A Cyprus digital nomad visa is an immigration document that is useful for persons who qualify as digital nomads. A digital nomad is a person who has the possibility of developing his or her work activity with the help of a laptop and whose work activity does not create the obligation to work in an office.
For instance, various work activities require employees to work with clients in a physical environment, and in this case, there are almost no chances to modify the work activity in a remote one.
Digital nomads can be persons employed in a company or they can work as self-employed, while living for a limited period of time in other countries.
The law regarding digital nomads is in constant change; for instance, various European countries do not have a digital nomad program, but foreigners can use certain visas for this purpose (such as the tourist visa).
But the Cyprus immigration law has actually created a digital nomad program, which will be presented in this article.
Please mind that the digital nomad visa is a visa that grants access to living in this country for a limited period of time. This implies that if the foreigner wants to apply for citizenship in Cyprus by naturalization, other visa options should be verified.
Thus, the foreigner should later apply for visas that allow permanent residency in this country, which is the single legal pathway to citizenship.
For those interested in Cypriot citizenship by naturalization, it is important to know that at the moment when the application in made, the foreign must have been living in this country for at least 2,555 days.
From this total number of day, in the last 1 year, the foreigner must live here on a continuous basis, without being away from the Cypriot territory on a long-term basis.
Regardless if the foreigner arrives here under a digital nomad visa or a visa that grants permanent residency, it is mandatory to apply for a residence permit in Cyprus.
Digital nomads will be issued with a temporary residence permit – for first time applicants, the permit will be valid for 1 year; the renewal of the document will allow residency for a period of 2 years.
Digital nomads who want to relocate here on a permanent basis and thus, obtain a residency permit in Cyprus that grants the right to stay in this country on an indefinite basis, must explore other options.
Please mind that permanent residency can also be lost, is not granted for the entire lifetime of a foreigner, as it can be the case for citizenship. A long absence from the country can lead to the revocation of the permanent residency.
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The Cyprus immigration law has recently enforced a new immigration program that is especially created for digital nomads.
Given that the relocation of a person from a country to another can create tax and residency consequences, for stays longer than 90 days, the creation of a digital nomad program was necessary.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| What is a Cyprus digital nomad visa | A visa that is created for digital nomads, who represent foreigners who are tax residents of their home countries but which can work and travel in Cyprus for the entire period of the visa validity. |
| Who can apply for the digital nomad program | Non-EU and non-EEA nationals who use telecommunication technology for their self-employment activity or work activity developed for an employer that is not related to Cyprus. |
| Applying for a residence permit (yes/no) | Yes |
| Maximum visas issued per year | Initially, the program was capped at 100 residence permits, but on 3 March 2022 the Council of Ministers of Cyprus increased the visa issuance at 500 units. |
| Minimum monthly income required | In order to apply for the Cyprus digital nomad visa, the applicant must have an income of EUR 3,500 (after taxes). |
| Visa validity | 1 year |
| Renewal possible (yes/no) | Yes |
| Duration of the visa renewal | 2 years |
| Family members allowed to migrate with the visa holder | The visa holder can arrive in Cyprus with the spouse/civil partner and the couple’s underaged children. |
| Developing work activities taxed in Cyprus | Visa holders can’t develop work activities originating in Cyprus. |
| Residency requirements for family members | The family members of the visa holder can stay in Cyprus for the same period of time as the visa holder; they must also obtain a residence permit. |
| Family members allowed to work in Cyprus (yes/no) | No |
| Duration of the visa processing | The Cyprus digital nomad visa is processed in 5-7 weeks. |
| Visa issuance fee | EUR 70 for the issuance of the residence permit. |
| Visa renewal fee | EUR 70 for the renewal of the document. |
This is given by the fact that the digital nomad will develop work activities during the stay in Cyprus and normally, a work activity on the territory of Cyprus has to be accompanied by an appropriate work visa, in the case of foreigners.
For digital nomads who stay here for less than 90 days (or in other European countries), there are very few rules, but for those who intend to stay in a country for more than 90 days, a set of consequences can appear.
Due to this, one can actually apply for a Cyprus digital nomad visa, a program addressed to all foreigners arriving from countries outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA).
