How much income do I need for Category F?

The official minimum is €9,568 a year for the applicant plus €4,613 for each dependant, from abroad. Lawyers advise showing comfortably more, and the visitor permit you hold while waiting is assessed at a higher level.

Is there an age limit for the Category F visa?

No. There's no minimum or maximum age. What matters is secured passive income from abroad and not working in Cyprus.

What is a Category F visitor?

It isn't a separate permit. People use the phrase for a Category F applicant living in Cyprus on a visitor permit (the pink slip) while the permanent application waits. The visitor permit is renewed every year; Category F, once granted, is permanent.

Can I work with a Category F permit?

No. The permit is for people who won't engage in any business, trade or profession in Cyprus. That includes remote freelance work done from Cyprus.

Can a UK citizen apply for Category F after Brexit?

Yes. UK nationals are third-country nationals for moves after 31 December 2020, which is who Category F is for. You'll normally hold a visitor permit while the application is pending.

How long does Category F take?

There's no published target. Lawyers report waits of several years, and a pending application gives no right to stay, so you renew a pink slip meanwhile.

Do I have to buy property for Category F?

No. A rental agreement is accepted as proof of your home in Cyprus. Buying only changes your route if it's a €300,000 new-build, which opens the faster Regulation 6(2) permit.

Where do I submit a Category F application?

At the Migration Department in Nicosia, in person or through an authorised representative. Paphos residents can't file it at the Paphos immigration unit.

Is Category F permanent or does it expire?

It's permanent. The card is replaced every 10 years, but the right to live in Cyprus has unlimited validity unless you're absent for 2 years or take permanent residence elsewhere.

Do I need health insurance for Category F?

You need health cover for the pink slip and the application. UK State Pensioners can use an S1 registered with GeSY; others need private insurance until the permit makes them GeSY beneficiaries.

Can I get citizenship after Category F?

Yes, separately. You need 7 years of legal residence in the last 10, including 12 continuous months before applying, and Greek at B1 level.

What happens to my children's Category F permit at 18?

It expires on their 18th birthday. They then need their own permit, for example their own Category F, a student permit or a work permit.

Can my parents be included in my Category F application?

No. Dependants are your spouse and children under 18. A parent needs their own permit, such as their own Category F if they have secured income from abroad.

How do I check the progress of my Category F application?

Text STATUS, a space and your application number to 1199. The number is on the fee receipt from your Nicosia submission, and each text costs €0.034.

Category F Visa Cyprus (2026): Income, Fees, Real Waits

Category F Visa Cyprus: Permanent Residency for Retirees, Honestly Explained

The Category F visa is really a permanent Immigration Permit for people who live on secured income from abroad and won't work in Cyprus. The official minimum is €9,568 a year plus €4,613 per dependant and the fee is €500. The catch: no published processing time, so you'll live here on a renewable pink slip while you wait.

JJason 17 min read Last verified 27 September 2026

Get a Category F lawyer Use the retirement checklist

The short version

Category F is a permanent Immigration Permit for people with secured income from abroad who won't do any business, trade or profession in Cyprus. UK citizens use it as third-country nationals.

Income: at least €9,568 a year for you and €4,613 for each dependant, from pensions, dividends, interest or rent. No investment and no minimum age.

Cost: €500 for the application plus €70 per person for the Alien Registration Certificate. Apply at the Migration Department in Nicosia only.

Time: there's no published processing target and lawyers report multi-year waits. A pending application gives no right to stay, so you hold a visitor permit (pink slip) meanwhile.

From 1 September 2026 applications need blood tests and a chest X-ray done abroad.

Faster alternative: buy a qualifying €300,000 new-build and use the fast-track, decided in about 2 months.

Category F in numbers

€9,568

Minimum income, main applicant

Per year, from abroad

€4,613

Extra per dependant

Spouse or child under 18

€500

Application fee

Covers everyone on it

€70

Alien Registration Certificate

Per person, if you don't have one

10 years

Card validity

The right itself is unlimited

2 years

Absence that ends it

What the Category F visa actually is

Category F isn't a visa. It's one of six categories (A to F) of Immigration Permit under Regulation 5 of Cyprus's Aliens and Immigration Regulations, and it gives you permanent residence. The Migration Department's definition covers people who have "fully and freely at their disposal" a secured annual income from abroad, enough to live decently in Cyprus without engaging in any business, trade or profession.

