Cyprus Digital Nomad visa

The Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa Scheme is a national scheme, introduced by a Council of Ministers decision of 15 October 2021 and run by the Migration Department of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection. It sits inside the government's strategy for attracting businesses to Cyprus. Several EU countries operate their own remote work permits, on their own terms.

Applicants obtain a Cyprus Digital Nomad visa by proving that they:

• do their work remotely from Cyprus through telecommunications technology;
• work for an employer or clients from abroad;
• have an income of at least €3,500 net;
• have a suitable place to stay in Cyprus.

In March 2025, the government increased the limit of digital nomad residence permits by adding 500 to the existing cap of 500 visas established on March 3, 2022. As a result, new applications will now be accepted. Contact us if you need expert assistance.

What is a Cyprus Digital Nomad visa?

The Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa lets non-EU and non-EEA nationals live in Cyprus for up to three years and work remotely for an employer registered abroad or for clients based abroad. The scheme is open to any occupation that can be done over telecommunications technology, not to the IT sector alone.

To qualify, applicants need a monthly net income of at least €3,500 and a place to live. Employees and self-employed people both qualify.

The Migration Department states the aim as strengthening Cyprus as a centre for electronic services, which it expects to develop the country's business ecosystem and its economy.

How many digital nomad permits are available

The scheme runs to a fixed ceiling of residence permits, granted in order of application. The Council of Ministers set the first ceiling at 100 permits on 15 October 2021 and raised it on 3 March 2022.

The Migration Department does not publish a running count of how many places are left, and the scheme has closed to new applications once before, when the quota filled. Applications are open now.

That is the argument for filing early rather than waiting for a quieter month. Contact us and we will tell you whether your file is ready to go in.

Cyprus Digital Nomad visa requirements in 2026

In 2026, the requirements are that a digital nomad in Cyprus should:

• Use telecommunications technology to perform work remotely from Cyprus.
• Work for an employer or clients from abroad.
• Prove a stable monthly income of at least €3,500 net, measured after contributions and taxes have been deducted.
• Have a suitable place to stay, evidenced by a title deed or a rental agreement with the matching utility bill.

Note: The above amount is increased by 20% for the spouse or partner and 15% for each child.

Where there is no proof of net income, the applicant signs an affirmation certifying that net income, after contributions and taxes have come off, is not below the required minimum.

Among the documents required is a title deed or rental agreement for a house or apartment. If your income falls short of €3,500 a month, the Cyprus Pink Slip is the route to look at instead.

List of required documents

• Application form MVIS8, taken from the Migration Department forms page for digital nomads

  The department publishes it as a Word file and reissues it periodically, so download the current version rather than a stored copy.

• Copy of a valid passport for the applicant and each family member

  Valid for at least three months from the date the application is submitted.

• Copy of the passport page showing your last entry into the Republic
• Original blood analysis results

  Showing no HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, with a chest x-ray for tuberculosis, certified by a specialist doctor. Family members provide the same. Children under 15 take a Mantoux skin test in place of the x-ray.

• Health insurance, Plan A

  Covering inpatient care, outpatient care and repatriation of remains.

  Digital nomads do not join the national health system. The Health Insurance Organisation treats a third-country national as a beneficiary only when that person is employed in Cyprus, holds permanent residence status, has refugee or supplementary protection status, is the family member of a beneficiary, or is insured in another EU member state.

  A digital nomad permit is a visitor permit and carries no right to work in Cyprus, so none of those routes is open. Budget for the private policy from the start. The categories are set out by the Cyprus Health Insurance Organisation.

• Title deed or rental agreement of a house or apartment, with the corresponding utility bill

  For rental agreements signed on or after January 1, 2026, no stamp duty is payable. For agreements signed before 2026, the correct duty is paid to the Tax Department. The Migration Department checklist still refers to stamping above €5,000 and has not been revised since the duty was repealed.

