Cyprus immigration lawyers

EU nationals: the Yellow Slip

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have a right of residence under Directive 2004/38/EC, transposed in Cyprus by Law 7(I)/2007. If you stay longer than three months you must register in person and obtain a Registration Certificate, the Yellow Slip (form MEU1), applying within four months of arrival. The government fee is €20 per applicant, the Migration Department aims to decide a complete file within one month, and the certificate does not expire. Late registration can attract a fine of up to €2,500. The forms were revised in March 2026 and only the revised versions have been accepted since 2 April 2026, so an out-of-date form is a common cause of delay. Family members who are themselves EU citizens register the same way; non-EU family members apply for a biometric residence card (MEU2), usually decided within six months.

Non-EU visitors: the Pink Slip

Third-country nationals who want to live in Cyprus for more than 90 days as visitors apply for the temporary residence permit known as the Pink Slip (form MVIS8), under Regulation 14 of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations and Cap. 105. You must show stable income from outside Cyprus, suitable accommodation, health insurance and a clean criminal record; there is no single statutory income figure, and the current checklist controls. The government fee is €140 for a first application (the permit plus registration in the Aliens Register) and €70 on renewal. A complete file is usually decided within about four months. The permit lasts one year and is renewable, but it carries no right to work or to carry on any economic activity in Cyprus, including remote work.

Working in Cyprus

A non-EU national with a job offer needs a permit that matches the role. The general route is a single (combined residence and employment) permit tied to the approved employer and category. Highly paid staff of a Company of Foreign Interests can use that route where the gross salary is at least €2,500 a month, with a relevant degree or two years' relevant experience and a contract of at least two years; there is no quota and no labour-market test for that category, and the Migration Department publishes a one-month examination target for a complete file. The EU Blue Card is open to highly qualified employees, but only in the sectors Cyprus has opened — information and communications technology, pharmaceutical research, and shipping other than captains and crew — with a minimum gross salary of €43,632 a year and a 90-day decision target. A Digital Nomad route is available for people working remotely for employers or clients outside Cyprus.

Families

Family members of a non-EU resident apply through family reunification under Cap. 105 and Directive 2003/86/EC. The sponsor normally needs around two years' lawful residence and a permit valid for at least a year, the spouse must be at least 21 and the marriage at least a year old, and minor children are covered. Family members of an EU citizen follow the MEU2 and MEU3 routes instead. We make sure the family is assessed as a unit, so the permits run together rather than falling out of step.

UK nationals after Brexit

Since 1 January 2021 UK nationals are third-country nationals for Cyprus immigration. A British passport allows visa-free visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period; staying longer needs a permit that matches your purpose. UK nationals who were lawfully resident before 2021 are protected as Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries and may hold or apply for a UKW biometric document under the declaratory system in Article 18(4). A biometric card may be required in place of an older paper certificate, but there is no blanket rule requiring every holder to replace a paper MEU1 or MEU3 by a fixed date, so check the current official guidance before acting. Our guide to moving to Cyprus from the UK sets out the practical steps.

Permanent residence, citizenship and the ARC

Two permanent-residence routes are commonly used: the expedited investor route under Regulation 6(2), which needs at least €300,000 (excluding VAT) in an eligible category plus secured annual income of at least €50,000, and the income-based Category F route under Regulation 5 (secured income of at least €9,568.17 a year, plus €4,613.22 per dependant, and no Cyprus employment). We cover both on our Cyprus permanent residency page. Cyprus citizenship by naturalisation generally requires seven years of lawful residence within the previous ten, including a continuous final year (forms M127, or M125 for the spouse of a Cypriot); there is no citizenship-by-investment route, as the Cyprus Investment Programme was abolished on 1 November 2020. Every foreign national registered with immigration receives a lifetime Alien Registration Certificate (ARC) number, printed on the permit and needed for banking, tax, social insurance and GESY healthcare.