How to buy property in Cyprus and get residency

Foreign buyers can own property in Cyprus. Buyers from outside the EU and the EEA need permission from the District Administration, which takes two to three weeks, and a new home worth €300,000 or more before VAT can support a permanent residence permit.

This guide covers the permission, the steps and costs of a purchase, mortgages, and the residence permits open to buyers.

This page covers the Republic of Cyprus. Property in the areas outside government control sits under a separate registration system, and none of the rules below apply to it.

Can foreigners buy property in Cyprus?

Buyers who are not EU or EEA citizens need permission to acquire property in Cyprus. The Acquisition of Immovable Property (Aliens) Law, Cap. 109, gives that power to the Council of Ministers, and in practice the District Administration of the district where the property sits deals with the application. It is filed on form COMM 145, which you can download in PDF from moi.gov.cy.

No fee is charged, and the Ministry of Interior puts the processing time at two to three weeks.

The form asks about you and your family, your capital and annual income, other property you own, and the property you are buying. It goes in with a copy of the signed contract of sale, the title deed or planning consent, floor plans and proof of your financial standing, so the application comes after you sign. Our lawyer can complete the form and apply for you.

How many properties a non-EU buyer can own

The permission covers one plot of up to 4,014 m² for building a home to live in, or up to two units. Where one of the two units is not a home, it can be a shop of up to 100 m² or an office of up to 250 m². A couple shares one allowance.

Foreigners need a residency permit if they stay for more than 90 days out of 180 days. The application must be accompanied by several supporting documents, among them a valid passport and proof of sufficient income. You will need a bank account in Cyprus too.

You file the residency application in the district where you live in Cyprus, and the Migration Department examines it. A visitor permit such as the Pink Slip does not allow you to work. Taking a job needs a permit issued for employment.

European Union citizens

Citizens of EU and EEA countries need no permission to buy property in Cyprus, and they can live and work there. Anyone staying longer than three months applies on form MEU1 within four months of arrival for a registration certificate, the yellow slip.

Buying property in Cyprus from the UK after Brexit

UK nationals are not EU citizens, so a UK buyer applies to the District Administration for permission on form COMM 145, like any other non-EU buyer. UK citizens need no visa to visit Cyprus for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

A longer stay needs a residence permit. Neither the Pink Slip nor the investor permit allows you to take a job in Cyprus.

Two permits suit UK buyers who want to live in Cyprus. The Pink Slip is a visitor permit for people with their own income, renewed each year. Category F is a permanent residence permit for people with a secured income from abroad of at least €9,568 a year, and it needs no property purchase.

Most popular Cyprus locations

The city of Paphos is quite popular because of its coastline, mountains, and established British expat community. Limassol has a marina and a large international business community. The Famagusta region and Larnaca have extensive coastlines, and in Larnaca, the city centre is close to the sea.

Cyprus property prices

The cost of property varies according to location. The coast and the two largest cities, Nicosia and Limassol, are the most expensive.

For permanent residency on the investor route, the house or apartment must be new, bought on a first sale from a development company, for at least €300,000 before VAT. A resale home does not qualify. VAT on a new home is 19%, and the reduced 5% rate has conditions, including ten years of use as the buyer's main residence.

In September 2026 the median asking price of apartments listed on DevelopersCyprus was €470,000, or €3,950 per m². For villas it was €850,000, or €3,743 per m².

The RICS Cyprus Property Index with KPMG recorded price rises of 5.4% for apartments and 4.0% for houses in the year to the second quarter of 2026. For returns on a purchase, see our page on property investment in Cyprus.

A seller may ask for a reservation deposit, which is deducted from the final price. Have your lawyer read the reservation agreement before you pay, including when the money comes back to you.

Cyprus abolished its annual immovable property tax on January 1, 2017. Owners still pay municipal or community charges, which vary by area.

What it costs to buy property in Cyprus

On top of the price, a buyer pays VAT or a transfer fee, never both. A new home bought on a first sale from a developer carries VAT at 19% and no transfer fee. The reduced 5% rate covers the first 130 m² and the first €350,000 of a main residence, where the whole purchase stays within 190 m² and €475,000 and the buyer lives there for ten years. Our page on the 5% VAT scheme sets out the rest.

A resale home carries no VAT and pays a transfer fee at the District Lands Office instead: 3% of the price up to €85,000, 5% from €85,001 to €170,000 and 8% above that. Every transfer without VAT gets a 50% reduction, so the rates paid are 1.5%, 2.5% and 4%. On a €300,000 resale home the fee comes to €8,600. Our page on title deeds in Cyprus covers the transfer itself.

For contracts signed on or after January 1, 2026, no stamp duty is payable. For contracts signed before 2026, the correct duty is paid to the Tax Department before registration.

A Land Registry search certificate for the property costs €10 for one district or €20 for all of Cyprus. Our legal fee for a purchase starts at €2,500 plus VAT, and our property lawyers page describes the work it covers.

Getting a mortgage in Cyprus

Each Cyprus bank sets its own conditions for lending to a buyer who does not live in Cyprus, so ask the bank before you sign a contract. The application involves paperwork; for example, you will need to provide proof of income to the bank.

