CYPRUS INVESTMENT PROGRAMME – General Guidelines on the basis of subsection (2) of section 111A of the Civil Registry Laws of 2002-2019
Guidelines for the Submission of an application for the acquisition of an Immigration Permit
The decision of the Council of Ministers dated 13.2.2019 provides that the investor and his/her adult family members, prior to their naturalization as Cypriot citizens, must hold a residence permit in Cyprus for a period of at least 6 (six) months. If the applicant (either investor or family member) does not already hold a residence permit, he/she may apply for an immigration permit on the basis of Regulation 6(2) of the Aliens and Immigration Law, simultaneously with the application for naturalization. The applicant, prior to his/her naturalization as a Cypriot citizen must hold a residence permit in Cyprus for a period of at least 6 (six) months. In relation to the submission of an immigration permit application solely for the purposes of acquiring the Cypriot citizenship, in accordance with the provisions of this Programme, there are no other conditions than those stated in the Programme.
In case the investor does not already hold a residence permit he/she will need to submit an application for acquiring an immigration permit, right after the submission of naturalization application, following the procedure that is described below.
It is noted that the procedure described below needs to be followed for the submission of the citizenship application of the investor’s adult family members (i.e. parents and financially dependent adult children of the investor as defined by the abovementioned decision of the Council of Ministers dated 13.2.2019) that do not already hold a residence permit. The legislation pertaining to the grant of the immigration permit provides that only the spouse/ partner and minor children (under the age of eighteen) of an immigration permit holder are considered dependent family members and therefore they may acquire the immigration permit without the submission of separate applications. All the other family members (i.e. parents and financially dependent adult children of the investor) need to submit separate immigration permit applications.
However, it goes without saying that concerning the acquisition of the Cypriot citizenship, each person needs to file a separate individual application.
In case an immigration permit application is required to be submitted along with the naturalization application the below procedure needs to be followed:
I. Submission of the citizenship application at the Ministry of Interior
The submitted application needs to be complete and accompanied with all the necessary documents (Concerning the application for naturalization, prior to its submission, please see the relevant “Guidelines” documents that can be found on the website of the Ministry of Interior). Provided that the application is complete and accompanied by all the necessary documents the “Confirmation of Submission of Application for Naturalization by Exception” (not the same thing as the fees payment receipt) will be handed over to the applicant or his/her representative. This “Confirmation” will be used for the submission of the immigration permit application at the Civil Registry and Migration Department.
II. Submission of the immigration permit application at the Civil Registry and Migration Department
For the submission of the immigration permit application the following documents need to be filed:
- Form MIP1
- Clean Criminal Record Certificate
- Copy of Passport
- Marriage Certificate/ Civil Partnership Certificate (where applicable)
- “Confirmation of Submission of Application for Naturalization by Exception” by the Ministry of Interior
Having in mind that the documents 2-4 would have already been submitted in their original form at the Ministry of Interior along with the naturalization application, it is accepted to file copies of the submitted documents.
The Marriage Certificate or the Civil Partnership Certificate will need to be submitted only if the spouse or partner of the investor wishes to acquire the immigration permit as the investor’s dependent.
For the submission of the application for immigration permit an appointment needs to be arranged beforehand via the email atcharalambous@papd.mof.gov.cy.
III. Collection of applicant’s biometric data
For the issuance of the immigration permit the collection of the applicant’s biometric data (fingerprints and photograph) and signature is mandatory. In order for the biometric data to be collected the applicant is required to appear in person at the Civil Registry and Migration Department. Moreover, the applicant needs to present an original travel document.
- Issuance of the Immigration Permit
After the collection of the biometric data, the immigration permit (card) is issued within five working days.
Please bear in mind that the applicant cannot be considered as a holder of a residence permit, unless the aforementioned procedure is completed and the immigration permit (card) issued.
Moreover, it goes without saying that the applicant is obliged to pay all the fees required for the submission of the application and the issuance of the immigration permit.
Finally, it needs to be noted that, when the naturalization procedure is completed and the applicant acquired the Cypriot citizenship, the immigration permit will be immediately cancelled. Moreover, if the application for naturalization is for any reason rejected, the immigration permit, obtained in accordance with the provisions of the decision of the Council of Ministers dated 13.2.2019, will be canceled immediately.
Ministry of Interior
28.2.2019
