I can tell you from personal experience Cyprus is NOT easy and straight forward to obtain permanent residency! No one appears to fully understand the legal requirements and that includes so called migration lawyers and surprisingly the immigration officials as well!
The criteria for a visa of any sort moves constantly from year to year and it takes the migration office close on 12 months to issue any sort of visa leaving insufficient life on the visa issued to secure a Cypriot driving licence or registration with Gesy. I have lived constantly in Cyprus for close on 5 years, buying a property costing me €325,000. It took immigration from July 2021 to December 2022 to issue me with a visa that expired in March 2023! Since that date - despite my annual income increasing along with my savings - my annual visa application has been denied and it takes immigration 9 months annually to confirm this and it’s denied annually based on my annual income level that has increased from 2021 by the rate of inflation. I am 77 and live off a UK state pension along side a modest private pension with investments from the sale of my UK properties.
I can assure you that obtaining a visa in Cyprus is far from easy or accessible. Cypriots can only speak and understand English when the conversation is in their favour! The Cypriot law is so badly written it is open to vast interpretation that is understood by no one not even the government and capable of giving the UK inland revenue laws a run for its money. My personal experience of Cyprus is :- it’s hostile, unfriendly, under educated, and corrupt at the highest levels.
I can tell you from personal experience Cyprus is NOT easy and straight forward to obtain permanent residency! No one appears to fully understand the legal requirements and that includes so called migration lawyers and surprisingly the immigration officials as well!
The criteria for a visa of any sort moves constantly from year to year and it takes the migration office close on 12 months to issue any sort of visa leaving insufficient life on the visa issued to secure a Cypriot driving licence or registration with Gesy. I have lived constantly in Cyprus for close on 5 years, buying a property costing me €325,000. It took immigration from July 2021 to December 2022 to issue me with a visa that expired in March 2023! Since that date - despite my annual income increasing along with my savings - my annual visa application has been denied and it takes immigration 9 months annually to confirm this and it’s denied annually based on my annual income level that has increased from 2021 by the rate of inflation. I am 77 and live off a UK state pension along side a modest private pension with investments from the sale of my UK properties.
I can assure you that obtaining a visa in Cyprus is far from easy or accessible. Cypriots can only speak and understand English when the conversation is in their favour! The Cypriot law is so badly written it is open to vast interpretation that is understood by no one not even the government and capable of giving the UK inland revenue laws a run for its money. My personal experience of Cyprus is :- it’s hostile, unfriendly, under educated, and corrupt at the highest levels.