• Marriage or civil union certificate, and birth certificates for children *
• Original certificate of clear criminal record for the applicant and spouse *

  From the country of origin or, where the applicant lives elsewhere, the country of residence. Children under 16 are exempt.

• Court decision granting exclusive parental custody, or an affidavit from the other parent

  Agreeing to the children staying in Cyprus for the period applied for, where this applies.

• Certificate of registration or attendance from a school or academic institution

  In Cyprus or abroad, for pupils and students.

• Income documents
• An affirmation on local work

  Committing that neither you nor any family member will provide work, services or a project in any way to an employer or clients established in Cyprus.

*Translated in English and carrying an Apostille or a Cyprus embassy stamp. If issued in Russia, legalisation is unnecessary; translation can be arranged in Cyprus.

Documents for employees

• Employment contract

  For an indefinite duration or equal to the requested residence permit.

• Information about the applicant's status in the company.
• Employer's confirmation that:
  • The applicant can perform duties remotely.
  • The project/work is not concerned with providing services to an employer registered in Cyprus.
• Copy of the company's registration certificate abroad.

Documents for self-employment

• Contract(s) for a project or services with a duration equal to the requested residence permit.
• Confirmation from the applicant that the work can be done remotely and does not concern services to a client established in Cyprus.

Proof of monthly income

• Official evidence of salary payment showing the net income and
• Bank statements from the last 6 months showing payment of salary or income.

What the permit does not allow

The permit is issued in the visitor category, and the Migration Department is blunt about what that means: a visitor's residence permit does not allow employment. You may work remotely from Cyprus for the employer or clients named in your application, and that is the whole of it.

Every applicant signs an affirmation committing that neither they nor any family member will provide work, services or a project in any way to an employer or clients established in Cyprus. Taking on a Cyprus client breaches the condition the permit was granted on.

Family members get residence for the same period and cannot work or run a business here either.

If you want to work for a Cyprus employer, the route is the work permit for companies of foreign interest. If you want to found a company here, look at the Cyprus Startup Visa.

Cyprus Digital Nomad taxes

A digital nomad becomes a tax resident of Cyprus after more than 183 days in the country within one tax year, provided they are not tax resident anywhere else. The tax year runs from January 1 to December 31.

Residence brings the income into charge here. Salary from a foreign employer, and fees from foreign clients, are taxed in Cyprus once you are resident.

Income tax rates in 2026

• Up to €22,000: no tax
• €22,001 to €32,000: 20%
• €32,001 to €42,000: 25%
• €42,001 to €72,000: 30%
• Above €72,000: 35%

On chargeable income of €42,000 the tax comes to €4,500, around 11% of the total. The 30% band starts above €42,001, so nobody at the scheme's income floor pays anything close to that rate. The full band table sits in our guide to the Cyprus tax system.

Dividends, interest and capital gains

Dividends are outside income tax, and gains from disposing of securities such as shares and bonds are not taxed at all.

A newly arrived resident is normally non-domiciled, which keeps the special defence contribution off dividends and interest for the first 17 years of Cyprus tax residence. From 2026 that contribution on dividends is 5% for anyone who is domiciled, down from 17%.

The 50% exemption on employment income

An employee earning more than €55,000 a year can claim a 50% exemption on employment income. It runs for 17 years and applies whether the employer is registered in Cyprus or abroad, which brings employed digital nomads inside it.

The condition that catches most people is the 15 consecutive tax years of non-residence in Cyprus immediately before the employment starts, with no salaried services performed here in that period. Self-employed nomads cannot claim it, because the relief is on employment income.

At the scheme minimum of €3,500 net a month the €55,000 threshold is not met, so this reaches the better-paid end of the scheme. Take advice on your own figures before relying on it.

Permit duration and family members

The Digital Nomad residence permit is valid for one year, with renewal for a maximum of two further years. Three years is the ceiling.

His or her family members can reside in Cyprus for the same period as the digital nomad. Family members are the spouse or partner in a civil union, and underage children. They must not engage in economic activity in Cyprus.

