Cyprus standard Immigration Permits and independent means in 2026
Cyprus's Aliens and Immigration Regulations retain several traditional Immigration Permit categories. They should not be collapsed into the Digital Nomad, Startup Visa or expedited investor schemes.
Category C — self-employed trade or profession
Category C covers a person intending to work as self-employed in a trade or profession, subject to the required licence, capital and economic-impact conditions.
The Migration Department currently states an indicative capital level of approximately €260,000, or a lower amount if determined by the Immigration Control Committee.
Category D — self-employed occupation or science
Category D covers a person intending to work as self-employed in an occupation or science, provided the applicant is duly qualified to practise, has sufficient funds or secured income, and the occupation/science meets the policy conditions.
This is a specialised self-employment residence basis, not a generic freelancer visa.
Category F — independent means
Category F is for a person who has secured foreign annual income sufficient to live in Cyprus without engaging in business, trade or profession in Cyprus.
The current Migration Department page lists at least:
- €9,568 annual secured income for the applicant; and
- €4,613 for each dependant.
Those published figures reflect the formal Category F rules and should not be confused with the much higher income requirement under the expedited Regulation 6(2) investor policy.
Permanent nature and card replacement
Standard Immigration Permits provide an unlimited residence right for qualifying adult holders/dependants, with the residence card replaced on its expiry cycle.
The right can cease if the holder fails to establish residence within the required period after approval, acquires permanent residence abroad, or is absent from Cyprus for two years.
New medical-document requirement from September 2026
The Migration Department announced that applications under Immigration Permit Categories A–F submitted from 1 September 2026 require specified medical examination evidence, subject to the published exemption for relevant existing permit holders whose results remain on file.
Not a visitor or digital-nomad shortcut
Category F does not permit local business, trade or profession. A person intending to work remotely under the Digital Nomad scheme should review the Digital Nomad Visa instead.
Related: investor permanent residence, Cyprus hub, self-employment visas, Europe, methodology, and legal disclaimer.
Official and supporting sources
- Migration Department — Immigration Permitsgovernment · accessed 2026-09-20
- Migration Department — Immigration Permit formsgovernment · accessed 2026-09-20