Cyprus increases requirements for naturalisation but favours highly skilled professionals

The Cyprus Ministry of Interior announced, on 22 March, that it has begun accepting applications for Cyprus citizenship based on the new provisions of Law 149(1)/2023, gazetted on 19 December, which amended Article 111 of Civil Registry Law of 2002 to introduce additional criteria and requirements for applicants seeking to apply for Cypriot citizenship.

Previously, applicants for Cypriot citizenship were required to have completed at least five years of residence in Cyprus, with an uninterrupted stay of 12 months immediately preceding the date of application. During the period under consideration, applicants must not be absent from the Republic of Cyprus for more than 90 days in a year (the ‘90-day rule’).

The other stipulated statutory requirements for citizenship included being a person of good character and having an intention to live in the Republic of Cyprus.

Under the Amending Law, applicants for Cypriot citizenship are now required to have completed at least seven years of residence in Cyprus, out of the previous 10, plus an uninterrupted stay of 12 months immediately preceding the date of application. However – contrary to the old regime – periods of absence from the country not exceeding a total of 90 days in the previous year are not considered interruptions in the legal residence.

Applicants are also required to show that they are a person of good character, have Greek language proficiency, have knowledge of contemporary political and social reality, have suitable accommodation and financial stability, and have a genuine intention to live in the Republic of Cyprus.

Applicants need to meet all the above conditions and, if one of conditions is not met, it will lead to rejection of the application.

The Amending Law also has retrospective effect such that any applications that were submitted based on previous legislation and were still pending on 19 December, will now be reviewed in accordance with the Amending Law.

Exception has been made in the provisions of the Amending Law to provide a shorter period of time for the naturalisation of highly skilled professionals employed by a Foreign Interest Companies designated by the Council of Ministers and who have knowledge of the Greek language. This supports Cyprus’s policy of attracting companies to operate or expand their activities in Cyprus.

The cumulative periods of time that highly skilled professionals are required to reside in Cyprus within the previous ten years of the 12-month period prior to application are reduced respectively to at least four years if they hold an A2 level certificate in the Greek language, or at least three years if they possess a level B1 certificate.

The other key requirements are:

• 12 months of legal and continuous physical stay in the country preceding the naturalisation application, with permitted absences abroad not exceeding a total of 90 days.
• Good character and a clean criminal record.
• Suitable residence in the country.
• Proven academic and professional qualifications.
• Financially self-sufficient, earning a stable monthly salary of at least €2,500.
• Basic understanding of Cyprus’s modern political and social landscape.
• The intention to reside in the country.

It is understood that periods of absence from Cyprus not exceeding a total of 90 days per year will not be counted as absence for the purposes of calculating the duration of residence and will be included in the above periods.

The new amendment also provides for the naturalisation of the applicant’s family members. A family member of a person who meets the above criteria can apply for naturalisation on the basis of years of residency after residing for eight years in Cyprus within the 11-year period preceding their application.

A family member is also subject to the requirement of legal and continuous residence in Cyprus for a period of 12 months preceding the date of submission of the application. Periods of absence must not exceed a total of 90 days within this period.

Family members include spouses, civil partners and adult children.