The permit does not give visa-free access to the Schengen area. Read which countries you can visit with a Cyprus residence permit before booking anything.

Nomad visa application process

The applicant has three months from arrival to file the application and documents at the central offices of the Migration Department in Nicosia. Entry is on a tourist visa where the applicant's nationality needs one, and visa-free entry is fine where it does not.

If the applicant already resides in Cyprus under a different status, he/she will still be eligible, provided that he/she fulfils the applicable criteria.

The Migration Department gives the examination time as 5 to 7 weeks.

You can stay in Cyprus until the application has been examined. Keep the submission receipt. The Migration Department states that an applicant faces no problem with the Police up to that point, and that the receipt is what you show if you are checked.

Biometric data, meaning a photograph and fingerprints, plus your signature, is captured at the department's offices in Nicosia or at the district Aliens and Immigration unit of the Police. Children under six give only the photograph.

Settling in is easier with a local account. See our guide to opening a bank account in Cyprus.

Renewing the permit

Apply for renewal at the Civil Registry and Migration Department in Nicosia at least one month before the current permit expires. The renewal fee is €70, the same as the first issue.

The renewal file repeats the core evidence: a passport valid for at least three months from the date of submission, current employment or service contracts, proof that net income still meets €3,500 with the family uplifts, Plan A health insurance, and the accommodation documents. Biometric data is captured again.

A renewal is issued for a maximum of two years, which closes out the three years the scheme allows. People who want to stay beyond that move to another status. Our guide to long-term resident status after five years sets out that route and its conditions.

Government fees

The applicant is expected to pay the Cyprus Digital Nomad visa fees as follows:

• Issue or renewal of the temporary residence permit: €70, for the applicant and for each family member.
• Initial registration at the Aliens' Registry: a one-time fee of €70. This is where your ARC number comes from.

Best places in Cyprus for digital nomads

All four main cities have fibre broadband, coworking space, English-speaking services and enough cafés to work from. What separates them is cost, pace, the size of the foreign community and how far you sit from an airport.

Larnaca

The international airport is inside the city, which matters when you fly often, and rents are among the lowest of the four. The seafront and the old town hold most of the cafés people work from, and coworking space has grown alongside the arrival of remote workers.

It is quieter than Limassol. If your work is solitary and your budget matters more than nightlife, look here first.

Limassol

Limassol is the business capital: shipping, forex, technology firms, and the largest concentration of foreign professionals on the island. Networking is easiest here and so is finding a serious desk. It is the most expensive city to rent in, by a wide margin.

Nicosia

The capital is inland and has no beach. It is where the government sits, including the Migration Department counter you will file at. Rents are moderate, the student population keeps prices down, and it feels like a working Cypriot city rather than a resort.

Paphos

Paphos is the quietest of the four, with a large established expat community and quick access to both the mountains and the sea. Rents sit near Larnaca levels. Fewer coworking options, more working from home.

Villages inland are cheaper again. The trade is distance from an airport and from other people. Your lawyer and estate agent will tell you what a given area actually rents for.

Why would Cyprus be one of the best hubs for digital nomads?

Two things make Cyprus practical for remote work rather than merely pleasant to visit.

The first is connectivity. Fibre is widely available, every major city has coworking space with meeting rooms and parking, and cafés carry Wi-Fi as standard. The coffee culture means nobody minds you holding a table for three hours.

The second is the legal and business system. Company formation is quick, and the rules on renting or buying property, on residence permits, on employing people and on running your financial affairs are clear and written down. Cyprus keeps the common law tradition it inherited, inside EU financial regulation.

Past that: English is spoken everywhere, the island takes two hours to cross, and there is an established community of remote workers and founders you will meet quickly.

Living costs decide whether €3,500 a month works for you. Rent, food, transport and schooling are set out with current figures in our guides to moving to Cyprus and the cost of retiring here.