Cyprus digital nomad visa: requirements (2026)

After Cyprus legislated away the Cabinet's power to grant investor citizenships in December 2025, the European Commission formally closed its infringement case, confirming Cyprus's naturalisation framework is now residence-based and EU-compliant. This removes the last formal regulatory cloud over Cyprus as a residency destination.

Parliament struck out the Aliens & Immigration Law clause allowing the Council of Ministers to confer citizenship for 'special contribution' or investment reasons, effective 12 December 2025. All naturalisation henceforth follows the ordinary residence-based track only, definitively ending the Citizenship-by-Investment era.

The Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection confirmed the scheme's annual cap was raised from 500 to 1,000 concurrent permits, with applications accepted immediately. The expansion followed strong demand and an estimated €10 million annual injection into the Cyprus economy generated by permit-holders.

The Deputy Ministry of Migration reopened the Digital Nomad Visa Scheme to fresh applications after the original 500-permit quota was exhausted at end-2023. The reopening reinstated access for non-EU remote workers earning at least €3,500/month exclusively from overseas employers or clients.

By year-end 2023, all 500 concurrent Digital Nomad Visa permits had been issued — driven by a record 371 applications in 2023 alone — and the Migration Department halted new intake. The suspension exposed the scheme's popularity while underscoring the need for higher quota capacity.

An independent inquiry led by former Supreme Court president Myron Nicolatos found that 53% of the 6,779 Cypriot citizenships issued under the investment programme between 2007 and 2020 were unlawful, frequently covering family members who did not meet statutory criteria. The findings triggered an ongoing programme of revocations and reinforced EU pressure on Cyprus.

Following the Council of Ministers' October 2020 decision, the golden passport scheme ceased accepting applications; over 7,000 citizenships had been issued (at a minimum qualifying investment of €2.2 million) since 2007. The end of CIP shifted investor attraction toward the still-active Permanent Residency (Golden Visa) programme.

Under Regulation 6(2) of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations, Cyprus began granting permanent residency to non-EU nationals investing at least €300,000 (primarily in real estate or approved funds), with no minimum stay requirement beyond one visit every two years. Over 28,000 permits have been issued since 2014; the programme remains active and is the principal residency route for non-EU HNWIs.

Upon EU accession, EU and EEA citizens gained the right to reside and work in Cyprus without a visa, later formalised through the MEU1 registration certificate following transposition of Directive 2004/38/EC in 2007. This free-movement framework remains the primary residency route for the large EU population living and working remotely from Cyprus today.