Permanent Residency in Cyprus Through Real Estate Investment: The Investment Threshold, Conditions and What Not to Promise Yourself

1What is permanent residency in Cyprus through investment?

It is an immigration permit (Immigration Permit) that the Cypriot Ministry of Interior grants to nationals of third countries who meet the criteria of regulation 6(2) of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations, chiefly an investment of at least EUR 300,000 in Cyprus. The permit is granted without a time limit, and it allows the holder and his close family members to live in Cyprus. On the market it is sometimes called the "Golden Visa", but beware of the name: legally this is residency, not citizenship, and it carries ongoing conditions.

The route is called "fast-track" in comparison with the regular route of permanent residency for persons of independent means (Category F, under regulation 5), which does not require an investment but where the review takes longer. The declared target for reviewing an application under the fast-track route is about two months from submission of a complete file, and in practice two to four months have been reported, depending on workload.

2What is the investment threshold for permanent residency in Cyprus?

As of October 2026, the threshold is at least EUR 300,000, plus VAT, in one of four investment categories.

Under the 2023 criteria, when submitting the application you must present receipts for payment of the full investment amount, EUR 300,000, regardless of the date of delivery of the property. Before 2023, a payment of EUR 200,000 at the submission stage was sufficient. The payment must be made from an account of the applicant or of the spouse, and the professional reviews stress that the funds need to come from outside Cyprus, with full documentation of their source.

3What are the income requirements and personal conditions?

The applicant must prove a secured annual income of at least EUR 50,000, plus EUR 15,000 for a spouse and EUR 10,000 for each minor child. In 2023 the requirement was almost doubled: before that the threshold was EUR 30,000 plus EUR 5,000 for each dependant. Income is usually proved by tax returns filed in the applicant's country of residence, or by a certificate from a certified accountant. According to the reviews, the income must come from sources outside Cyprus. In 2023 the old requirement to deposit EUR 30,000 in a Cypriot bank for three years was also abolished.

• A clean criminal record from the country of citizenship and the country of residence, if they differ, for the applicant and for adult family members.
• Health insurance covering hospitalization and outpatient treatment for the applicant and all dependants, if they are not covered by the national health system.
• A declaration of no intention to work in Cyprus, except as a director of the company in which the investment was made.
• Submission procedure: form M.67 is submitted to the Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD), including taking biometric data in Cyprus.

4Which family members are included in the permit?

Included are the spouse, minor children, and children aged 18 to 25 who are students at a higher education institution and are financially supported by the applicant. Since 2023, parents and the spouse's parents are no longer included as dependants. An adult child who does not meet the conditions must submit a separate application, and according to the reviews this requires an additional investment of the same size.

A practical detail that people tend to forget: under the criteria, if the purchased property does not have enough bedrooms for all the dependants, you must point to an additional property that will serve as a residence. A family with three children that plans to buy a studio "to meet the threshold" may find that the file is incomplete.

5What must you do to keep the permit?

The permit does not expire, but it is conditional on the investment conditions and the personal conditions being met at all times.

1. Annual submission of evidence of holding the investment and of valid health insurance.
2. An updated criminal record every three years, for the investor and adult family members.
3. Holding the investment: selling or giving up the investment without immediate replacement by a qualifying investment leads to revocation of the permit.
4. Visiting Cyprus: according to recent professional publications, at least one visit is required in every two-year period.
5. Renewing the resident card every ten years.

Failure to meet these obligations may lead to revocation of the permit of the investor and of all his dependants. So anyone who builds an exit plan from the property in five years needs to understand that exiting the property may also mean exiting the residency.

6What does permanent residency not give? Five promises not to make to yourself

Permanent residency under route 6(2) is a right of residence, and nothing more. Most of the disappointments we see stem from expectations that were never part of the permit:

1. "It is a European passport." No. Cyprus's citizenship-by-investment program was abolished on 1 November 2020 and has not been renewed. Naturalization is based on many years of actual residence, knowledge of Greek and additional conditions, and does not flow from the investment.
2. "I can work in Cyprus." No. The applicant and spouse declare that they have no intention of working in Cyprus, except as directors of the company in which the money was invested. Someone planning to work needs another route, for example a work permit through an international company.
3. "It will make me a Cypriot tax resident." Not automatically. Tax residency is determined by days-of-presence tests and ties set out in the tax law, not by the immigration permit. And on the Israeli side, tax residency is examined under the center-of-life test. A Cypriot resident card in your wallet does not sever Israeli residency.
4. "It opens Schengen for me." As of October 2026, Cyprus is not a full member of the Schengen area, and its accession still depends on a decision of the EU Council. Do not assume that the permit grants movement rights in the Schengen area.
5. "The property will pay for itself." The permit says nothing about the viability of the property. An apartment chosen because it is "exactly 300,000" is not necessarily a good apartment to rent out or sell, and on a sale, the permit may be revoked.

7What does the process look like for an Israeli investor, step by step?

1. Suitability check: existing European citizenship, proven income, family composition, and the implications for tax residency in Israel.
2. Choosing a property and developer: due diligence on the project, confirming that it is a first sale and worth at least EUR 300,000 before VAT.
3. Purchase permit for foreigners: an Israeli who buys real estate in Cyprus as an individual needs a Council of Ministers permit, as we detailed in the legal guide to buying in Cyprus.
4. Opening a bank account in Cyprus and transferring the funds from Israel: with documentation of the source of funds, both for the Cypriot bank and for the bank in Israel.
5. Signing the contract and depositing it at the Land Registry to protect the buyer.
6. Payment of the full investment amount and receipt of official receipts.
7. Submitting the application to the CRMD with all the documents, including certified and translated criminal records, income certificates and health insurance.
8. Biometrics, decision and issuance of cards, and then managing the annual obligations.

8What to do before signing, and how we accompany you

The first question we ask a client interested in permanent residency in Cyprus is why he needs it: actual residence, family security, or convenience in business. The answer determines whether the route is right at all, which property is suitable, and how to plan taxation in Israel and in Cyprus. From there we accompany the property due diligence, drafting the contract with the developer, the purchase permit, the transfer of funds, and the filing of the application together with our partners in Cyprus. We do not commit to the authorities' timelines, and we make sure the client understands in advance also what the permit does not give.

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The information in this guide is general in nature and does not constitute legal or tax advice on any specific transaction. Every transaction is assessed on its own facts.