That makes it the natural route for British retirees. Since 1 January 2021, UK nationals are third-country nationals, so the EU yellow slip isn't available unless you also hold an EU passport. Category F is.

An Immigration Control Committee examines each file and recommends it to the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, who grants the permit. There's no minimum age: a 50-year-old living on rental income qualifies as much as a 70-year-old pensioner.

Once granted, the right to live in Cyprus has unlimited validity. You replace the card every 10 years. Compare it with the other two permanent routes on the permanent residency hub, or start from the retiring to Cyprus hub if you're still weighing up the whole move.

Older couple in sun hats walking a lane between olive groves near Tsada in spring — Country lanes near Tsada in spring

Myth

Myth: Cyprus has a "retirement visa"

Reality

It doesn't. There's no permit called a retirement visa, and nothing in the rules about age. What people mean is one of two things: the visitor permit (pink slip) you live on first, or Category F, the permanent permit for anyone on secured foreign income. A 55-year-old landlord and an 80-year-old pensioner apply on the same form, MIP2.

Category F visa requirements: income and conditions

The core requirement is a secured annual income from abroad of at least €9,568 (the old CY£5,600) for the applicant, plus €4,613 (CY£2,700) for every dependant.

Household	Official minimum per year
Single applicant	€9,568
Couple	€14,181
Couple + 1 child under 18	€18,794
Couple + 2 children under 18	€23,407

What counts: pensions, dividends, interest on fixed deposits, rents and similar passive income. Secured means regular and ongoing. A UK State Pension, a workplace pension in payment or long-standing rental income all fit. Drawing down a pot of savings is harder to present as secured income, so talk to your lawyer about how to evidence it.

What doesn't: any income from working in Cyprus. The permit condition is that you won't engage in any business, trade or profession in the Republic.

The other conditions: a home in Cyprus (owned or rented: you don't have to buy), a clean criminal record, health cover, original Cyprus bank statements, and from 1 September 2026, medical tests. Dependants are your spouse and children under 18. Some law firms say financially dependent children up to 25 can be added; the Migration Department's own page mentions only under-18s, so get advice on your case.

How much should sit in the Cyprus account? The Migration Department's list sets no figure; it only asks for original statements. One Cyprus law firm advises holding €15,000–€20,000 there. Treat that as a practitioner's comfort level, not a rule, and ask your lawyer what they want to see on your file.

Myth

Myth: €9,568 a year is enough to retire on in Paphos

Reality

It's the legal floor from the Cyprus pound era, not a living budget. You'll also hold a visitor permit for years while you wait, and immigration lawyers currently put the visitor income test at around €24,000 a year for the main applicant (+20% for a spouse, +15% per child). The Migration Department doesn't publish that figure, so treat it as a practitioner estimate. Price your real monthly costs with the Paphos cost of living calculator.

The pink slip: living in Cyprus while Category F is pending

The Migration Department is explicit: submitting an Immigration Permit application gives you no right to enter or remain in Cyprus without a valid residence permit or visa. In practice, every UK retiree on the Category F route holds a visitor temporary residence permit first, known locally as the pink slip.

Older woman swimming in calm clear sea off a sandy beach near Paphos in early morning — An early swim before the day warms up

The visitor permit is issued under Regulation 14 to people who come for long holidays or to look at settling here. The key facts:

Form: MVIS8, filed before your 90 visa-free days run out
Fees: €70 for the permit and €70 for first registration in the Aliens Register
Decision: usually within 4 months
Validity: 1 year, renewable while you still meet the criteria
No economic activity in Cyprus while you hold it
Biometrics each time you apply or renew

The Category F documents list asks for a copy of your valid temporary residence permit, which is why lawyers apply for the pink slip first. Keep it renewed until the Category F decision arrives, however long that takes. One gap to watch: the online renewal service launched in July 2026 covers work, family and long-term resident permits; visitor permits weren't on the launch list, so plan for in-person renewals.

Our residency FAQ covers the pink slip in more detail.

