Cyprus Category F Permanent Residence: 2026 Legal Guide
Updated: Sep 7
Category F is a Cyprus permanent immigration permit for a person who can live from secure income available from abroad without carrying on a business, trade or profession in Cyprus. It is not an employment permit. It is not the €300,000 investor route. It should not be sold as a fast-track retirement visa.
Last reviewed: 8 August 2026. This guide reflects the published Cyprus Migration Department criteria and the medical-document notice applying to relevant applications submitted from 1 September 2026. Administrative practice and document lists can change.
Key points before you apply
There is no fixed €300,000 investment requirement under Category F.
The applicant must show secure annual income available from abroad and enough resources to live decently in Cyprus.
The official published amounts are €9,568 for the main applicant and €4,613 for each dependant. These figures are statutory reference amounts, not an automatic approval threshold.
The permit does not authorise employment, self-employment, a trade or a profession in Cyprus.
A spouse and children under 18 may be included, subject to the current rules and evidence.
Filing an application does not by itself give a right to enter Cyprus or remain after another lawful status expires.
Who Category F is designed for
The route can suit a pensioner, financially independent person or family whose regular income is generated outside Cyprus. The legal question is not whether the applicant owns a house or has a large one-off bank balance. The authority looks at the source, continuity, availability and overall sufficiency of the income and resources.
Published examples of foreign income include pensions, dividends, fixed-deposit interest and rent. Evidence should show where the income comes from, who controls it, whether it is taxed or restricted, how regularly it is received and whether it will remain available after the move.
The income test is more than a number
The published minimum amounts are low by modern living-cost standards. A file prepared only to reach those numbers can still fail to explain how the family will maintain accommodation, insurance, ordinary expenses and unforeseen costs. We would normally present the real household position rather than treat the statutory figures as a target.
Bank statements should match pension letters, tenancy records, company distributions or investment statements. Large unexplained credits create questions. So do income streams that depend on future work in Cyprus, because Category F is not a work route.
Work and business restrictions
The Category F basis is that the applicant will not undertake business, trade or a profession in Cyprus. A person who intends to take local employment, run an operating business, provide services from Cyprus or manage a commercial activity should not assume that Category F fits. The intended activity must be analysed before filing.
For employment or an active business move, review the Cyprus EU Blue Card guide and the foreign-interest company and Business Facilitation Unit guide.
Property and accommodation
Category F does not require the applicant to buy a €300,000 property. Suitable accommodation still has to be addressed, and a purchase may be part of the wider relocation plan. But the conveyancing and the immigration application are separate legal workstreams.
Before committing funds, read our guide to buying property and obtaining residence in Cyprus. A property purchase never turns an unsuitable immigration route into a suitable one.
Spouse and dependent children
The current published Category F framework permits the spouse and children under 18 to be included as dependants. Civil-status documents, custody or consent evidence and certified translations may be needed. Adult children should not be assumed to qualify under the same application. Their position needs a separate route assessment.
Application process
Confirm that the intended lifestyle and activity fit Category F rather than a visitor, work, digital-nomad, family or investor route.
Prepare the current application form and evidence of identity, family, income, resources, accommodation, insurance and suitability.
Arrange official translation and Apostille or other legalisation where required. Originals must be available in the form accepted by the authority.
Submit through the Migration Department in Nicosia, personally or through an authorised representative where permitted.
Complete biometrics and provide any further evidence requested during examination.
Fees, card validity and absence rules
The published application fee is €500 for all people included in the application. A further €70 Aliens Registration Certificate fee applies where a person is being registered for the first time.
The residence right is described as unlimited, while the residence card is normally valid for ten years. A successful applicant living abroad must acquire residence in Cyprus within one year. The permit can cease if the holder obtains permanent residence abroad or remains outside Cyprus for two years.
Medical documents from 1 September 2026
For relevant Category F applications submitted from 1 September 2026, the Migration Department requires original blood-test results conducted abroad for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis for the applicant and dependants, together with an original chest X-ray for tuberculosis issued in the country of origin and/or last country of lawful residence.
The documents must be duly certified or legalised unless a relevant bilateral intergovernmental agreement removes that requirement. The stated exception is narrow: the medical examinations need not be submitted again where the applicant already holds a temporary residence permit under which those examinations were submitted and the results remain in the administrative file.
Arrange the originals early enough for the required certification or legalisation.
Check that the applicant and every dependant are covered by the medical file.
Confirm the country of issue and retain copies and legalisation evidence.
Do not extend this Category A - F notice automatically to Regulation 6(2) or another residence route without checking that route’s current requirements.
Category F or Regulation 6(2)?
The two routes are often confused. Regulation 6(2) is the accelerated permanent-residence route tied to a qualifying investment of at least €300,000 and a higher secured-income test. Category F has no fixed investment requirement and follows a different policy and examination process. Neither route should be described as a general employment permit.
See the full Cyprus permanent residence by investment guide before deciding which evidence or property transaction to prepare.
Tax residence and citizenship are separate
A Category F permit does not itself make a person Cyprus tax resident, non-domiciled or eligible for citizenship. Tax residence depends on the statutory day-count and other conditions. Naturalisation has its own residence, language, civic-knowledge, character and integration tests.
For the tax side of a move, read our first-time Cyprus tax residence and non-dom guide.
Frequently asked questions
When do the new Category F medical-document requirements start?
The Migration Department states that they apply to relevant applications submitted from 1 September 2026. The actual submission date matters; applicants filing around the change should verify the current checklist before arranging tests or legalisation.
Must a temporary-permit holder submit the medical tests again?
Not necessarily. The official notice provides an exception where the required examinations were already submitted under the existing temporary residence permit and the results remain in the relevant administrative file. The file position should be confirmed rather than assumed.
Can I work in Cyprus with Category F permanent residence?
Do not assume so. Category F is based on living from secure foreign income without undertaking business, trade or a profession in Cyprus. A planned work or active-business arrangement needs a different assessment.
Must I buy property to qualify?
No fixed €300,000 investment is required under Category F. Accommodation and the overall financial position still matter.
Is the published minimum income enough for approval?
Not automatically. The authority assesses whether the income and resources are secure, available and sufficient for the actual household circumstances.
Is Category F a fast-track permit?
It should not be marketed as the accelerated investor route. Processing depends on the authority, the file and current administrative workload. No lawyer can properly guarantee a decision date.
Can an adult child be included?
The published Category F dependant rule refers to the spouse and children under 18. An adult child needs an individual route review rather than an assumption that dependency is enough.
Does the permit create Cyprus tax residence?
No. Immigration status and tax residence are separate legal tests.
How Cyprus Law Chambers can help
We first test whether Category F matches the intended life in Cyprus. We then build the evidence around the real income, family, accommodation and timing, coordinate certification and translation, and keep the immigration file separate from any property, tax or succession work that also needs attention.
Start with our Cyprus immigration legal services or contact the firm with the applicant’s nationality, family members, income sources, proposed move date and intended activity.
What the residence-route review should leave clear
A residence review should identify the correct route for each applicant, the activity the status permits, the evidence required, the filing and appointment sequence, renewal or absence risks and any family, work, property or tax dependencies.
The written result should include the route and legal basis, applicant-by-applicant document matrix, critical dates, permitted-activity note, unresolved evidence and responsibility for each next action.
Cyprus Law Chambers handles the Cyprus immigration and related legal workstream and coordinates separately with employers, accountants, insurers, schools and foreign advisers where required.
Official sources and legal note
The current criteria, forms and notices should be checked through the Cyprus Migration Department before submission. This guide is general information. It is not legal, tax, financial, medical or investment advice and does not predict the authority’s decision.
