How much money do I need to get residency in Cyprus?

For the visitor permit, €24,000 a year arriving from abroad for one person, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% per child. The digital nomad visa needs €3,500 a month net. Permanent residence by investment needs €300,000 plus VAT invested and €50,000 a year of income.

Can I get residency in Cyprus if I buy a house?

Yes, if it's a new-build home bought from a developer for at least €300,000 plus VAT, and you have €50,000 a year of secured income from abroad. That's the Regulation 6(2) fast-track to permanent residence. A resale home, or one under €300,000, doesn't qualify on its own.

What is the pink slip in Cyprus?

"Pink slip" is the everyday name for a temporary residence permit issued to a non-EU national, most often as a visitor. It lasts one year and is renewable. Visitor holders can't work in Cyprus. You apply on form MVIS8 after you arrive.

Is the Cyprus digital nomad visa open to UK citizens?

Yes. It's for non-EU nationals working remotely for employers or clients outside Cyprus with at least €3,500 a month net. You apply in Nicosia within 3 months of arriving, and the examination takes 5 to 7 weeks.

Does a Cyprus residence permit make me tax resident?

No. Tax residency depends on the 183-day or 60-day rule, not on your permit. The UK decides separately under the Statutory Residence Test. Use the tax route finder to check both sides.

Can I apply for a Cyprus residence permit from the UK?

Not for the visitor permit. You enter Cyprus visa-free on your UK passport and apply on form MVIS8 after you arrive, inside your 90 visa-free days. Order the UK paperwork, such as ACRO certificates and apostilled birth and marriage certificates, before you fly.

How long does a Cyprus visitor permit take?

The Migration Department usually decides within 4 months of a complete application. The permit lasts 1 year and you renew it each year, showing the income test again.

What is the easiest way for a British citizen to move to Cyprus?

For most people living on pensions, savings or rent, the visitor temporary residence permit is the simplest: €24,000 a year from abroad, €70 plus €70 in fees, and a decision within about 4 months. Remote workers earning €3,500 a month net usually find the digital nomad visa simpler.

Can my spouse work if I hold a visitor permit?

No. Family members on a visitor-based permit can't work in Cyprus either. If your spouse wants a Cyprus job, they need their own employment-based permit or a different route.

Free tool · 2 minutes

Cyprus Relocation Route Finder: Which Residency Route Fits You?

After Brexit, a UK passport alone won't get you a yellow slip. Your route depends on your passport, your income and whether you'll work. Answer six questions and we'll show you the permit that fits, with the thresholds and traps.

Find my route Get my free relocation plan

Find your Cyprus residency route

Six questions. No sign-up to see your result.

Free toolCyprus relocation route finder

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Which passport(s) do you hold?

An EU passport changes everything after Brexit, so we ask this first.

The short version

UK-only passport holders are third-country nationals for any move after 2020. The yellow slip is for EU passport holders and pre-2021 residents.

Not working in Cyprus? The visitor temporary residence permit (pink slip) needs €24,000 a year from abroad for one person.

Working remotely for a non-Cyprus employer? The digital nomad visa needs €3,500 a month net.

Want permanent residence straight away? Regulation 6(2) needs €300,000 + VAT invested and €50,000 a year of income.

Category F has a low threshold (€9,568 a year), but law firms report multi-year processing backlogs.

How the Cyprus relocation route finder decides

The route finder checks your answers in a fixed order, the same order an immigration lawyer would use:

Passport. An EU, EEA or Swiss passport puts you on the yellow slip route, whatever else you answer. UK nationals who lived here before 2021 keep their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.
Work. A job with a Cyprus employer or your own Cyprus company needs an employment-based permit. Remote work for a foreign employer points to the digital nomad visa.
Investment. If you can invest €300,000 plus VAT and show €50,000 a year, the PR by investment route gives you permanent status in months, not years.
Income. If you won't work, we compare your foreign income with the visitor permit threshold, adjusted for your family.

