- 04
Select & contract the qualifying investment
Handled togetherUnder Power of Attorney2-6 weeks (overlaps with banking)Most clients buy a newly-built home or apartment sold for the first time (not a resale) by a development company, value at least €300,000 plus VAT. Counsel reviews title, negotiates and signs the sale contract under POA, lodges it at the Land Registry, and pays at least €200,000 (€300,000 excluding VAT in receipts) so the file shows the required proof of payment. Alternative routes — other real estate, share capital of a Cyprus company with substance, or units of a licensed Cyprus investment fund — also qualify at the €300,000 level.
Your part — Approve the chosen property/investment and authorise the payment; the trip to view it can be combined with your later biometrics visit.
- 05
Coordinate the document file & legalisation
Handled togetherUnder Power of AttorneyPer family member3-5 weeks (mostly waiting on your home-country certificates)We direct and sequence the full supporting file — passports, clean criminal-record certificates for each adult, marriage and birth certificates, proof of the €50,000+ secure annual income, health-insurance certificates, the property contract and payment receipts, and the bank transfer evidence — telling you exactly what is needed and in what order, and instructing counsel and the licensed local professionals who handle each item. You provide the documents you hold; foreign documents are translated into Greek/English, certified and apostilled by the licensed local professionals, with 8T20 tracking each one and chasing anything outstanding so nothing lapses.
Your part — Obtain a police clearance certificate from your country of residence and provide civil-status certificates; we line up and direct the translation, certification and apostille through the licensed local professionals and keep each one on track.
- 06
Lodge the Regulation 6(2) application with the Migration Department
We coordinate itUnder Power of Attorney1-3 days to fileCounsel files the completed application (one file for the main applicant, spouse and minor children; adult children 18-25 in tertiary education abroad file their own separate application) and pays the government fees — approximately €500 application fee per applicant plus the residence-card fee. No personal appearance is required to lodge.
- 07
Migration Department examination & approval
We coordinate itUnder Power of Attorney≈2 monthsThe Civil Registry & Migration Department reviews the file under the accelerated 6(2) track. A complete, well-prepared application is examined in approximately two months. We monitor the file, chase progress and, the moment the Department raises a query, instruct counsel to respond and make sure nothing stalls.
- 08
Travel to Cyprus for biometrics (the one required visit)
Handled togetherIn personPer family member1 short trip (the appointment itself takes under an hour per person)Once approved, every applicant aged 14 and over must attend a district immigration unit in person to give fingerprints and a photograph for the residence-permit card. This is the only legally irreducible in-person act of the whole process. We schedule the appointment, escort you, and you can pair this short trip with finalising/viewing your property. Children under 14 need not give fingerprints.
Your part — Attend the biometrics appointment in Cyprus — this is the single mandatory visit; must occur within one year of approval.
- 09
Issuance of the permanent-residence cards
We coordinate itUnder Power of AttorneyPer family member30-45 days after biometricsAfter biometrics, the Migration Department prints and issues the permanent-residence cards (typically 30-45 days). Counsel collects them under POA and couriers them to you. The status is permanent — there is no renewal — provided you visit Cyprus at least once every two years and continue to hold the investment and income.
Steps, durations and government fees for Cyprus are indicative and verified to official sources; the regulated legal work is performed by our admitted local team, and final positions are confirmed in writing before you commit. Programme rules change — we re-confirm yours at the time of filing.
Read it now — the full printable dossier.
Programme routes, the at-a-glance facts, an indicative cost breakdown, the document checklist and the process — as a branded document you can print or save to PDF.
Receive the Cyprus dossier.
Programme details, requirements, timelines and current pricing — prepared for your situation and sent to you, with a private consultation to follow.
The essentials.
Let’s arrange a call.
Choose a time that suits you and Andrew will call you personally. We map the Cyprus route, the cost and the timeline around your family — privately, and without obligation.