Revised rules for Cyprus citizenship based on years of residence

The new provisions for applying for the Cyprus citizenship based on years of residence have been published in the official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus on 19 December 2023 through the amending legislation of Civil Registry Law. On that basis, the Ministry of Interior has announced on 22 March 2024, that they now accept the submission of applications for obtaining the Cyprus citizenship based on the new provisions of the amending legislation. It should be noted that together with the announcement of the Ministry of Interior, the Authorities have provided additional clarifications on specific provisions of the amending legislation, as well as the required documents that should be submitted as part of the application process.   

As per the new provisions of the legislation, clear guidelines and requirements have been laid down for foreign nationals residing in Cyprus wishing to apply for the Cyprus citizenship based on years of residence.

It is important to note that as per the new provisions, not only the physical residence requirement should now be satisfied, but also other important qualitative requirements should be satisfied by the applicants in order to be in a position to apply for the Cyprus citizenship, such as evidence on proficiency of the Greek language, as well as evidence on knowledge of the socio-political situation in Cyprus.  

Furthermore, as per the new provisions, there are now two routes for obtaining the Cyprus citizenship based on years of residence. The standard route, which is the general pathway available to foreign nationals who legally reside in Cyprus and the fast track route which is applicable only to individuals who are being employed by companies which fall within the “Strategy for attracting Business for Activities and/or expansion of their activities in Cyprus”, in the context of attracting companies to operate and/or expand their activities in Cyprus.

For further details on the categories of the eligible businesses that fall within this strategy, please refer to our alert here.

Introduced changes as per the new amending legislation

Standard route

As per the new provisions of the amending legislation, for the acquisition of Cyprus citizenship based on the years of residence, the following main conditions should be satisfied:

• The applicant should reside legally and continuously in Cyprus, during the 12-month period preceding the date of the submission of the application;
  
  
• The applicant should reside legally in Cyprus for 7 years during the last 10 years, as from the 12-month period preceding the date of the submission of the application;
  
  
• The applicant should have knowledge of the Greek language (level B1)^[1];
  
  
• The applicant should have knowledge of the socio-political situation in Cyprus^[2];
  
  
• The applicant should be of a good character;
  
  
• The applicant should have proper accommodation in Cyprus and sufficient funds/ stable sources of income to support himself/herself and his/her family;
  
  
• The applicant should have the intention to reside in Cyprus.
   

Fast track route

Under the fast track route, the following conditions are applicable:

• The applicant should reside legally and continuously in Cyprus, during the 12-month period preceding the date of the submission of the application;
  
  
• The applicant should reside legally in Cyprus for either 3 or 4 years (instead of the required residence in Cyprus of 7 years as per the standard route mentioned above) during the last 10 years, as from the 12-month period preceding the date of the submission of the application.
  
  The reduced 4-year period of legal residence in Cyprus is applicable to individuals holding a Greek language certificate at level A2 ^[1], whereas for individuals with a Greek language certificate at level B1 ^[1], the required period of legal residence in Cyprus is further reduced to 3 years;
  
  
• The applicant should have knowledge of the socio-political situation in Cyprus ^[2];
  
  
• The applicant should be of a good character;
  
  
• The applicant should have proper accommodation in Cyprus and sufficient funds/ stable sources of income to support himself/herself and his/her family;
  
  
• The applicant should have the intention to reside in Cyprus.
  
  NOTE: Family members of eligible individuals can also apply for the Cyprus citizenship, provided that all relevant conditions of the legislation are satisfied by each family member separately.
  

Examination Period:

The examination period of the applications as per the fast-track procedure for the eligible individuals and their family members, should not exceed 8 months.
 

KPMG in Cyprus observation

This is a very positive development, as persons interested to acquire the Cyprus citizenship have more clarity on the requirements of the application and examination process.

Also, the relaxation on the rules in connection with the requirement of continuous residence in Cyprus during the 12 months preceding the submission of the application, without any absences, is particularly welcoming, considering the practical challenges that applicants were previously facing as a result of this strict condition.

The newly introduced amending legislation is an important component of the relevant strategy of the Cyprus Government, as eligible individuals, will now have another important reason to relocate to Cyprus and continue residing and working in Cyprus in the long run. At the same time, as a result of the new requirements introduced for the submission of an application, such individuals will have additional motives to integrate further into the Cypriot culture and society.

^{[1] Applicants should succeed on Greek Language Certificate Exams as organised by the Examination Service of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth.}

^{[2] Applicants should succeed on the examinations of sufficient knowledge of basic elements of the contemporary political and social reality of Cyprus as organised by the Examination Service of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth.}
 

KPMG in Cyprus has a specialised immigration team that can provide custom tailored assistance to individuals who are interested to apply for the Cyprus citizenship through naturalisation based on the years of residence.

If any assistance or further clarifications are needed with regards to the new provisions of the amending legislation of Civil Registry Law, please do not hesitate to contact our office.