Cyprus Permanent Residence by Investment 2026: Regulation 6(2)
Updated: 7 days ago
Regulation 6(2) is Cyprus’s accelerated permanent-residence route for qualifying third-country investors. It requires an eligible investment of at least €300,000, secure income, source-of-funds evidence, suitability checks and continuing compliance. It is residence, not citizenship or a general work permit.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026. The current investor policy is the fourth revision of May 2023, read together with the Migration Department’s later clarifications and its 3 March 2026 transition notice.
What the term “Cyprus Golden Visa” actually means
“Cyprus Golden Visa” is a market and search label. The legal route is an Immigration Permit for Investors under Regulation 6(2). Approval does not grant citizenship, unrestricted employment, automatic Cyprus tax residence, non-dom status, bank approval or guaranteed Schengen travel rights.
The March 2026 transition has ended
On 3 March 2026, the Migration Department ended the transitional arrangement that had allowed certain applications to be submitted under the previous 2021 criteria. Every new application is now examined under the criteria in force on its filing date, regardless of when the sale contract was deposited at the Land Registry. The investment and payment structure must therefore be checked against the current criteria before commitment.
Which investments may qualify?
The current policy provides four investment categories. Each requires at least €300,000, but the legal and evidential requirements are different.
A new house or apartment bought from a development company as a first sale, with VAT in addition where applicable.
Other qualifying real estate, such as offices, shops, hotels or related developments. Resales may qualify in this category, but not as a resale house or apartment under the new-home category.
At least €300,000 in the share capital of a Cyprus company that is based and operating in Cyprus, has a proven physical presence and employs at least five people.
At least €300,000 in units of an eligible Cyprus AIF, AIFLNP or RAIF whose investments are held in Cyprus.
Price alone proves nothing. A property, company or fund does not qualify merely because it is worth €300,000. Eligibility must be confirmed before a reservation, contract, subscription or transfer of money.
1. Confirm that Regulation 6(2) matches the client’s objective
Consider the intended length of residence, family members, work or business plans, tax position and the ability to maintain the investment. A person intending active employment or a Cyprus-facing business may need a separate residence and work route.
2. Select the correct investment category
The contract, ownership structure, payment evidence and continuing obligations differ between a new home, other real estate, a Cyprus operating company and a qualifying investment fund. The selected asset must fit the policy as it stands when the application is filed.
3. Complete independent legal and investment due diligence
For property, this includes ownership, Land Registry, mortgages, encumbrances, planning, building, contract and payment checks. For a company or fund, review legal structure, operating substance, regulatory status, personnel, investment restrictions and exit risk with the appropriate professional advisers.
4. Plan the source and transfer of funds
The investment money must be shown to have come to Cyprus from abroad and must be linked to the selected investment. The current policy permits specified transfers from the applicant, the included spouse or a qualifying wholly owned company account. The payment route, seller or issuer account and documentary trail must be settled before funds move. Immigration evidence and anti-money-laundering evidence overlap, but they are not the same review.
5. Complete the investment and keep the evidence
The application needs the prescribed contract, title, share, fund and payment evidence for the category selected. In a real-estate case, the sale contract or title must be in the permitted name and the payment receipts must satisfy the policy. Payment does not cure an ineligible investment.
6. Establish the required secure annual income
The current minimum secure annual income is €50,000 for the principal applicant, increased by €15,000 for the spouse and €10,000 for each dependent minor child. The spouse’s income may be counted.
For a new residential-property investment, the income must come from abroad. For the other three investment categories, some or all of the income may come from activities in Cyprus. The evidence may include the relevant tax return or an accepted independent accountant’s certificate. The numbers are minimum legal criteria, not a guarantee that an unexplained or unstable income file will be accepted.
7. Prepare character, insurance and accommodation evidence
The applicant and spouse must provide clean criminal-record evidence from the country of origin and, where different, the country of residence. The applicant and dependent family members need medical insurance covering inpatient and outpatient care unless the applicable GeSY position removes that requirement. Accommodation must also be proved where the investment is not the family home or does not meet the family’s housing needs.
