Cypriot nationality law

The first, being married to a Cypriot national, requires one to be married for at least 3 years, and have completed 2 years of residency in Cyprus prior to the date of the application.

In the case where the Cypriot national is living abroad, the applicant must either have been married to the Cypriot national for 3 years and submit an accompanying letter explaining why citizenship is desired, or have been married to the Cypriot national for 5 years and have at least one child (in which case an accompanying letter is not required).[1]

The documents required are:[1]

• Birth certificate of the applicant
• Certificate of clean criminal record of the applicant
• Marriage certificate
• Birth certificate of the couple's children
• Certificate of acquisition of the Cypriot citizenship of the Cypriot spouse (where applicable)
• Statement of harmonious cohabitation signed before an Officer of the District Administration Office or the diplomatic authority
• Statement of cohabitation from the local authority
• The application should be submitted in duplicate and one of the two application forms should bear two stamps worth €8.54.
• Photocopy of receipt for the amount of €300 paid as fees

To apply through this method, one must be over 18 years old, and naturally, have Cypriot origins, as long as one was born abroad after 16 August 1960, with one's parent at the time of birth a Cypriot citizen. One can apply in this way if one is an individual born after 11 June 1999, whose mother was a Cypriot citizen at the time of one's birth.[2]

Accompanying the application must be:

• Birth certificate of the applicant
• Marriage certificate of the applicant's parents
• Photocopy of the applicant's and the applicant's parents' passports
• Certificate of registration of the Cypriot parent (where applicable)
• Copy of proof of fees paid €20
• Stamp worth €8.54 attached to the application [2]

Naturalisation is referred to as the process for which a non-citizen of a country, in this case Cyprus, may become a citizen of that country. The process may be done via a statute or an application to the relevant authorities.

In March 2014, the Cyprus Council of Ministers revised the "Scheme for Naturalisation of Investors in Cyprus by Exception" as part of the government's attempts to attract foreign investors to the country.[3] One of these attempts included a program that granted applicants the right to live, work and study in Cyprus and in the European Union.[4]

On 13 September 2016, the Council of Ministers approved a new program of financial criteria for investors wishing to obtain citizenship of Cyprus, the Cyprus Investment Programme.[5]

Applicants applying for Cypriot citizenship through this citizenship-by-investment option must actively invest in the Cyprus economy, by primarily purchasing real estate at a minimum value of €2m which must be held for at least 5 years, thereafter the property may be sold however they must maintain a property of at least €500,000 indefinitely. Citizenship by investment includes the main applicant and his or her spouse and unmarried dependents aged 28 and under. The main applicant's parents can also be added for an additional investment of €500,000[6] According to recent amendments also the applicants on approval need to make donations of total of 150.000 euros. The recent amendments also make a condition that the applicants holds a valid Schengen visa.[7]

Following amendments to procedures in 2019, citizenship is now only approved after 6 months rather than 3 months as before.[8]

Cyprus suspended its citizenship for investment program from 1 November 2020. The scheme provided passports that guarantee visa-free travel in the European Union for a minimum investment of Є2 million.[9]

According to the Republic of Cyprus Citizenship Law of 1967, anyone born on or after 16 August 1960, and with at least one parent being a Cypriot citizen, automatically acquires Cypriot citizenship.[10] Those who were born between 16 August 1960 and 1999 to a Cypriot mother abroad however, do not automatically become citizens of Cyprus, but they may register after they turn 21 years old.[11]