Playbook
Moving to Cyprus From Outside the EU
Moving to Cyprus From Outside the EU: short answer
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A third country national needs permission, and the route decides everything that follows. Employment through a company of foreign interests is the usual answer for people who will work here, and it runs through the company rather than the individual: the company qualifies first, the permit follows.
| Legal basis | Permission, granted on a stated basis, rather than a right of residence |
|---|---|
| Usual route for people who will work here | Employment by a company of foreign interests, registered through the Business Facilitation Unit |
| Foreign interest company ownership | Majority third country ownership, or shareholding of at least 200,000 euro |
| Initial investment | At least 200,000 euro, held with a licensed Cyprus credit institution |
| Highly skilled employment | Minimum gross monthly salary of 2,500 euro, with a degree or two years of relevant experience |
| Realistic timetable | Roughly a month from a complete file to relocation, where nothing is queried |
| Routes that exclude working in Cyprus | Category F and the Digital Nomad Visa |
Most of the delay in a third country move is spent on the wrong route. Choosing between employment, independent means, investment and the nomad visa is the decision that sets the timetable, the evidence and whether working in Cyprus is permitted at all.
The route decides everything
There is no single process for moving to Cyprus from outside the EU. There are several, they lead to materially different outcomes, and the most consequential difference is whether the route permits you to work here.
Employment by a Cyprus company. The usual answer for someone who will actually work in Cyprus, including a founder employed by their own company. Runs through the company first.
Category F. Permanent residence on independent income from abroad. Does not permit employment in Cyprus.
The Digital Nomad Visa. For people employed or contracted outside Cyprus, on a minimum net income of 3,500 euro a month. Does not permit working for a Cyprus employer.
Regulation 6(2). Fast track permanent residence on a qualifying investment of 300,000 euro plus VAT. Covered separately in permanent residency by investment.
The startup visa and the EU Blue Card, each narrow and each with its own qualifying tests.
The exclusions matter beyond immigration. A route that forbids Cyprus employment also removes the economic tie that the 60 day tax residency rule requires, so a decision taken for immigration reasons can close off a tax position. See residence permits and tax residency.
The company qualifies before the person
For the employment route, the sequence is counterintuitive: nothing about the individual is assessed until the company has been approved.
A Cyprus company can be registered as a company of foreign interests where it is majority owned by third country nationals, or where their shareholding is at least 200,000 euro. Registration requires an initial investment of at least 200,000 euro, evidenced by SWIFT confirmation and bank statements, together with independent business premises that are not a private residence.
Only once that registration is granted does the employee's permit application follow.
The investment need not come directly from a shareholder's personal account. It may be transferred by the shareholders into the company's account, supported by evidence, and it must still be available when the application is submitted.
The Business Facilitation Unit is the mechanism, and since May 2025 it has operated within the Business Support Centre. Both names are current and refer to the same route.
The employment route in order
Company first, person second
Incorporate the Cyprus company
Days, once the name and constitutional documents are settled.
Open an account with a licensed Cyprus credit institution
Not an electronic money institution, because of the deposit requirement above. This is normally the longest step. See formation with a bank account.
Transfer the investment
At least 200,000 euro, or a qualifying investment in premises and equipment where that route applies, with SWIFT confirmation and statements retained as evidence.
Secure business premises
Independent of any private residence. A rental agreement of at least a year, or a title deed. Stamp duty was repealed with effect from 1 January 2026, so the old threshold at which a lease had to be stamped no longer applies, though checklists written before the repeal still refer to it.
Apply for foreign interest company registration
With the full corporate set, a UBO search certificate from the Registrar showing the ownership threshold is met, an affidavit of company structure certified by a Cyprus court, and a letter of intent of no more than 300 words describing the intended activity and the third country nationals to be employed.
Apply for the employee's residence and employment permit
Only after registration is granted.
Apply for family reunification
For a spouse and dependent children, submitted after or alongside the principal application depending on circumstances.
Where every document is available and nothing is queried, registration has been granted in three to four weeks, and roughly a month is a realistic total from commencement to the employee being able to relocate and start work. Both figures assume a clean file. Neither is a commitment.
What the permit application itself requires
The individual file is separate from the company's and is more intrusive than most applicants expect.