How Category F works for your situation

Your State Pension counts as secured income. The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week from April 2026, about £12,550 a year, which on its own clears the €9,568 minimum at normal exchange rates.

You can also apply for an S1 from the NHS Overseas Healthcare Service once you live here. Registered with GeSY, it gives you public healthcare on the same basis as an insured Cypriot, funded by the UK. That helps with the health-cover condition too.

Your State Pension keeps rising each April while you live in Cyprus. See UK pensions in Cyprus for the tax side.

Older man painting at an easel on the Paphos harbour promenade facing the fort — Painting the harbour on a quiet morning

What Category F costs: a worked example

Government fees for a couple, and for a couple with two children under 18, living on visitor permits while a Category F application waits three years.

Cost	Couple	Couple + 2 children
Category F application	€500	€500
Visitor permits, year 1 (€70 + €70 each)	€280	€560
Visitor permit renewals, years 2 and 3 (€70 each a year)	€280	€560
Category F Alien Registration Certificate (€70 each)	Usually €0: paid with the pink slip's first registration	Usually €0: paid with the pink slip's first registration
Total government fees	€1,060	€1,620
Apostilles on UK documents (£45 each)	About 4–6 documents	About 6–10 documents
Income you must show each year	€14,181 (pink slip: about €28,800)	€23,407 (pink slip: about €36,000)

Our calculations from Migration Department fees (Category F €500 + €70 per person; visitor permit €70 + €70, renewals €70) and GOV.UK apostille fees. The pink-slip income figures apply the lawyers' estimate of €24,000 + 20% for a spouse + 15% of €24,000 per child; the Migration Department publishes no figure. Lawyers, medical tests, translations and health insurance are extra.

Villas and gardens on the hillside at Tala, with views down to the Paphos coast — The view down to the coast from Tala

How to apply for Category F, step by step

1
Arrive and rent or buy a home
Month 0
UK passport holders get 90 days in any 180. Sign a tenancy or buy, and open a Cyprus bank account.
2
Apply for the visitor permit (MVIS8)
Before day 90
€70 + €70, decided within about 4 months, valid for 1 year.
3
Gather UK paperwork
4–8 weeks
ACRO certificate, apostilled marriage and birth certificates, income evidence, medical tests from outside Cyprus.
4
Submit form MIP2 in Nicosia
1 appointment
In person or through an authorised representative. Pay €500 plus €70 per person. Incomplete files aren't accepted.
5
Wait, and renew the pink slip
Years, not months
Keep your visitor permit valid and your address and income unchanged where you can.
6
Approval, biometrics and card
On decision
Photo, fingerprints and signature, then the permanent residence card. Register with GeSY as a permanent resident.

Applying for Category F from Paphos: offices, appointments and tracking

You deal with two offices, two hours apart, and each has its own booking system.

The pink slip: Paphos. Visitor permits go through the Paphos Aliens and Immigration Unit of the police, on Eleftheriou Venizelou Avenue. You book by email (pafosetiseis@police.gov.cy), listing everyone's name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, arrival date and permit details, one request per family. The Unit replies within 5 working days and asks you to book at least one month before your current permit expires. It's open 07:30 to 14:30 on weekdays (last entry 13:30).

Category F itself: Nicosia only. Immigration permits are examined only at the Migration Department's central office, Archbishop Makarios III Avenue 90. Categories A to F are by appointment, requested by email to the address on the Department's homepage. Opening hours are 08:00 to 14:30, last entry 14:00, and there's free visitor parking. You can go yourself or send an authorised representative; the old name for this office is the CRMD.

Tracking. Once you've paid, text STATUS, a space and the application number on your fee receipt to 1199 (€0.034 a text) to see where your file is. It's the only progress signal you'll get on a wait measured in years.

How long Category F takes in 2026

Nobody can give you a reliable date. The Migration Department publishes an estimate of about 2 months for the investment fast-track, but no target at all for Category F.

Older couple with two glasses of white wine at a vine-shaded café table in Kathikas — An afternoon glass of local wine in Kathikas

The evidence points to years. In April 2025 the Auditor-General told MPs that about 3,000 permanent residence applications had built up on hold. Immigration law firms writing in 2026 describe waits of several years, and some report that applications from around 2019–2020 were still being decided this year. One older law-firm guide still quotes "up to 1 year"; we haven't seen evidence that's achievable today.