The income test adds 20% for a spouse and 15% per child for both the pink slip and the digital nomad visa. A couple needs €28,800 a year for a visitor permit, and a couple with one child needs €32,400. For PR by investment the uplifts are fixed amounts: €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 per child.

Every result comes with a link to the full guide and a checklist, so you can move straight to the paperwork. The finder is one of our free Cyprus relocation tools.

Cyprus residency routes for UK movers at a glance

Route	Who it suits	Money test	Fees	Can you work?
Yellow slip (MEU1)	EU/EEA/Swiss passport holders	No euro figure set	€20 per person	Yes
Withdrawal Agreement (MUKW)	UK nationals resident before 2021	Already established	€30	Yes
Visitor permit ("pink slip")	UK-only retirees and people on overseas income	€24,000/yr from abroad (+20% spouse, +15% child)	€70 + €70	No
Digital nomad visa	Remote workers for non-Cyprus employers or clients	€3,500/month net	€70 + €70	Only for foreign employers or clients
Employment permit	People with a job offer from a Cyprus employer	Set by the job and the employer's approval	Arranged through the employer	Yes, for that employer
PR by investment, Reg. 6(2)	Buyers ready to commit €300k+	€300,000 + VAT invested; €50,000/yr income	€500 + €70 per person	Only as director of the company you invested in
Category F	Retirees wanting permanent status on a lower income	€9,568/yr (+€4,613 per dependant)	€500 + €70	No

Sources: Migration Department pages for each permit, checked 27 September 2026. Digital nomad family uplifts come from tier-2 legal sources.

The money test for your household, worked out

The route finder adds family uplifts for you. Here are the figures it uses, so you can check your own position before you start.

Household	Visitor permit (pink slip), per year	Digital nomad visa, net per month	PR by investment, per year
Single applicant	€24,000	€3,500	€50,000
Couple	€28,800	€4,200	€65,000
Couple + 1 child	€32,400	€4,725	€75,000
Couple + 2 children	€36,000	€5,250	€85,000
Couple + 3 children	€39,600	€5,775	€95,000
Single parent + 1 child	€27,600	€4,025	€60,000

Visitor permit: €24,000 base, +20% for a spouse and +15% per child, measured as money arriving from abroad into a Cyprus bank account (Migration Department supporting documents, Dec 2025). A €10,000 deposit can replace the income test for the first permit. Digital nomad uplifts use the same percentages but come from tier-2 legal sources. PR by investment: €50,000 + €15,000 spouse + €10,000 per child under 18 (Migration Department). Category F's regulatory minimum is lower: €9,568 plus €4,613 per dependant.

Myth

Myth: "Brits just get a yellow slip like before"

Reality

Plenty of older blogs and Facebook threads still say this. It stopped being true for new arrivals on 1 January 2021. If you turn up at the Paphos immigration unit with a UK-only passport and an MEU1 form, you'll be sent away. Worse, you'll have used up weeks of your 90-day visa-free stay.

What to do with your result

Your result gives you a route, not a finished application. Use it in this order:

Check the money test with real numbers. For the pink slip, the Migration Department looks at remittances into a Cyprus bank account, so open a Cyprus bank account early.
Order UK documents before you fly. ACRO police certificates, apostilled birth and marriage certificates and pension letters are far easier to get from the UK. The move timeline planner dates each one from your move date.
Sort healthcare. Visitor-permit holders who don't work aren't GeSY beneficiaries unless they have an S1, so you need private cover. See our GeSY guide.
Check the tax side separately. Residence permits and tax residency are different things. The Cyprus tax route finder covers the 60-day and 183-day rules and the UK Statutory Residence Test.

A few routes suit a small number of UK movers. The finder mentions them when your answers point that way.

