Cyprus passport: how to apply, renew, fees and ranking

A Cyprus passport is a biometric EU travel document issued by the Ministry of Interior to citizens by descent, marriage, or naturalisation. It gives free movement across the EU, and in the September 2026 edition of the Henley Passport Index it ranks 13th in the world, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 175 destinations. Validity is 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors.

Key takeaways

• You can get a Cyprus passport by naturalisation (years of residence), marriage, or descent.
• With a Cyprus passport, you can live and work anywhere in the EU. The Henley Passport Index counts 175 destinations you can enter without arranging a visa first.
• The citizenship by investment programme closed in 2020. You can still get permanent residence by investment and apply for citizenship later. The standard route asks for 12 months of continuous lawful residence before you apply, plus 7 years of lawful residence in the 10 years before those 12 months: eight years in all, with Greek at level B1.
• The Cyprus passport ranks 13th in the world on the Henley Passport Index, September 2026 edition. As an EU passport, it gives its holder the rights of a Union citizen.

How to apply for a Cyprus passport

To obtain a Cyprus passport, you must be either married to a Cypriot, have Cypriot roots, or be granted naturalisation due to years of residence.

You can apply and pay online through the Ministry of the Interior's citizen documents service if you are over 18 and have an authenticated CY Login account (formerly Ariadni). You then go to a service point for your photo, fingerprints and signature. Without CY Login, you apply in person at a service point on the application form, M.9G/T.

The service points for passports are:

• The District Administration in each district and its district offices, open 08:00 to 14:00.
• The Citizen Service Centres (KEP), open 08:00 to 17:00.
• The Citizen Centres (KE.PO.), open 08:00 to 14:30.
• Cypriot embassies, high commissions and consulates in 25 countries, the London High Commission among them.

If you became a Cypriot citizen by naturalisation or registration and have no Cyprus identity card yet, bring the original certificate of naturalisation or registration and, if you were born abroad, your original foreign birth certificate. Apply for the identity card with the Ministry of the Interior too, online or at a service point. It costs €30 for an adult and €20 for a child under 18.

Also, note:

• Biometric data (photo, fingerprints, signature) requires physical presence. Minors under 12 will not provide fingerprints or signatures.
• You collect your passport from the office where you applied, usually about 15 working days later, and you can follow its status by SMS. A fast-track passport is the exception: it is collected only at the Nicosia District Administration.
• The validity of the Cyprus passport is ten years for adults and 5 for minors.

How much a passport costs

Fees:

• Adult, 18 and over: €70, or €120 by fast track.
• Child under 18: €45, or €95 by fast track.
• Replacing a lost, damaged or stolen passport: the fee doubles, and doubles again with each further replacement.
• You pay online when you apply with CY Login, or at the service point.

Passports for children

A passport for a child under 18 costs €45, or €95 by fast track, and is valid for 5 years. Children under 12 give a photo only, with no fingerprints or signature.

Both parents consent to the application. Online, each parent gives electronic consent through CY Login and nobody signs a paper form. In person, both parents complete and sign the application in front of the receiving officer. A parent living abroad sends written consent certified at a Cypriot embassy or consulate. A parent with sole custody applies alone and brings the Family Court decree.

How to renew your Cyprus passport

To renew your Cyprus passport, you need to:

• Apply online with CY Login, or in person at a service point.
• Hand in your old passport at the service point if it has not expired. An expired one is not needed.
• Give your photo, fingerprints and signature at the service point. Children under 12 give a photo only.
• Collect the new passport from the office where you applied, usually about 15 working days later.

The fee is €70 and €45 for minors.

Fast track: a passport the same day

The fast track costs €50 on top of the normal fee: €120 for an adult and €95 for a child. You need no appointment. Apply online or at the District Administration in your district. Fast-track passports are collected only at the Nicosia District Administration, wherever you applied. An application approved before noon is ready the same day after 13:00, and one approved later is ready the next working day after 10:00. Someone you authorise can collect it for you.

The Nicosia District Administration is at 2 Alkaiou Street, 1458 Nicosia, telephone 22804100. It is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 14:00, closed on public holidays.

Applying or renewing from abroad

Cypriots living abroad apply in person at a Cypriot embassy or high commission. The Ministry of the Interior lists missions in 25 countries that take passport applications, among them the High Commission in London and the Embassies in Athens, Berlin and Washington. The fees are the same as in Cyprus: €70 for an adult and €45 for a child.

Expect to wait longer than in Cyprus. The Ministry puts delivery through a mission at up to three months, and each mission sets its own document list and timing: the High Commission in Pretoria, for one, quotes about six months. Contact the mission before your appointment and bring what it asks for. A lost or stolen passport needs a police report.

Can I get a Cyprus passport by investment?

No. Cyprus took the last applications on 30 October 2020 and closed the programme from 1 November 2020. In December 2025 Parliament deleted the section of the Civil Registry Law it ran under, so reopening it would take a new law. Our page on Cyprus citizenship by investment covers what it required and why it closed.

The route left for investors is Cyprus permanent residence by investment, from €300,000, and naturalisation after eight years of residence.

The benefits of a Cypriot passport

The benefits of Cyprus citizenship include:

• EU citizens' rights

  As an EU citizen, you can move and live freely within the European Union without discrimination. You also have protection for your human rights, civil liberties, and consumer rights. The European Commission lists these rights with links on their site: Citizens rights.

• Tax

  Tax in Cyprus follows residence, not the passport. Cyprus charges no inheritance tax or gift tax, and immovable property tax was abolished in 2017. Dividends and interest are free of income tax. A resident domiciled in Cyprus pays the defence contribution on them instead, 5% on dividends from profits earned from 2026, and a resident who is not domiciled pays none under the non-dom rules. Corporate tax is 15%.

• Public healthcare through GeSY

  GeSY, the General Health System, covers Cypriot citizens who live in Cyprus, and their dependants. A citizen who lives abroad is outside it, with an exception for students under 26 at a recognised university abroad. Legal residence on its own is not enough either: a visitor permit (Pink Slip) gives no access. GeSY is funded by contributions from income, 2.65% for an employee, and covers medicines at participating pharmacies.

• Travel without a visa to 175 destinations (Henley Passport Index, September 2026)

  The permitted stay depends on the country, often 90 days. Some destinations want an online travel authorisation before you fly, such as the Electronic Travel Authorisation for the United Kingdom.