Foreigners from the EU do not need to start any immigration formalities as they have the right to live here without a visa. Our immigration lawyer in Cyprus has gathered the following information on this new visa:
Although the program for the Cyprus digital nomad visa was created to allow only 100 successful applicants per year, in 2022, on March 3, the Council of Ministers has decided to increase the maximum number of visas (and residence permits) to 500.
Given that this is a new program, the number of permits issued may suffer modifications and it is best to find out the latest changes from our immigration lawyer in Cyprus.
As said above, the applicant for the Cyprus digital nomad visa must also make the proof of having a certain monthly income. For this, he or she has to present bank statements for the last 6 months of financial activity.
Also, in the case in which the foreigner arrives here with family members, the minimum monthly threshold of EUR 3,500 will be increased. The total amount will increase by 20% in the case the visa holder will arrive with a spouse, and by 15% in the case in which the applicant has children.
The 15% will be calculated for each child, not for all children. Please mind that the application for this visa includes 9 types of documents the foreigner must prepare, including a health certificate which states that the person does not suffer from certain diseases.
If the person is hired in a company working in his or her home country, a list of documents has to be presented, including a declaration of the employer, in which it is stated that the applicant can work remotely.
Below, you can watch a video about the Cyprus digital nomad visa:
The application procedure is enforced following the basic rules provided by the Cyprus immigration law; our immigration lawyer in Cyprus can present all the steps one has to follow for the issuance of this visa, or of other visas of interest.
All foreigners who apply for this visa type will be issued with a residence permit. The 1st type of permit foreigners will obtain is a temporary one. Please mind that this document is not automatically granted when the visa is issued.
They represent 2 separate documents and the issuance of the residence permit is done only after the applicant obtained the visa. Thus, after the person will relocate to Cyprus based on the digital nomad visa, he or she should start the residency permit formalities.
This has to be initiated in a period of maximum 3 months after the arrival. The visa holder is required to present the necessary list of documents, all of which must be notarized and translated.
It is necessary to book an appointment with the Cypriot officials (this can be done online) and after the meeting is established, the visa holder will address to the Civil Registry and Migration Department working in Nicosia.
It is worth knowing that the applicant does not have to present in person, one can also appoint a legal representative. However, in the case in which the application file does not contain all the documentation, it will be rejected.
Because of this, we highly recommend foreigners to address to our immigration lawyer in Cyprus, who has an in-depth experience in preparing immigration files.
When applying for a residence permit, the Cyprus immigration law will require capturing biometric information of the applicant. Here, 3 main matters will be asked: 1) taking a picture of the applicant, 2) taking the fingerprints, and 3) the signature.
This procedure can be done at the Civil Registry and Migration Department in Nicosia, or it can also be completed with the Aliens and Immigration Service of the Police that operates in the area where the foreigner lives.
Persons who travel with children and who will apply for residence permits for the children as well must know that the only biometric data required in this case will be the photo of the minors, as long as the children have an age below 6 years old.
The advantages offered by the new Cyprus immigration law are numerous. First of all, successful applicants can live here for a long period of time – of up to 3 years, if this is of interest for the foreigner.
Other visa programs that can be used as a replacement for the digital nomad visa can grant limited access to the territory of a state, generally of up to 3 months.
Another advantage brought by this program is that the digital nomad is allowed to bring his or her close family unit in Cyprus and such family members can stay here for the entire duration of the visa issued for the digital nomad.
However, we mention that even though one can immigrate to Cyprus on a long-term basis, the visa holder is not entitled to developing work activities that are taxed in this country.
Under the Cyprus digital nomad visa program, the same applies for the family members that are included in the visa application. Please mind that in this particular case, a family unit is defined as the spouse or the partner of the visa applicant and their children. The couple can be married or in a civil union.
The application for the Cyprus digital nomad visa can take approximately 5-7 weeks from the moment when the application was sent; the applicant must also pay a small fee, of EUR 70, when the temporary residence permit is issued.
The same fee is payable at the moment of the document renewal. For more details on residence permits requirements, our immigration lawyer in Cyprus remains at your service.