1. Introduction

On the grounds of Regulation 5 of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations, as amended, non-EU nationals are entitled to a permanent residence permit under Category F, without the strict requirement of a property purchase. Category F enables third-country nationals who have a guaranteed annual income, sufficient to provide them a comfortable living in Cyprus, to apply and obtain an Immigration Permit for them and their spouse and/or their children (under the age of 18).

The main advantage of this type of permanent residency is that a purchase of a property is not necessary, and it is sufficient to simply rent a property in Cyprus. Further, the required annual income is much lower than the equivalent requirement of the fast-track process based on Regulation 6 (2). However, processing of the application takes significantly longer than the processing of an application for the fast-track permanent residence permit.

2. Criteria

A. The applicant must fully and freely be in possession of a secured annual income of at least €9,568.17 and an additional €4,613.22 for every dependent person. However, additional amounts may be requested as necessary by the Immigration Control Board.

B. The above-mentioned annual income must derive from legally acceptable sources outside the Republic of Cyprus, such as salaries of employment abroad, stock shares, pensions, dividend payments, contractual remunerations etc.

C. The annual income must be sufficient to provide the applicant and his/her dependents a decent and comfortable living in Cyprus.

D. The applicant must not exercise any business, trade or profession while staying in Cyprus.

E. The applicant must rent or purchase a property in Cyprus of any value.

F. The applicant must have a clean criminal record and no sanction order against him/her or their dependants.

3. Submission and Examination Procedure

The Application for the granting of an Immigration Permit is submitted personally or via a legal representative to the Civil Registry and Migration Department. It takes around a year from the submission date for the Ministry of Interior to grant their final approval. The Application should be accompanied by all requested documentation.

4. Required Documentation

A. Copy of valid passport of the applicant and his/her dependents.

B. Copy of the applicant's temporary residence permit.

C. C.V. of the applicant.

D. Applicant's children's birth certificates (duly certified official translation).

E. Applicant's Marriage Certificate (duly certified official translation).

F. Criminal Record Certificate (duly certified official translation from the applicant's country of residence).

G. Copy of the applicant's health insurance certificate.

H. Documents proving annual income deriving from sources outside of Cyprus (original documents and affidavit).

I. Title of ownership or rental agreement (original or true copy) or deed of sales and proof of payment if the applicant has not obtained the title of the ownership yet.

J. Original bank account statement.

5. Fees

The applicant pays the fees for the granting of an Immigration Permit, when submitting the application to the Civil Registry and Migration Department. The fees amount to €500 and are paid against a receipt.

6. Conditions and Specifications

  • Only children under the age of 18 can apply as dependent persons. Any dependent person who is 18 years old and over must submit a separate application. The dependent children of the applicant will lose their residence permit once they reach 18 years of age. 
  • The parents of the applicant cannot apply as his/her dependents.
  • If the applicant fails to move to Cyprus within a year after the granting of the permit, his/her residence permit gets automatically cancelled.
  • The residence permit gets cancelled in the case the holder obtains permanent residence of another country and he/she is absent from the Republic of Cyprus for two years.

7. Our Services

Danos & Associates offers the following services regarding applying and obtaining Permanent Residency through the above process:

  • Provide advice on the requirements and process of obtaining the Permanent Residence Permit
  • Assist in collecting all the documentation required for submitting the application
  • Assist in completing the application form and preparing other relevant paperwork
  • Submit the application with all the attached required documentation to the authorities
  • Manage the process of liaising with the authorities during the processing period of the application and until the Permanent Residence Permit is granted.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.