What this means for you: plan to live in Cyprus on a pink slip for the foreseeable future, budget for yearly renewals and private health cover, and don't make decisions (selling a UK home, surrendering a UK tenancy) that assume a Category F decision by a certain date.

If speed matters and you're buying anyway, the fast-track decides a complete file in about 2 months. It needs a €300,000 new-build and €50,000 a year of foreign income. Details in the residency by investment guide.

Category F vs the fast-track vs staying on a pink slip

Category F

Permanent, slow

Wins 4 of 7

Fast-track 6(2)

Permanent, fast

Wins 3 of 7

Pink slip only

Temporary, renewable

Wins 1 of 7

Investment

None

€300,000 new-build or other qualifying asset

None

Income test

€9,568 + €4,613 per dependant

€50,000 + €15,000 spouse + €10,000 per child

About €24,000 (lawyers' estimate)

Government fees

€500 + €70 per person

€70 + €70 first year, €70 renewals

Decision time

No target; years reported

About 2 months

About 4 months

Status

Permanent

1 year at a time

GeSY public healthcare

Yes, as a permanent resident

Only via S1 or work

Work in Cyprus

Only as director of your investment company

No economic activity

The verdict

Category F is the right answer for most pension-funded British retirees who don't want €300,000 tied up in a new-build. Apply early and treat the pink slip as your real status for now. If you're buying a new home at €300,000+ anyway and have €50,000 of foreign income, the fast-track gets you to the same place in months.

Free introduction

Get introduced to a lawyer who files Category F in Nicosia

We'll connect you with a vetted Cyprus immigration lawyer who handles the pink slip and the Category F file together, and quotes in writing. The introduction is free.

Pink slip and Category F handled together
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What Category F gives you, and how you can lose it

Once granted, Category F gives you and your adult dependants the right to live in Cyprus with unlimited validity. The residence card expires after 10 years and you replace it. Cards for children under 18 last until their 18th birthday. As permanent residents you qualify for GeSY, the public health system; see the GeSY guide.

Retired couple carrying shopping baskets across a village square with a whitewashed church — Saturday errands in a village near Paphos

The permit ends if:

you were abroad when it was approved and don't take up residence within 1 year;
you're absent from Cyprus for 2 years; or
you take up permanent residence in another country.

Children turn 18, and their card ends. A dependant's permit is valid until their 18th birthday. After that they need their own status, such as their own Category F on their own secured income, a student permit or a work permit. Start that conversation with your lawyer a year before, not the month of the birthday.

Parents can't be added. Category F dependants are a spouse and children under 18. A parent who wants to live here needs their own permit.

Adding a spouse or child to an approved permit later costs €50 per person (plus €70 for a registration certificate if needed), with form MIP2, a fresh income declaration and their certificates.

Citizenship is a separate step. Since the December 2023 amendment you need 7 years of legal residence in the last 10, including the 12 months before applying, plus Greek at B1. Cyprus allows dual nationality with the UK.

Tip

Category F and tax are separate decisions

The permit decides where you can live, not where you're taxed. Most Category F holders become Cyprus tax resident under the 183-day rule (the 60-day rule needs a business, job or office in Cyprus, which the permit forbids). Once tax resident, you can elect 5% tax on foreign pensions above €5,000 from 2026. Read UK pensions in Cyprus and the 183-day rule.

Category F visa Cyprus FAQ

It's a permanent Immigration Permit for people with secured income from abroad who won't work in Cyprus. It's the standard permanent route for non-EU retirees, including UK citizens since Brexit.

Village square with a plane tree in the Paphos hills

Plan the whole move

Get the retirement move checklist

Pink slip, Category F, S1, pension tax elections, bank account and GeSY in the order you'll actually need them.

