Cyprus · citizenship by investment
Cyprus Investment Programme
Closed as of 1 November 2020
Cyprus suspended the programme and stopped receiving new applications on 1 November 2020, according to the European Commission. Parliament repealed the cabinet's power to grant investor citizenship on 4 December 2025, and the government has revoked citizenship granted to a number of investors and family members.
Investment routes
| Route | Minimum | Holding period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| business/enterprise4 | EUR 2,000,000 | Historical. Each investor invested at least EUR 2 million, as reported by Al Jazeera. More than 3,000 foreign investors received passports between 2013 and 2019. No longer available. |
Rules
Legal basis
Civil Registry Law and Cabinet decisions on naturalisation of investors (exact instruments not confirmed in sources read)
Due diligence
Not described in the sources read. The 2020 inquiry led by former Supreme Court judge Myron Nicolatos found that a majority of the passports issued were unlawful, as reported by the Cyprus Mail.
Residence requirement
Not applicable, programme closed.
Programme history
- Parliament passed a law repealing the regulations that gave the cabinet power to grant citizenship to investors and their families, as reported by the Cyprus Mail, which said 7,329 people including 3,522 investors had received passports through the scheme.5
- The cabinet approved six proposals to withdraw citizenship from 28 naturalised individuals, bringing revocations since March 2023 to 41 decisions involving 150 individuals, as reported by the Cyprus Mail.3
- The Cyprus Mail reported that 332 citizenships granted under the programme had been revoked so far, covering 95 investors and 237 family members, of which 122 (35 investors and 87 relatives) were revoked since March 2023.2
- The cabinet authorised revoking the nationality of 7 investors and 19 family members, on a proposal by Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou.2,3
- Cyprus finished processing all pending applications, according to the Commission.1
- The Commission sent Cyprus a reasoned opinion because it continued processing pending applications.1
- A government appointed inquiry led by Myron Nicolatos found 51.81 percent of passports examined were illegally issued, as reported by Al Jazeera.4
- Cyprus suspended the programme and stopped receiving new applications.1
- The European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Cyprus over its investor citizenship scheme.1
Sources
- European Commission, Investor citizenship schemes, Commission refers Malta to the Court of Justice (IP/22/5422) (29 September 2022) · official
- Cyprus Mail, Cyprus continues revoking golden passports as new cases emerge (4 September 2025)
- Cyprus Mail, Cabinet moves to revoke 28 more golden passports (12 September 2025)
- Al Jazeera, Half of Cyprus passports in cash scheme were illegal, inquiry (16 April 2021)
- Cyprus Mail, Cyprus ends cabinet power to grant golden passports (4 December 2025)
Figures are the minimums and fees stated by the programme or its regulations on the date shown. Agents' fees and other costs are extra. This is not investment or immigration advice.