Cyprus residence permits: the routes for buyers and their families

This page explains the general rules as published by the Cyprus authorities on the date shown. Rates, thresholds and procedures change, and your position depends on facts we do not know. Before you act, confirm the figures with the Tax Department or the Department of Lands and Surveys and take advice from a lawyer registered with the Cyprus Bar Association or a licensed accountant.

Registration or permit: which one applies to you#

Cyprus has two separate systems. EU citizens and their families are covered by the free-movement law, Law 7(I)/2007, and they register rather than apply for a permit.¹ Everyone else, called third-country nationals, needs a residence permit under the Aliens and Immigration Law, Cap. 105, and its regulations.²

Your nationality decides the system, not the property you buy. A British, Israeli or UAE passport holder is a third-country national; a German or Polish passport holder registers as an EU citizen. If a family includes both, each member follows the rules for their own status, with special rules for non-EU family members of EU citizens (below).

EU citizens: registering after three months#

An EU citizen may live in Cyprus for more than three months if they are an employee or self-employed in Cyprus, or have sufficient resources for themselves and their family together with comprehensive sickness insurance cover in Cyprus, or are enrolled in a course of study with that insurance.¹ A retired buyer or one living on savings uses the second ground.

EU citizens and EU family members staying longer than three months must register with the Civil Registry (Αρχείο Πληθυσμού) within four months of arrival.¹ The authority issues a registration certificate immediately, showing only the name, address and date of registration.¹

Third-country nationals: permits by purpose#

Third-country nationals hold a permit for a stated purpose, issued and renewed by the Migration Department of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection.³ The categories its online renewal service covers are:

• temporary residence for remunerated employment
• temporary residence for domestic employment
• temporary residence for employees of companies of foreign interests
• long-term resident permits
• temporary residence for family reunification, for family members of long-term residents and of employees of companies of foreign interests

That list is the set of categories renewable online, not every category that exists under Cap. 105.⁴ Visitors, students and investors apply under their own categories, each with its own conditions published by the Migration Department.

Owning property is not a residence right#

In Law 7(I)/2007 the grounds of residence are work, sufficient resources with sickness insurance, or study; owning a home is not one of them.¹ For third-country nationals, every permit is tied to a purpose, and the conditions of the category you apply under decide the outcome.

The buying side is covered on our page on whether foreigners can buy property in Cyprus, and the purchase steps in how to buy property in Cyprus.

Family members#

A non-EU family member of an EU citizen receives a residence card. Under Article 13(1) of Law 7(I)/2007 it is valid for five years, or for the planned period of residence of the EU citizen if that is shorter.¹ If the card expires earlier and the holder is still in Cyprus, a new card must be applied for no later than one month after expiry.¹

For third-country families, the Migration Department issues family-reunification permits, including to family members of long-term residents and of employees of companies of foreign interests.³ Other categories have their own family rules; check the conditions for the category of the main permit holder.

Where to apply, and the move to online renewals#

EU registration is made with the Civil Registry and Migration Department. Third-country permits are handled by the Migration Department, which lists its contact points on each service page of the government portal.³

The Migration Department launched an online renewal service in July 2026, and from 1 January 2027 renewals in the five categories above will be accepted only online through gov.cy, with in-person submission ending.⁴ You need a verified CY Login account to use the service.³

What this page does not cover#

Permanent residence by investment, citizenship, tax residency and short-stay visas are outside this page. For travel within Europe, see the Cyprus Schengen tracker, which records the official stages of Cyprus's accession.