Open the retirement checklist Talk to a Category F lawyer

Sources checked for this page

1.Migration Department — Immigration permits, Categories A–FGovernment
2.Migration Department — Category F required documents listGovernment
3.Migration Department — Immigration permit forms (MIP2)Government
4.Migration Department — Visitors (temporary residence permit, form MVIS8)Government
5.Migration Department — Medical examinations for immigration permit applications (from 1 Sept 2026)Government
6.Migration Department — Immigration permits for investors, Regulation 6(2) (4th Revision)Government
7.Gov.cy — New digital service for renewal of residence permits (July 2026)Government
8.GOV.UK — Living in CyprusGovernment
9.GOV.UK — Healthcare in Cyprus (S1 and GHS)Government
10.GOV.UK — The new State Pension: what you'll getGovernment
11.Ministry of Interior — Citizenship by naturalisation (form M127)Government
12.Deloitte Cyprus — Update on citizenship requirements (2023 amendment)Professional
13.Cyprus Mail — MPs hear of delays in citizenship and residency applications (April 2025)Experience
14.PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Cyprus income determination (pensions from abroad, reviewed Aug 2026)Professional
15.Migration Department — homepage (appointments for Categories A–F, service hours, SMS status)Government
16.Migration Department — Location and parking (Archbishop Makarios III Avenue 90)Government
17.Migration Department — Arranging an appointment at the police Aliens and Immigration district units (Sept 2026)Government
18.GOV.UK — Get a document legalised (apostille fees)Government
19.G. Kouzalis LLC — Cyprus Category F visa 2026 (costs, children, processing)Professional
20.G. Kouzalis LLC — Cyprus permanent residency guide (Category F bank deposit guidance)Professional

Written by

Jason

Founder, Paphos Advisor

British founder who moved his family from the UK to Paphos in 2025. I write down what I learned doing it properly — the tax, the residency and the living-here detail — and introduce people to the specialists I’d use myself.

How I research and fact-check

Category F Visa Cyprus: Permanent Residency for Retirees, Honestly Explained

Category F in numbers

What the Category F visa actually is

Category F visa requirements: income and conditions

The pink slip: living in Cyprus while Category F is pending

How Category F works for your situation

Category F documents checklist

What Category F costs: a worked example

How to apply for Category F, step by step

Arrive and rent or buy a home

Apply for the visitor permit (MVIS8)

Gather UK paperwork

Submit form MIP2 in Nicosia

Wait, and renew the pink slip

Approval, biometrics and card

Applying for Category F from Paphos: offices, appointments and tracking

How long Category F takes in 2026

Category F vs the fast-track vs staying on a pink slip

Get introduced to a lawyer who files Category F in Nicosia

What Category F gives you, and how you can lose it

Category F visa Cyprus FAQ

What is a Category F visa in Cyprus?

How much income do I need for Category F?

Is there an age limit for the Category F visa?

What is a Category F visitor?

Can I work with a Category F permit?

Can a UK citizen apply for Category F after Brexit?

How long does Category F take?

Do I have to buy property for Category F?

Where do I submit a Category F application?

Is Category F permanent or does it expire?

Do I need health insurance for Category F?

Can I get citizenship after Category F?

What happens to my children's Category F permit at 18?

Can my parents be included in my Category F application?

How do I check the progress of my Category F application?

Sources checked for this page

Keep reading

Category F in numbers

What the Category F visa actually is

Category F visa requirements: income and conditions

The pink slip: living in Cyprus while Category F is pending

How Category F works for your situation

Category F documents checklist

What Category F costs: a worked example

How to apply for Category F, step by step

Arrive and rent or buy a home

Apply for the visitor permit (MVIS8)

Gather UK paperwork

Submit form MIP2 in Nicosia

Wait, and renew the pink slip

Approval, biometrics and card

Applying for Category F from Paphos: offices, appointments and tracking

Category F vs the fast-track vs staying on a pink slip

Get introduced to a lawyer who files Category F in Nicosia

What Category F gives you, and how you can lose it

Category F visa Cyprus FAQ

What is a Category F visa in Cyprus?

How much income do I need for Category F?

Is there an age limit for the Category F visa?

What is a Category F visitor?

Can I work with a Category F permit?

Can a UK citizen apply for Category F after Brexit?

How long does Category F take?

Do I have to buy property for Category F?

Where do I submit a Category F application?

Is Category F permanent or does it expire?

Do I need health insurance for Category F?

Can I get citizenship after Category F?

What happens to my children's Category F permit at 18?

Can my parents be included in my Category F application?

How do I check the progress of my Category F application?