Cyprus Citizenship for Russians

Cyprus citizenship offers Russians a long list of advantages, from visa-free entry to more than 170 countries around the world, to the ability to live permanently in European countries, to the ability to run a business and work as an employee.

How much does a Cypriot passport cost?

Cyprus citizenship cannot be bought, but official status can be obtained after five years of permanent residence in the country.

Until November 1, 2020, Cyprus operated an investment citizenship program. Passports were issued to any foreign national who purchased residential or commercial property worth from 2-2.5 million EUR. This program was closed.

Today it is not possible to obtain a Cyprus passport through investment, but it is possible to obtain residency status. Instead of the closed citizenship program, the country's government amended the rules for obtaining residency and set out the terms for obtaining it through investment.

To participate in this program, you need to purchase a residential property on the primary market worth at least 300,000 EUR.

The residential property purchased can be rented out. This is an excellent way of increasing investment capital: rental yields average from 5 to 7% per year (the amount earned depends on the location of the apartment and its technical characteristics).

The full terms for obtaining Cyprus residency for Russians can be found via the link below.

How to obtain Cypriot citizenship

Cyprus's citizenship law lists four ways to obtain official status. We have already discussed Cyprus citizenship through real estate investment. Let's look at the features of the remaining three options.

Cyprus citizenship through marriage

To obtain a passport, a foreigner must be married to a citizen of Cyprus for at least three years, two of which the spouses must spend on the island.

If the couple has been married for more than five years and has at least one child, it is not required to live together in Cyprus in order to be granted official status. Moreover, in such cases the authorities will not even require an explanation of why the foreign national wishes to obtain a Cypriot passport.

Citizenship through naturalization

Russians can obtain a Cypriot passport after 7 years of permanent residence on the island with official residence permit status. There is one clarification here: during the last (seventh) year, it is important for the foreigner not to leave the country.

A few weeks before submitting the application, the passport applicant needs to place a notice in at least two local newspapers expressing their intent to obtain citizenship. This is done so that any resident of the island can object to the decision to grant official status to the foreign national.

Citizenship by descent

The procedure for obtaining a passport in this case depends on the applicant's date of birth, as well as the place of birth of the parents and the category of the foreign national's relationship with the United Kingdom.

There are three forms of application for registering citizenship in total:

1. Application for a consular birth certificate - this document is filed by foreigners born outside Cyprus after August 16, 1960 (in this case the applicant's father must be a citizen of Cyprus). This application can also be filed by people born after June 11, 1999 whose mothers held Cyprus citizenship at the time of birth.
2. Application for registration of minors: filed by foreigners born in Cyprus before June 11, 1999 (in this case the mother must be a citizen of the country, while the father may hold the passport of any other country).

In addition, UK citizens who have resided on the island for at least 12 months can also obtain a passport.

Requirements for applicants

As already mentioned, citizenship through naturalization can be obtained after 7 years of permanent residence on the island. However, if the applicant is a parent or child of a Cypriot, the period for granting official status is reduced to 5 years.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• age: over 18;
• a clean criminal record is mandatory (confirmed by a relevant certificate);
• no outstanding tax debts to the local tax authorities;
• a basic level of English or Greek;
• no infectious or viral diseases that could pose a risk to island residents.

All applicants undergo a check, during which they provide information on their financial situation, marital status, and any business they hold.

A Cypriot passport: what documents you need to prepare

To obtain a Cyprus passport, a Russian citizen needs to provide the migration service officer with documents such as:

• a valid foreign passport;
• an internal Russian passport;
• documents confirming ownership of residential or commercial real estate;
• a certificate confirming no criminal record;
• a medical certificate confirming the absence of dangerous viral and infectious diseases.

This list is not exhaustive. The list of documents depends on the route to citizenship chosen and the specifics of the applicant's personal situation.

Documents originally drawn up in Russian must be translated into English or Greek. Such documents, or their notarized copies, need to bear an "APOSTILLE" stamp. The translation can also be certified by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country that issued the documents.

What advantages does a Cypriot passport provide?

Obtaining Cyprus citizenship is an excellent way for Russians to secure a fallback option in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Having obtained a Cypriot passport, a foreign national gains the following advantages:

• the right to live in an EU country without needing to obtain a residence permit or citizenship of the chosen state;
• visa-free travel to more than 170 countries around the world (including Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, with a visa on arrival available for Australia);
• tax optimization - Cyprus operates several tax deduction programs.

It is also worth noting that purchasing real estate located on the island is not only a way to obtain a Cyprus passport (having lived under residency status, a foreign investor can apply for citizenship), but also a profitable way to invest. Today the country's construction sector is one of the most intensively developing. This means that an apartment purchased by a foreign investor today could bring them a return of 15-20% in five years, not counting income earned from short-term or long-term rental.