POSTERN

Cyprus

Naturalisation by residence. Ordinary Cypriot naturalisation after roughly 7–8 years of legal residence, with a faster track for highly skilled workers.

Free · The law behind every answer · Checked Sep 27, 2026

Naturalisation by residence

Cypriot citizenship on approval.

Who qualifies

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

1

It could fit.

Ordinary Cypriot naturalisation after roughly 7–8 years of legal residence, with a faster track for highly skilled workers.

Every door that fits your family

Not legal advice.

2

What it takes.

Time
1–2 years for the decision once residence requirements are met.
Cost
About $800–1,500 in fees, exams and translations.
The hard part
The B1 Greek-language requirement, which most residents on income-based or investment permits have not needed to meet along the way.
3

Citizens by 2036.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

  1. 2027
    Residence begins

    No permit term of its own; the clock runs on legal residence.

  2. 2032
    Permanent residence

    Five years of legal, continuous residence (absences under 6 months in a row and 10 months in total), Greek at A2, a short exam on Cyprus's political and social life, and stable income. Student and other temporary-only permits do not count.

  3. 2035
    Apply for citizenship

    With a language test and a civics test.

  4. 2036
    Citizenship
Language
Greek at B1, shown by a certificate from the Greek Language Centre exams or the University of Cyprus. Holders of a Greek-language secondary diploma or degree are exempt.
Civics
An exam on the basic elements of Cyprus's contemporary political and social life, run by the Ministry of Education; pass mark 60%.
Time away
Twelve months of continuous legal residence right before applying, during which absences totalling up to 90 days are allowed, plus at least 7 years of legal residence in the 10 years before that. Eight years in all at the least.
Two passports
Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.
  • Not a permit: 12 months unbroken plus 7 years in the 10 before (4 or 5 years in all for highly skilled employees), Greek at B1 and a civics exam.
  • Dual citizenship is allowed with no renunciation, but I found only secondary sources for it, so no dualSource is given.
  • No official decision time for ordinary applicants; highly skilled applicants can pay €5,000 for a decision within 8 months.
  • The long-term residence details come from a Cyprus law firm, not the Migration Department.
  • Card lengths for CY-CATF (about ten years) and CY-PR62 come from the earlier research pass and were not re-read today; both statuses are open-ended, so the card length matters little.
  • Digital-nomad permits (CY-DNV) are capped at three years; whether those years count toward citizenship or long-term residence is not stated officially.
  • How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.
The law behind these dates
4

Living there.

Time you must spend there
The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax
Naturalisation itself has no tax effect; ordinary Cypriot tax residence rules apply based on days present.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

5

Start today.

  1. Apply through the Ministry of Interior, Civil Registry and Migration Department, once residence requirements are met.Open gov.cy ↗
6

Or let us run it.

$900for your first year as a founding member. Then $399 a year, automatically.Standard first year: $1,200. Everyone renews at $399.One membership, the whole family. Accounts and activation included.

11 steps, from the first paper to the passport. You do 3 of them: send what we ask for, sign, and show up. We run the rest, and keep every permit renewed on time. Accounts and activation are included, whether you move now or keep the plan ready. Accounts depend on provider availability. Government, record and approved third-party charges are extra.

Run it for my family →
7
ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

Cover