Regulation 6(2) of the Cyprus Aliens and Immigration Regulations is the main residency-by-investment route for non-EU nationals. It grants Cyprus permanent residency on a €300,000 (plus VAT) investment in qualifying assets — typically residential real estate purchased first-sale from a Cyprus developer, but also qualifying Cyprus investment-fund units or share capital in a Cyprus-registered business employing at least five Cypriots. The applicant must also demonstrate €50,000/yr of secured annual income from outside Cyprus (plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 per child), Cypriot health insurance, and a clean police record. Decisions typically issue within 2–3 months. PR is indefinite, subject to visiting Cyprus at least once every two years and retaining the qualifying investment.

Introduced in 2015 and codified in the Income Tax Law and the Special Defence Contribution Law, the Cyprus non-dom regime exempts a Cyprus tax resident who is not domiciled in Cyprus from the Special Defence Contribution (SDC) — the 17% levy on dividends, 30% on passive interest, and 3% on rental income that would otherwise apply. The practical result is 0% Cyprus tax on worldwide dividends and interest for the duration of non-dom status. Non-dom status is available for 17 out of any 20-year period. Domicile is determined by common-law principles — anyone who is not a domicile of origin in Cyprus (broadly, not Cypriot-born) is non-dom by default.

Cyprus is the only EU Member State to offer a 60-day tax-residency rule, introduced by a 2017 amendment to Article 2 of the Income Tax Law. Under the 60-day rule, you are treated as a Cyprus tax resident in a given year if: (a) you are physically present in Cyprus for at least 60 days in that year; (b) you do not spend more than 183 days in any other single country in that year; (c) you are not tax-resident of any other country; (d) you carry on a business in Cyprus, are employed in Cyprus, or hold office (e.g. a directorship) in a Cyprus tax-resident company at any time during the year; and (e) you maintain a permanent home in Cyprus (owned or rented). It is intended for genuinely-mobile professionals who spend their year moving across jurisdictions.

Under the Cyprus Capital Gains Tax Law, the 20% CGT applies only to disposals of Cyprus-situs immovable property (or shares in unlisted companies that hold such property). All other capital gains — disposal of foreign shares, crypto-assets, founder equity, foreign real estate, precious metals, art — are entirely outside the scope of Cyprus taxation for an individual tax resident. There is no anti-avoidance re-characterisation for short-term or frequent trading in most cases. This exemption is statutory, not regime-dependent, and continues beyond the 17-year non-dom horizon.

Typically 2–3 months from filing with the Civil Registry and Migration Department to approval letter, though the real end-to-end timeline is 4–6 months because the €300,000 qualifying property purchase has to be completed first (SPA, deposit, title, registration, VAT calculation) and that part is what usually sets the pace. Once PR is approved you have one year to visit Cyprus and collect your Alien Registration Card. After that, PR is maintained indefinitely provided you visit Cyprus at least once every two years and retain the qualifying investment.

Zero physical-presence requirement to obtain Fast-Track PR. To keep it, you must visit Cyprus at least once every two years — this is a low bar and can be a short single-day visit. The physical-presence question becomes relevant only for tax residency (not PR): under the 183-day rule you must spend 183+ days in Cyprus in a calendar year; under the 60-day rule you must spend 60+ days in Cyprus and not be tax-resident anywhere else. Most non-dom clients structure for tax residency under one of the two rules in order to access the 17-year SDC exemption.

Yes, by naturalisation, under the Civil Registry Law N.141(I)/2002. The standard requirement is lawful residence in Cyprus for an aggregate total of seven years in the ten years immediately preceding the application, with the 12 months immediately preceding being continuous. Applicants must demonstrate adequate knowledge of Greek (B1 level), good character, and intent to continue residing in Cyprus. Dual citizenship is permitted. Cyprus also offers a shorter timeline for entrepreneurs and certain professionals under Category 2.1 of the Cypriot citizenship scheme. Passport-by-investment was suspended in 2020.

Yes, explicitly. Under the Civil Registry Law, a person acquiring Cyprus citizenship by naturalisation is not required to renounce any prior nationality, and a Cypriot by descent does not lose their Cypriot citizenship on acquiring another. Common combinations in our casework are UK + Cyprus, US + Cyprus, Russia + Cyprus, and Israel + Cyprus. Cyprus passport ranks in the top 15 globally for visa-free travel and gives full EU citizenship rights with the associated freedom of establishment across the 27 Member States.

Not yet. Cyprus is a full EU Member State (accession 2004) but is not currently in the Schengen Area. Target accession is in 2026, subject to completion of technical readiness assessments at the EU external borders. Cyprus PR and citizenship still confer 90-day visa-free travel to all Schengen states, but onward EU travel involves border formalities. For clients where Schengen mobility is the critical driver, Malta or Portugal may be the better EU pick for now; for those where tax efficiency dominates, Cyprus remains the strongest EU choice.

Yes. Cyprus has been a participating jurisdiction in the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) for automatic exchange of financial account information since 2017 as an EU Member State. Mechanics are widely misunderstood: CRS is not a general broadcast of your banking information. Under CRS, a Cyprus bank reports account holders to the Cyprus Tax Department, which then exchanges data with the tax authority of the country where the account holder is tax-resident. If your declared tax residency is Cyprus (TIC, Alien Registration Card, Certificate of Tax Residency, non-dom certificate) and you are within the 17-year non-dom regime, your Cyprus banking footprint is retained within Cyprus only — exchange does not go to your former home. CRS only sends data abroad where the account holder’s tax residency is elsewhere. Becoming a genuine Cyprus tax resident (under the 183-day rule or 60-day rule) is how you exit the CRS feed to your former home jurisdiction.

Cyprus corporate tax is 12.5% — one of the lowest in the EU — with a broad exemption on dividends received from foreign subsidiaries (subject to minor participation exemption conditions) and a 0% tax on gains from the disposal of securities. Combined with a dividend exit at 0% for non-dom shareholders, Cyprus is a uniquely efficient EU holding-company jurisdiction. The Cyprus IP Box (nexus-compliant) gives an effective 2.5% tax on qualifying IP income. For founders structuring pre-exit or running operating businesses out of the EU, Cyprus ranks alongside Ireland and the Netherlands as a preferred EU corporate vehicle.

For a single applicant on the €300,000 real-estate route, typical all-in cost is approximately €360,000–€380,000 (the €300k property + 5–19% VAT depending on primary-residence eligibility + ~€3k government filing + ~€5k Cyprus advocate conveyancing + agent fee). The property retains resale value after PR is approved. Ongoing costs are minimal: annual property tax and municipal rates, plus a simple biennial visit to Cyprus to retain PR. A detailed bespoke quote is issued after eligibility review and property selection.