Cyprus Golden Visa 2026: €300,000 Permanent Residence, and What’s Changing

Permanent residence from day one, at €300,000

Most residence-by-investment programmes sell a temporary permit that has to be renewed and, years later, may lead to something more permanent. Cyprus works the other way round. Under Regulation 6(2) of its aliens and immigration rules, an approved investor receives a permanent residence permit straight away, covering a spouse and children under 18. The current criteria are the fourth revision, in force since 2 May 2023. The application fee is €500, plus €70 for each person’s registration certificate, the official estimate for a decision is about two months, and the residence card itself is renewed every ten years. Four kinds of investment qualify, each at a minimum of €300,000.

• A new house or apartment bought from a development company on its first sale, at €300,000 plus VAT; up to two units can be combined.
• Other property, such as offices, shops or hotels, totalling €300,000; resale property is allowed in this category.
• €300,000 in the share capital of a Cyprus company that employs at least five people.
• €300,000 in units of Cyprus investment funds that invest in Cyprus.

The money must be shown to have been transferred to Cyprus from abroad, from the applicant’s or spouse’s account. Applicants also need a secure annual income of at least €50,000, plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 for each dependent child; for the new-home route that income must come from outside Cyprus, and rental income counts. A clean criminal record and health insurance are required. Each year the holder must show the investment is still in place and the insurance still valid, with a fresh criminal record certificate every three years. Selling the property is allowed only if it is immediately replaced with a qualifying investment of the same or higher value; otherwise the permit is cancelled.

Who is covered, and what the permit allows

Children aged 18 to 25 who are unmarried, studying abroad and financially dependent can apply separately, with €10,000 more income for each. Adult children who are not dependent need an additional €300,000 investment each, and since the 2023 revision parents and parents-in-law are no longer included. The permit lets the family live in Cyprus indefinitely, but not work as employees there: the only exception is acting as a director of the company the investor put money into. The permit lapses if the holder stays out of Cyprus for two consecutive years, so in practice it requires a visit at least once every two years. Holding it does not by itself make anyone a Cyprus tax resident, which depends on how much time is actually spent there.

VAT, and the real price of a €300,000 home

The €300,000 for the most popular route is measured before VAT. Cyprus applies a reduced 5% rate to a first home only when it becomes the buyer’s main residence, within size and price limits; an investor who does not intend to live there will normally pay the standard 19%, which takes a €300,000 flat to about €357,000 before legal fees and stamp duty. The first-sale requirement adds a subtler cost. The qualifying homes are new builds sold by developers, a segment priced partly for foreign buyers who need to clear a threshold, and a buyer who later wants to sell may find a narrower local market for that particular flat. The property is a real investment that can fall in value, and it can lose money independently of the residence permit.

Cyprus sells something rare in this market — residence that never needs renewing — for the price of a new flat. What it no longer sells is a passport.

Citizenship is a separate, much longer road

Cyprus once ran a citizenship-by-investment scheme, which was suspended on 1 November 2020 after an undercover television investigation; an official inquiry later found that 53% of the 6,779 citizenships granted under it had been granted unlawfully. The law behind it was abolished in December 2025, and the European Commission closed its legal case against Cyprus in March 2026. Today the residence permit and citizenship are entirely separate. Under the naturalisation rules in force since December 2023, applicants need seven years of legal residence within the previous ten, plus twelve months of continuous residence immediately before applying — about eight years in practice — as well as Greek at B1 level and a civics exam. Only time physically spent living in Cyprus counts, so a holder who visits every two years builds almost nothing towards a passport.

What the September 2026 tightening could mean

On 24 September 2026, Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides told the House audit committee that the scheme would be tightened ahead of Cyprus’s planned entry into the Schengen area, that proposals had gone to the other ministries involved, and that around 12,000 permits issued since 2013 were under scrutiny; about 1,500 had been granted in the previous two years. Directing investment towards education, defence and innovation is being considered. As of early October 2026 no new thresholds or dates had been announced, and it was not known whether pending applications or existing holders would be treated differently. The criteria are set by cabinet decision rather than by law, and the current version is already their fourth revision, so they can change quickly. Anyone considering an application should assume the terms may move before it is decided. This is general information, not legal, immigration or tax advice; confirm the current rules with Cyprus’s Civil Registry and Migration Department and a licensed lawyer before committing money.

This article is educational and general in nature. It isn’t personalized investment, tax, or legal advice — always weigh your own circumstances, or talk to a licensed professional, before making financial decisions.

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