8. Structure the spouse and dependant applications correctly
The permit can cover the spouse and children under 18. An unmarried child aged 18 to 25 who is studying abroad and financially dependent may make a separate application, subject to the detailed student conditions and an additional €10,000 annual income for each such child.
A non-dependent adult child may apply on the basis of a higher-value investment. The €300,000 investment value is multiplied by the number of adult children relying on the same investment, and each adult child must meet the separate income and application requirements. Do not describe adult-child eligibility as automatic dependency.
Regulation 6(2) is not a general employment permit. The policy contains limited director and shareholder provisions, but any actual employment, management or service activity must be checked separately.
9. Complete and file the MIP2 application
The current investor application uses form MIP2, together with the prescribed investment, income, family, non-employment, insurance, accommodation, character and certification documents. Applications are filed personally or through an authorised representative in the manner accepted by the Migration Department.
The published application fee is €500, plus €70 for each person who requires first registration and an Alien Registration Certificate. The published examination estimate is approximately two months from submission of a complete application. It is an estimate, not a guaranteed decision date.
10. Maintain the permit after approval
A person living abroad must acquire residence in Cyprus within one year after approval. The permanent residence right can be lost if the holder obtains permanent residence abroad or remains outside Cyprus for two years.
The investment must be maintained and evidenced annually. Health-insurance cover must also be confirmed annually where the person is no longer a GeSY beneficiary. Under the current clarification, the applicant and adult family members provide clean criminal-record certificates every three years, while the earlier annual income-proof requirement for monitoring has been abolished. The adult residence card is normally replaced every ten years, while a minor’s card runs to age 18.
What this permit does not do
It does not grant Cyprus citizenship or revive the former citizenship-by-investment programme.
It does not create unrestricted local employment or self-employment rights.
It does not by itself make the holder Cyprus tax resident or non-domiciled.
It does not guarantee a bank account, financing, property completion, title transfer or an authority timetable.
It does not permit the investment to be sold without immediate qualifying replacement and without considering the effect on the permit.
Frequently asked questions
Does any €300,000 property qualify?
No. A house or apartment under the new-home category must be a qualifying first sale from a development company. Other real estate uses a separate category. A resale home does not qualify merely because its price exceeds €300,000.
Can an older sale contract use the previous criteria?
Not for a new application filed after 3 March 2026. The transitional arrangement ended on that date. The current criteria apply at filing regardless of when the sale contract was lodged at the Land Registry.
Can I work in Cyprus with this permit?
Do not treat it as a work permit. The policy contains limited provisions for directors and shareholders, including the category C investment company, but the real employment or business activity must be assessed separately.
Does permanent residence make me a citizen or Cyprus tax resident?
No. Citizenship by naturalisation and Cyprus tax residence each have separate legal tests, evidence and timelines.
Related legal guidance
How Cyprus Law Chambers can assist
We assess eligibility before commitment, complete property and legal due diligence, review contracts and payment structures, prepare the MIP2 file, organise family and source-of-funds evidence, and coordinate with accountants, banks, developers, fund advisers and overseas professionals where the facts require it.
For an initial review, send the applicant’s nationality, family members, intended activity, income sources, proposed investment, payment stage and target filing date. Contact Cyprus Law Chambers before signing or transferring funds.
From immigration eligibility to a controlled application
Eligibility is only the first question. The client also needs to know which documents must be obtained, certified or translated, which facts must remain true, when the application should be filed and what the status does not authorise.
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
See the Migration Department’s current Immigration Permits for Investors criteria and its 3 March 2026 notice ending the transitional criteria.
Legal note
This article provides general information as at 1 August 2026. It is not immigration, investment, tax, accounting or financial advice and does not guarantee an authority decision or timetable. The current criteria, documents and facts of the proposed investment must be reviewed before commitment.
30-second answer
Identify the correct residence category before preparing documents or making route-dependent payments.
Coordinate property, income, family and supporting evidence against the chosen category.
Plan the tax-registration and practical relocation steps that follow the residence process.
A coordinated review helps prevent property, residence and tax steps from being handled in the wrong order.
