1 Introduction
The Ministry of Interior has recently issued clarifying information with respect to the Civil Registry (Amendment) Law of 2023, which has entered into force since 19 December 2023, with respect to the qualifications and criteria for the naturalisation of foreign nationals.
2 Revision of foreign nationals’ qualifications
2.1 As per the provisions of the new legislation, the below qualifications must be cumulatively met for the acquisition of citizenship by an adult foreign national:
2.1.1 legal and continuous physical residence in Cyprus for the entire period of the immediately preceding 12 months from the date of application, noting that any periods of absence of up to 90 days within the aforementioned 12-month period do not interrupt such time period;
2.1.2 completion of at least 7 years of legal physical residence in Cyprus within a period of 10 years from the 12-month period mentioned in point 2.1.1 above;
2.1.3 the applicant must be of good character;
2.1.4 the applicant must be a holder of B1 certificate of knowledge of the Greek language as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the Council of Europe, which may be obtained upon Greek Proficiency Certification Examinations conducted by the Greek Language Centre of the Hellenic Republic through the Examination Service of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth (this examination is ordinarily held during May each year);
2.1.5 the applicant must have basic knowledge of Cyprus modern political and social status by obtaining a certificate of success with a grade equal to or greater than 60% via an examination assessing the knowledge of basic elements of contemporary politics and social reality of Cyprus conducted by the Examination Service of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth (this examination is ordinarily held twice a year, on dates announced by the Examination Service);
2.1.6 the applicant must have suitable accommodation and stable and regular financial resources, sufficient for the maintenance of himself/herself as well as his/her dependant family members. Title deed, sale agreement and payment receipts or rental agreement and relevant rent payment receipts as well as utility bill payment receipts must be submitted for this purpose. In addition, payslips/proof of salary, employment contract, social insurances, income tax, bank accounts or any other evidence that may prove the income of the applicant; and
2.1.7 the applicant must have the intention to stay in Cyprus.
3 Highly qualified foreign nationals employed in companies of foreign interests as determined by the Council of Ministers
3.1 Pursuant to the provisions of the new legislation, the qualifications are differentiated for foreign nationals residing in Cyprus for the purpose of highly qualified employment in the below companies:
1. companies of foreign interests operating in Cyprus and maintaining separate offices in Cyprus, which are located in suitable premises, apart from any private residence or other office;
2. Cypriot shipping companies;
3. Cypriot high-tech/innovation companies with products related to the aviation and space industry, computers, IT, technology and communication sector, pharmaceuticals, biomedical equipment, research and development equipment, electrical machinery, chemicals, non- electrical machinery;
4. Cypriot pharmaceutical companies or Cypriot companies active in the fields of biogenetics and biotechnology; and
5. companies already registered in the Register of Foreign Companies of the Civil Registry and Migration Department.
3.2 An adult foreign national who, on the day of submission of his/her application and on the day of examination of such application, is employed in a company that meets the below conditions and whose employment was highly qualified according to the criteria below, may apply for the acquisition of Cypriot citizenship by naturalisation in case the following qualifications are cumulatively fulfilled:
3.2.1 legal and continuous physical residence in Cyprus for the entire period of the immediately preceding 12 months from the date of application, noting that any periods of absence of up to 90 days within the aforementioned 12-month period do not interrupt such time period;
3.2.2 during the 10 years prior to the 12-month period, the applicant must have been legally resident for a cumulative period of not less than 4 years or 3 years depending on the level of knowledge of the Greek language, i.e. A2 or B1 respectively, noting that any periods of absence not exceeding a total of 90 days per year are not considered as absence;
3.2.3 the applicant must be of good character;
3.2.4 the applicant must be a holder of A2 or B1 (as the case may be) certificate of knowledge of the Greek language as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the Council of Europe, which may be obtained upon Greek Proficiency Certification Examinations conducted by the Greek Language Centre of the Hellenic Republic through the Examination Service of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth (ordinarily take place during May each year);
3.2.5 the applicant must have basic knowledge of Cyprus modern political and social status by obtaining a certificate of success with a grade equal to or greater than 60% via an examination assessing the knowledge of basic elements of contemporary politics and social reality of Cyprus conducted by the Examination Service of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth (this examination is ordinarily held twice a year, on dates announced by the Examination Service);
3.2.6 the applicant must have suitable accommodation and stable and regular financial resources, sufficient for the maintenance of himself/herself as well as his/her dependant family members. Title deed, sale agreement and payment receipts or rental agreement and relevant rent payment receipts as well as utility bill payment receipts must be submitted for this purpose. In addition, payslip/proof of salary, employment contract, social insurances, income tax, bank accounts or any other evidence that may prove the income of the applicant; and
3.2.7 the applicant must have the intention to stay in Cyprus.
3.3 For the purposes of the new process with respect to the naturalisation of foreign nationals, highly qualified employees are considered the following:
3.3.1 persons who hold temporary residence permits for the purpose of employment in companies of foreign interests, assuming that they belong to the following categories:
– Director;
– Specialist; or
– Key personnel.
(refers to companies that have been registered in the Register of Foreign Companies of the Civil Registry and Migration Department prior to the entry into force of the “Strategy for Attracting Businesses for Activities or/and Expansion of their Activities in Cyprus”); or
3.3.2 persons regardless of their residence status who:
– receive a minimum gross monthly salary in the amount of €2500; and
– hold a university diploma or title or an equivalent qualification or certificates of experience in a corresponding employment position lasting 2 years (e.g. tax returns).
(refers to companies that have been registered in the Register of Foreign Companies via Business Facilitation Unit upon the entry into force of the “Strategy for Attracting Businesses for Activities or/and Expansion of their Activities in Cyprus”, noting that relevant decision letter must be submitted as part of the applicant’s application).
4 Family Members
The following foreign nationals are considered as eligible family members of the beneficiary and may apply together with or after the beneficiary, provided that they meet the residence and language requirements:
– spouse or partner; and/or
– dependent adult child with a disability.
5 Submission of applications
Applications are submitted via local District Administration Offices, along with any relevant supporting documentation.
Key Contacts
For further information, please contact:
Pavlos Kaimakliotis
Partner
Tel: +357 24 01 01 01
pavlos.kaimakliotis@kaimakliotis.com
Alexandros Apostolatos
Partner
Tel: +357 24 01 01 06
alex.apostolatos@kaimakliotis.com