Employment permit. A Cyprus employer applies for you, and the permit is tied to that job. It suits people with a firm job offer. If you'll work for your own Cyprus company, the company normally needs to qualify as a company of foreign interest first, which is adviser territory. See our entrepreneurs hub.
Family member of an EU citizen. If your spouse holds an Irish or other EU passport, you can apply as their family member on form MEU2, which gives a residence card for up to 5 years without an income test of its own. The yellow slip guide covers the EU spouse's side.
Category F. The lowest income test (€9,568 a year plus €4,613 per dependant) and permanent status, but immigration lawyers report multi-year backlogs, so most applicants live here on a visitor permit while they wait. See the Category F guide.

Not sure what a term means? The Cyprus relocation glossary defines pink slip, ARC, MUKW and the rest in plain English.

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Not sure your route will hold up? Talk it through

Tell us your situation and we will introduce you to a vetted, licensed Cyprus immigration lawyer. The introduction is free. The lawyer quotes their own fee before any work.

Pink slip, digital nomad, Category F and 6(2) applications
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Relocation to Cyprus: frequently asked questions

Yes. UK nationals can stay up to 90 days visa-free. To stay longer they need a residence permit. Most use the visitor temporary residence permit (pink slip), the digital nomad visa, an employment permit or permanent residence by investment. UK nationals who lived in Cyprus before 1 January 2021 keep their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Next step

Turn your route into a dated plan

Your route decides the paperwork and the deadlines. Get a free plan with your permit, tax steps and timeline, or ask for an introduction to a vetted immigration lawyer.

Get my relocation plan Talk to an immigration lawyer

Sources checked for this page

1.Migration Department: Registration of EU citizens (MEU1)Government
2.Migration Department: UK nationals and family members with free movement (Withdrawal Agreement)Government
3.Law on the right of EU and certain UK citizens to move and reside freely (English text, 2026)Government
4.GOV.UK: Living in CyprusGovernment
5.Migration Department: Visitors and family members (temporary residence permit)Government
6.Migration Department: Supporting documents, visitor permit (MVIS8)Government
7.Migration Department: Digital nomads and family membersGovernment
8.Migration Department: Immigration permits for investors, Regulation 6(2)Government
9.Migration Department: Immigration permits (Category F)Government
10.Migration Department: Category F required documentsGovernment
11.Health Insurance Organisation: Beneficiaries and eligibility FAQGovernment
12.Migration Department: Registration of family members of EU citizens (MEU2)Government

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

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Cyprus Relocation Route Finder: Which Residency Route Fits You?

Find your Cyprus residency route

Which passport(s) do you hold?

How the Cyprus relocation route finder decides

Cyprus residency routes for UK movers at a glance

The money test for your household, worked out

What to do with your result

Routes the finder doesn't recommend first

Not sure your route will hold up? Talk it through

Relocation to Cyprus: frequently asked questions

Can a UK citizen live in Cyprus after Brexit?

How much money do I need to get residency in Cyprus?

Can I get residency in Cyprus if I buy a house?

What is the pink slip in Cyprus?

Is the Cyprus digital nomad visa open to UK citizens?

Does a Cyprus residence permit make me tax resident?

Can I apply for a Cyprus residence permit from the UK?

How long does a Cyprus visitor permit take?

What is the easiest way for a British citizen to move to Cyprus?

Can my spouse work if I hold a visitor permit?

Sources checked for this page

Keep reading

Which passport(s) do you hold?

How the Cyprus relocation route finder decides

Cyprus residency routes for UK movers at a glance

The money test for your household, worked out

What to do with your result

Routes the finder doesn't recommend first

Not sure your route will hold up? Talk it through

Relocation to Cyprus: frequently asked questions

Can a UK citizen live in Cyprus after Brexit?

How much money do I need to get residency in Cyprus?

Can I get residency in Cyprus if I buy a house?

What is the pink slip in Cyprus?

Is the Cyprus digital nomad visa open to UK citizens?

Does a Cyprus residence permit make me tax resident?

Can I apply for a Cyprus residence permit from the UK?

How long does a Cyprus visitor permit take?

What is the easiest way for a British citizen to move to Cyprus?

Can my spouse work if I hold a visitor permit?