Cyprus Citizenship – Special Provisions for Highly Skilled and Qualified Individuals

13/12/2023

As we have reported in the past, one of the elements of the Action Plan presented by the Cyprus government for attracting companies to establish or expand presence in Cyprus was the revision of the policy for granting of Cyprus citizenship.

As per the plan, individuals looking to apply for naturalization would be eligible to do so within five years, instead of seven years of residence and work in Cyprus, as it was the case before. A further reduction to four years would be granted to holders of certification for very good knowledge of the Greek language.

On 30 November 2023, the Cyprus Parliament approved an amendment of the Civil Registry Law (the “Law’), modernising the current legal framework and relaxing the requirements and criteria for naturalisation of foreign nationals, especially for people with high qualifications/ skills in the technology sector.

The amendments concern primarily the time that foreign nationals need to reside in Cyprus prior to applying for naturalisation, as well as the knowledge of the Greek language.

The changes provide yet one more advantage for attracting and retaining highly skilled and qualified individuals (and their families) with a technology background. This is an important step towards the establishment of Cyprus as an international technology hub and in general as an attractive international business centre.

Main Requirements

The following requirements need to be met by applicants:

• Legal and continuous physical stay in Cyprus for the twelve months preceding the application (periods of absence not exceeding 90 days in total are not considered to interrupt the 12-month period).
• Legal physical stay in Cyprus for at least seven out of ten years preceding the aforementioned 12-month period (periods of absence not exceeding 90 days in total per year are not considered as absence for this purpose).
• To be of good character and have a clean criminal record.
• To be financially self-sufficient and have a suitable place of residence.
• To have sufficient knowledge of the Greek language (certificate of basic knowledge, Level B1) and basic knowledge of the country’s political and social status.
• To have the intention to stay in Cyprus.

Special Provisions

For foreign nationals with high qualifications and skills in the technology sector and employed by certain foreign interest companies as determined by the Council of Ministers, the below special provisions apply:

• The period of seven years of residence in Cyprus is reduced to four years for applicants having a certificate of knowledge of the Greek language of A2 level, and even further to three years if the certificate is of B1 level.
• Family members of the applicants may also apply for naturalisation, under the same conditions. Spouses or civil partners of the applicants need to possess the same certificates of knowledge of the Greek language as the applicants. Minor children of the applicants that reach adulthood (18 years of age) during the examination of their parent’s application shall still be considered minors for the purpose of the Law and be eligible for naturalisation. Dependent adult children with disabilities are also eligible.
• Applications by highly qualified individuals will be examined through a ‘fast-track’ process, so that the examination period does not exceed 8 months, subject to the payment of a fee. Details will be determined by the Minister of Interior.

The main provisions regarding character, financial sufficiency, residence and intention to stay in the country also apply to these individuals. 

Applications submitted prior to the enactment of the amendments will be examined under the new criteria.