European Union (EU) Blue Card implementation

The Aliens and Immigration Law in Cyprus (the ‘‘Law’’) has been amended back in August 2024, to introduce the EU Blue Card provisions and harmonise Cyprus’ national legislation with European Directive 2021/1883¹.

In a positive development, the Cyprus Migration Department recently announced that as of 7 July 2025, applications for an EU Blue Card can now be submitted for examination.

It is highlighted that the EU Blue Card, allows highly skilled third country nationals, under various conditions and requirements, to live and work not only in Cyprus, but also in other EU Member states (with the exception of Denmark and Ireland) and EEA Member states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), through the short-term and long-term mobility functions of the EU Blue Card.

Third country nationals can apply for an EU Blue Card in Cyprus if the following main conditions are satisfied:

• The applicant will be engaged in highly qualified employment in Cyprus, in specific sectors of the economy, as determined by a Decree issued by the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance. According to the Ministerial Decree, highly qualified professions are those belonging to the following sectors:
  • Information and Communication Technologies (ICT);
  • Pharmaceutical (for research purposes);
  • Maritime (excluding captains and ship’s crew).
• The applicant has the required higher professional qualifications, which can be met under one of the following routes:
  • The individual is a holder of higher education qualification; OR
  • The individual has higher professional experience of at least 3 years, acquired within the 7 years preceding the submission of the EU Blue Card application, in one of the following positions:
    • ICT Services Managers
    • ICT Professionals
• The minimum annual employment remuneration of the applicant in Cyprus should be EUR 43.632

Individuals that are granted an EU Blue Card will have the right of residence in Cyprus for up to 3 years, which is renewable upon expiry.

Further, it should be highlighted that EU Blue Card holders are entitled to travel and reside to other EU Member States, for the purpose of exercising an economic/professional activity, for a period of up to 90 days within a period of 180 days, without requiring a visa (i.e. short-term mobility). Further, Cyprus EU Blue Card holders, are also entitled to apply for an EU Blue Card in another Member State, after they legally reside in Cyprus for a period of 12 months (i.e. long-term mobility).

It is important to note that the EU Blue Card is not cancelled even if the holder spends more than 90 consecutive days outside Cyprus, which is the applicable threshold for other type of temporary residence permits in Cyprus.

Further, family members of the EU Blue Card holder can also obtain residence permit in Cyprus, for the same duration as the main applicant, under the family reunification route. It is also noted that spouses of EU Blue Card holders, who obtain residence permit in Cyprus through family reunification, have free access to the Cyprus labour marker, without any restrictions from the Department of Labour.

Individuals who are interested to apply for the EU Blue Card, can either enter Cyprus with a tourist visa, or through an entry permit to be issued by the Migration Department.

Upon the entry of the individual in Cyprus, the EU Blue Card application should be submitted to the Migration Department, for examination.

The relevant family reunification application for the family members of the EU Blue Card applicant, can be submitted either simultaneously with the EU Blue Card application, or after the issuance of the EU Blue Card.

The EU Blue Card application should be examined by the Migration Department within a period of three months.

_{[1] Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2021 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment, and repealing Council Directive 2009/50/EC}

KPMG in Cyprus has a specialised immigration team that can provide custom tailored assistance to employers and individuals, by preparing and filing the EU Blue Card application.

Further, as part of our service offering, assistance can be provided to the family members of the applicants with regards to their residence permit applications.

If any assistance or further clarifications are needed on this matter, please do not hesitate to contact our office.