The Central Bank of Cyprus caps a housing loan at 80% of the property's value where the property will be the borrower's main residence, and at 70% for any other property, such as a holiday home. You pay the rest from your own funds.

You will be paying monthly for loan repayment. The amount will vary according to your income and the loan amount. You will need a Cyprus bank account for the repayments.

In July 2026 the average interest rate on new housing loans in Cyprus was 3.78% on floating rates and rates fixed for up to a year, and 4.39% as an annual percentage rate of charge, according to the Central Bank of Cyprus.

Banks set their own age limits, and the limit can apply to the end of the loan rather than its start. At Bank of Cyprus, for example, a borrower can be no older than 65 when the loan matures, which shortens the term available to an older buyer.

Buying a holiday home in Cyprus

A holiday home gets at most 70% finance from a Cyprus bank, since the 80% cap applies only to a main residence. A new holiday home carries VAT at 19%, because the reduced 5% rate needs the home to be your main residence. Owning it gives no right to stay beyond 90 days in any 180-day period. A longer stay needs a residence permit.

How to buy property in Cyprus, step by step

• Gather your funds or arrange a mortgage.
• Find a local lawyer: there are real estate lawyers in Cyprus and firms specialising in the real estate sector, with considerable experience with foreign national clients.
• Search for a property with a Cyprus real estate agent.
• Agree the price with the seller or the developer.
• Before you sign, have your lawyer check the title. The seller has to attach a Land Registry search certificate dated no more than five working days before the signing.
• Sign the contract and deposit it at the District Lands Office within six months of signing. The deposit protects your right to have the property transferred to you.
• If you are not an EU or EEA citizen, apply to the District Administration for permission on form COMM 145, with a copy of the contract.
• Pay the price and complete the transfer at the District Lands Office. Where the separate title deed does not exist yet, the deposited contract protects you until it is issued.

Buying property to get residency

This is a fast-track process with specific rules regarding the income required and the holding of real estate in the country. You can apply for permanent residence, and you will qualify if you have:

• A new house or apartment bought on a first sale from a development company, worth at least €300,000 before VAT. This is one of four investment routes, and our residency by investment page sets out the others;
• A personal secured annual income of at least €50,000, measured gross, before tax. On the house or apartment route the income has to come from abroad.

The permit covers the investor's spouse and their children under 18 as dependants. Unmarried children aged 18 to 25 who are studying abroad and depend on the investor financially file a separate application of their own.

Neither the investor nor the spouse may take a job in Cyprus, apart from a directorship in the company they invested in. The income test rises by €15,000 for a spouse and by €10,000 for each child, whether under 18 or aged 18 to 25 and applying separately.

This investor permit is the one known as the Cyprus golden visa. Two other routes suit a buyer. Category F needs no property purchase, only a secured income from abroad of at least €9,568 a year. The Pink Slip is a temporary visitor permit, renewed each year.

Can I buy a house in Cyprus and get citizenship?

Buying a new home worth at least €300,000 before VAT can support a permanent residence permit. It does not lead to a passport by itself: Cyprus closed citizenship by investment in November 2020 and repealed its legal basis in December 2025. The permit lets you live in Cyprus, and years of legal residence there count toward naturalisation.

To qualify for a Cypriot passport by naturalisation, you need seven years of legal residence in the ten years before a final twelve months, plus those twelve months of continuous residence immediately before you apply: eight years in all. Absences adding up to no more than 90 days do not break the final year.

Since 19 December 2023 time in the country is not enough on its own. You need a Greek language certificate at B1, a pass in the state examination on the political and social reality of Cyprus, good character, suitable accommodation with stable income, and an intention to live in the Republic.

For more information (process and requirements), please read about the Naturalisation scheme based on years of residence.

Other Cyprus residence permits

• Temporary residence permits, issued for a job, for studies, for family reunification or for a stay as a visitor. Each runs for a fixed period and is renewed: a Pink Slip for one year at a time, an employee's permit for up to three years in line with the contract. After five years of lawful continuous residence you can apply for long-term resident status, which needs Greek at A2 and a pass in the civics examination.

• Immigration Permits, which are permanent residence permits in six categories, A to F. Category A is for people who will run their own farming business and hold capital of about €430,000. Category F is for people with a secured income from abroad of at least €9,568 a year.

How long can you stay in Cyprus if you own property?

Citizens of many non-EU countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, need no visa for short stays in Cyprus of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Nationals who do need a visa can ask for a multiple-entry visa valid from six months to five years.

The consulate issues it to people who visit often and can show their reliability and their intention to leave on time. The published criteria do not include owning property in Cyprus.

There is no legal right to a visa. Once you obtain the visa, you cannot automatically enter Cyprus. The entry criteria for entry into the Republic of Cyprus will be rechecked. For example, you may be asked for proof of employment or of your financial means, such as a bank guarantee.

Holders of a valid Schengen visa for two or more entries, and holders of a national visa or residence permit issued by a Schengen state, need no Cyprus visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The rule does not apply to citizens of Turkey and Azerbaijan.