Cyprus Visas, Taxes and Money for Digital Nomads

Despite the name, this is a temporary residence permit you apply for after arriving, not a visa you get from a consulate.

• Who can apply: non-EU/EEA nationals who work remotely for an employer registered outside Cyprus, or are self-employed with clients outside Cyprus. You can’t work for Cypriot employers or clients.
• Income: at least €3,500 (about $4,000) a month net, after tax and social contributions, shown with payslips and six months of bank statements.
• Length: one year at first, renewable once for up to two years, so three years in total.
• Cap: the scheme has a ceiling of 500 permits. The Migration Department is accepting applications again, and permits are granted while places remain.
• Fees: €70 for the residence permit plus a one-off €70 for registration in the Aliens’ Registry, so €140 for a first application. Each family member pays too.
• Processing: the Migration Department quotes five to seven weeks. You can stay in Cyprus while your application is examined.

• A passport valid for at least three months beyond the application date, and the page showing your last entry stamp.
• If employed: a contract of indefinite length (or at least as long as the permit), a letter from your employer confirming you can work remotely, and the company’s registration certificate.
• If self-employed: service contracts at least as long as the permit, and a statement that none of your clients are in Cyprus.
• Proof of income: payslips or an affirmation of net income, plus six months of bank statements.
• A criminal record certificate from your home country, or your country of residence.
• Medical tests certified by a specialist doctor: blood tests for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B and C, and a chest X-ray for tuberculosis.
• Health insurance covering inpatient and outpatient care and repatriation (known in Cyprus as “Plan A”).
• A rental agreement or title deed for your home in Cyprus, plus a utility bill.
• A signed affirmation that you and your family won’t work for employers or clients in Cyprus.

Documents must be officially translated where needed and duly certified.

1. Enter Cyprus visa-free, or on a short-stay visa if your nationality needs one.
2. Find a home on a long let, since you need the rental agreement for the application.
3. Do the medical tests and gather your documents.
4. Apply within three months of arrival at the Migration Department’s central office in Nicosia, in person or through an authorised representative. Biometrics (photo and fingerprints) are taken at the office or at the police Aliens and Immigration unit in your district.
5. Renew at least a month before the permit expires.

Spouses, civil partners and children under 18 can live in Cyprus for the same period. The income requirement rises by 20% for a spouse or partner and 15% for each child, so a couple needs €4,200 a month and a couple with two children €5,250. Family members get their own residence permits but can’t work in Cyprus.

Cyprus is in the EU but, as of October 2026, not in the Schengen Area. The government expects to join in 2027.

• Visa-free nationalities, including US, UK, Canadian and Australian citizens, can stay 90 days in any 180-day period. Days in Cyprus don’t count towards your Schengen allowance, and Schengen days don’t count in Cyprus.
• Schengen visa holders: a valid double- or multiple-entry Schengen visa, or a residence permit from a Schengen country, generally lets you enter Cyprus without a Cypriot visa for up to 90 days in 180. This doesn’t apply to Turkish or Azerbaijani citizens.
• EES: Cyprus does not use the EU’s Entry/Exit System, which went fully live in Schengen countries in April 2026. Border officers still stamp passports.
• ETIAS: the EU’s travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, which has no confirmed start date yet, will cover Cyprus as well as Schengen.
• EU/EEA and Swiss citizens need no visa. If you stay more than three months, register with the Migration Department for a registration certificate (the “yellow slip”).

Overstaying a visa-free stay or visa can lead to a fine, detention, deportation and a ban on returning, and it can count against a later residence application. If you apply for the nomad permit within your 90 days, your application receipt lets you stay while it is examined.

This is a general guide, not tax advice. Cyprus taxes residents on worldwide income and non-residents only on Cypriot income.

• Residence: you become tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Cyprus in a calendar year. A separate 60-day rule exists, but it needs a Cypriot job, business or directorship, so it rarely suits nomad visa holders.
• Rates (from 2026): 0% on the first €22,000, then 20%, 25% and 30%, rising to 35% above €72,000.
• Non-dom status: most new residents aren’t Cyprus-domiciled, so for up to 17 years they pay no special defence contribution on dividends and interest.
• 50% exemption: a 50% income tax exemption for people earning over €55,000 applies to employment in Cyprus, so it generally doesn’t help remote workers with foreign employers, and it doesn’t cover the self-employed.

If you stay under 183 days a year, you generally aren’t tax resident in Cyprus, but you may still owe tax at home. If you stay longer, get advice from a Cypriot accountant, and see our guide to digital nomad taxes.

Cyprus uses the euro. Cards, including contactless, are accepted in almost all shops, restaurants, supermarkets and taxis, and many small businesses take Revolut or bank transfers. Cash is useful for kiosks, village tavernas and some markets.

ATMs are everywhere. Banks’ own machines usually charge foreign cards little or nothing, while standalone cash machines in tourist areas often add a fee. Always decline the ATM’s currency conversion.

The main banks are Bank of Cyprus and Hellenic Bank. Opening an account as a non-EU resident is possible but slow: expect detailed checks on your income and source of funds, and most banks want your residence permit or application receipt and a local address first. Many nomads use Revolut or Wise with a euro IBAN, which work for rent, bills and daily spending.