Cyprus permanent residence: the EUR 300,000 investor route and Category F are two different permits
Two different Cyprus Immigration Permits are often described as one. The EUR 300,000 investment route is an expedited procedure under Regulation 6(2) of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations. Category F is a separate, income-based category with no investment threshold in its definition. This page sets out what the Cyprus Migration Department publishes about each, with the investor route first.
The investor route: Regulation 6(2)
The Migration Department's criteria for investors are the fourth revision of the policy, in force since 2 May 2023. An applicant who is a third-country national must invest at least €300,000 in one of four categories:
| Option | What qualifies |
|---|---|
| A. House or apartment | Bought from a development company as a first sale, worth at least €300,000 plus VAT |
| B. Other real estate | Offices, shops, hotels or related developments, or a combination, with a total value of €300,000. Resales are accepted. |
| C. Share capital of a Cyprus company | €300,000 in a company based and operating in Cyprus, with a proven physical presence and at least five employees |
| D. Units of a Cyprus collective investment organisation | €300,000 in units of an AIF, AIFLNP or RAIF whose investments are held in Cyprus |
The funds must be shown to have been transferred to Cyprus from abroad, and the Department states that they must not be the result of domestic borrowing. Under option A an applicant may buy up to two housing units, which need not come from the same developer, provided the combined value meets the threshold.
Income requirement
In addition to the investment, the applicant must show a secure annual income of at least €50,000. The figure rises by €15,000 for a spouse and by €10,000 for each dependent minor child. Under option A the income must come from abroad and is proved through a tax return from the country of tax residence. Under options B, C and D, all or part of it may come from activities within Cyprus.
Other conditions
- A clean criminal record certificate for the applicant and spouse from the country of origin and, if different, the country of residence.
- A health insurance policy covering inpatient and outpatient care for the applicant and dependent family members.
- Confirmation that the applicant and spouse do not intend to take up employment in Cyprus, except as directors of a company in which they invested under the policy.
- Where the investment is not a home (options B, C and D), evidence of accommodation in Cyprus.
Family members
The permit covers the applicant's spouse and children under 18. Unmarried children aged 18 to 25 who are in tertiary education abroad and financially dependent on the applicant can file their own application, with the parents showing an additional €10,000 of annual income per child. Adult children who are not financially dependent can be included only on a larger investment: the policy multiplies the €300,000 by the number of adult children relying on it, giving €600,000 for one adult child and €900,000 for two.
Fees, procedure and timing
The application fee is €500, plus €70 for each person who needs an Alien Registration Certificate. Applications are filed with the Migration Department in person or through an authorised representative, and are submitted to the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection for decision.
The Department describes the examination period for a complete application as an estimate of approximately two months from submission. That is the Department's own estimate. It is not a guaranteed timeline, and no official source publishes approval or refusal figures for this route.
Keeping the permit
The holder must provide evidence every year that the investment, the required income and health cover are being maintained, and adult family members must provide a clean criminal record certificate each year. Disposing of the investment without immediately replacing it with one of equal or greater value that meets the same conditions leads to cancellation of the permit.
The Department's general Immigration Permits page adds rules that apply to these permits. The right of residence is of unlimited validity, while the residence card itself expires after ten years and must be replaced. A permit ceases to be valid if the holder does not take up residence in Cyprus within one year of approval, acquires permanent residence abroad, or is absent from Cyprus for two years.
What Category F actually is
Category F is one of six categories (A to F) under Regulation 5. The Department defines it as covering people who have, fully and freely at their disposal from abroad, a secured annual income sufficient for a decent living in Cyprus without engaging in any business, trade or profession there. The published minimum is €9,568 a year for the applicant plus €4,613 for every dependent person. Applications in these categories are examined by the Immigration Control Committee, which makes a recommendation to the Deputy Minister. The Category F definition contains no €300,000 investment requirement.
What this page does not cover
Tax treatment, property-market questions and citizenship are outside this page. An Immigration Permit is a residence status. It is not Cypriot citizenship and it does not by itself give a right to live or work elsewhere in the European Union.
Always confirm against the official page: Immigration Permits for Investors (Migration Department, Republic of Cyprus).