Cyprus Category F Self-Sufficient Permit

Category F is an Immigration Permit, Cyprus's permanent residence permit, for non-EU nationals who live on a secured income from abroad and do not work in Cyprus (Migration Department).

• Status: active
• Income: at least €9,568 a year for the applicant plus €4,613 a year for each dependent
• Fees: €500 for everyone in the application, plus €70 per person who needs an Aliens Registration Certificate
• Validity: Unlimited right of residence; the residence card expires after 10 years and must be replaced
• Work: not allowed
• Processing: no official time is published

It suits retirees and others living on pensions, dividends, interest or rent. Remote workers who want to keep working usually compare it with the digital nomad permit; the Cyprus guide sets out all three routes.

Category F is open to people who have, fully and freely at their disposal from abroad, a secured annual income that allows a decent living in Cyprus without any business, trade or profession there (Migration Department).

• Income of at least €9,568 a year for the applicant and €4,613 a year for each dependent.
• Qualifying income can include pensions, dividends from shares, interest on fixed deposits and rents.
• The figures are minimums. The department judges whether the income is enough for a decent living.

Family allowed: Yes. The holder can include a spouse and children under 18 as dependents.

Local work allowed: No.

Applications use form MIP2 with the documents on the Migration Department's list (Migration Department):

• Original documents, officially translated and certified.
• Proof of the secured annual income from abroad.
• Documents for each dependent included in the application.

Applications that lack any listed document are not accepted for examination. The department's full checklist is published with the form, and applicants should work from the current version.

• Application: €500 in total for everyone included.
• Aliens Registration Certificate: €70 for each person who needs one.

Translations, certification, health insurance and any professional help add to the total (Migration Department).

Only at the Migration Department offices in Nicosia, in person or through an authorized representative, on form MIP2.

1. Collect the documents on the MIP2 list, translated and certified.
2. File at the Migration Department in Nicosia, in person or through an authorized representative, and pay the fee.
3. Give a photo, fingerprints and a signature, at filing or later, in Nicosia or at the district Aliens and Immigration Service of the police. Children under six give a photo only.
4. Receive a letter with the decision and instructions for collecting the permit.

Filing gives no right to enter or stay in Cyprus. Applicants need a valid visa or residence permit while the application is examined. Applicants living abroad must take up residence in Cyprus within one year of approval, or the permit lapses (Migration Department).

Validity: Unlimited right of residence; the residence card expires after 10 years and must be replaced. Cards issued to minor dependents are valid until age 18 (Migration Department).

Renewal: No renewal of the right; the card is replaced every 10 years. The permit lapses if holders do not take up residence within one year of approval, acquire permanent residence abroad or are absent from Cyprus for two years.

Residence: It is itself a permanent residence permit (Immigration Permit) with an unlimited right of residence.

Category F carries no special tax regime. The permit and tax residency are separate questions.

The Tax Department treats a person as tax resident after more than 183 days in Cyprus in a tax year. A second test, the 60-day rule, requires business, a job or an office in Cyprus, which Category F holders do not have, so the 183-day rule is the one that usually applies (Tax Department).

Special Defence Contribution applies only to tax residents who are also domiciled in Cyprus. A domicile of origin usually comes from birth, and anyone tax resident in Cyprus for at least 17 of the previous 20 years is deemed domiciled (Tax Department). People moving pensions, dividends or rents should check how the home country and any tax treaty treat that income.