Identity. A passport valid for at least six months beyond the permit sought, and in practice twelve months is the safer margin. The original is presented.
The employment contract. At least two years, signed and duly endorsed. Where the salary falls below the highly skilled threshold of 2,500 euro gross a month, the employment is treated as support level and the contract must be endorsed by the Department of Labour, which is a different process with different quotas. That endorsement is unaffected by the repeal of stamp duty: it is an approval of the employment, not a tax on the document.
Qualifications. A degree or diploma, or at least two years of relevant experience, evidenced.
A criminal record certificate from the country of origin, or of residence where those differ, ratified unless a bilateral agreement removes the requirement.
Medical tests taken in Cyprus, certified by a specialist here, covering HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis by chest X-ray. Tests taken abroad are not accepted.
Accommodation, by title deed or rental agreement.
Health cover, either private inpatient and outpatient cover including repatriation, or GESY registration plus repatriation cover.
Employer obligations, including a declaration covering the cost of return and employer's liability insurance with automatic renewal.
Common questions
Can I work in Cyprus on a Digital Nomad Visa or a Category F permit?
No. Both routes permit residence and exclude employment in Cyprus. The Digital Nomad Visa contemplates work for employers or clients outside Cyprus; Category F contemplates independent income from abroad. The exclusion also removes the Cyprus economic tie that the 60 day tax residency rule requires, so a choice made for immigration reasons can close off a tax position.
Can the 200,000 euro sit in a Revolut or other electronic money institution account?
No. The funds must be held with a licensed Cyprus credit institution. This surprises founders because an electronic money institution is usually the fastest account to open, and it is a perfectly good operating account. It will not satisfy this particular requirement, and discovering that after the transfer has been made costs weeks.
Does the investment have to come from my personal bank account?
No. The legislation allows the initial investment to be transferred by the shareholders into the company's account with a licensed Cyprus bank, supported by SWIFT confirmation and statements. What matters is that the origin is evidenced and that the funds remain available when the registration application is submitted.
Can I take the medical tests before I arrive to save time?
No. The tests must be performed in Cyprus and certified by a specialist here. Applicants routinely arrange them at home, then have to repeat them at the point in the sequence where delay is most expensive. Plan them for after arrival.
Where these applications actually fail
The wrong route. Choosing a permit that excludes Cyprus employment and then needing to work here. This is expensive to unwind because it usually means starting again.
The deposit in the wrong institution. Funds sitting with an EMI rather than a licensed Cyprus credit institution when the registration is submitted.
Documents prepared out of order. The affidavit of structure, the UBO search certificate and the apostilles on foreign corporate documents all take time and none can be produced on demand.
Underestimating premises. Independent business premises are a condition, not a formality, and a registered office address at a provider will not satisfy it.
Before starting a third country application
Doviandi advises on the Cyprus side of a move and is not licensed to advise on your own country tax law. These are the questions worth putting to an adviser there before anything is committed.
- Does my chosen route permit me to work in Cyprus, and do I need it to?
- Will the route I have chosen preserve or destroy the tax position I am moving for?
- Is the investment held with a licensed Cyprus credit institution rather than an EMI?
- Are the business premises independent of any residence, on an agreement of at least a year?
- Is my passport valid well beyond the permit period, with twelve months as the safe margin?
- Have I planned the medical tests for after arrival rather than before?
Technical definition
Nationals of states outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland require a residence permit issued by the Civil Registry and Migration Department. Where the basis is employment by a Cyprus company, the company must first be registered as a company of foreign interests through the Business Facilitation Unit, which since May 2025 operates within the Business Support Centre. Registration requires majority ownership by third country nationals, or shareholding of at least 200,000 euro, together with an initial investment of at least 200,000 euro and independent business premises.
Practical implications
The company is assessed before the person. A founder relocating to run their own Cyprus company completes incorporation, banking, the capital transfer and the premises before any permit application is made, and the order cannot be rearranged because each step evidences the next.
Common misconceptions
Three recur. That the 200,000 euro is a banking requirement, when it is a condition of the foreign interest company registration. That an electronic money institution can hold it, when the funds must sit with a licensed Cyprus credit institution. And that a permit permitting residence also permits work, when several of the most popular routes specifically exclude it.