Cyprus Permanent Residence Costs in 2026: The €300,000 Threshold, VAT, Fees and Property Rules

When a family asks me what Cyprus costs, I split the answer in two. The first part is the property, which stays yours. The second part is money you will not get back: tax on the purchase, the lawyer, state fees, insurance and support. Both parts depend on what you buy, so I start with the rules for the property itself.

The threshold: €300,000, counted before VAT

The criteria set a minimum investment of €300,000. For a house or apartment the market value must be at least €300,000 plus VAT, and the official payment receipts must reach at least €300,000 excluding VAT. This applies regardless of the delivery date, so an off-plan home can qualify once it is paid to that level.

Which property qualifies

A new home from a developer (category A)

A house or apartment counts only if it is a first sale by a development company. There is one exception: a resale home qualifies if its sale contract was filed with the Department of Lands and Surveys before 7 May 2013.

You may buy up to two housing units, as long as their total market value meets the threshold. The units do not have to come from the same developer, and couples can use the same rule. If the bedrooms of the property are not enough for your dependants, you name another property where they will live, through a title deed, a sale contract or a rental agreement.

Offices, shops and hotels (category B)

Other real estate such as offices, shops, hotels or related developments can be combined to reach €300,000, and it can be bought on resale. In this category you also show where you will live in Cyprus.

Buying through a company

The purchase is accepted in the name of a legal person if the applicant or spouse are its sole shareholders or ultimate beneficial owners, and the company is established in Cyprus or another EU or EEA state.

How the money must travel

The money for the investment must be transferred to Cyprus from abroad and must not come from borrowing in Cyprus. Proof is given with remittances, foreign card payment receipts or a bank certificate, linked to the specific purchase. The payment goes from the applicant’s account to the seller’s account at a Cypriot financial institution. An official clarification allows the transfer from a company account if the applicant or spouse are its sole shareholders and that shareholder is included in the application.

The sale contract or title deed in your name or your spouse’s name must be filed with the Department of Lands and Surveys. If it was signed or issued more than a year before you apply, you add a recent search certificate from the same department.

The state fees

The official fees are €500 on submission of the application and €70 for each person included, for the Alien Registration Certificate where the person does not already have one. A couple with two children therefore pays €500 plus 4 × €70, which is €780.

A sample budget from BRIDGES

BRIDGES publishes a sample budget for one person. These are its practice figures, not official fees:

Item	New home from a developer	Commercial property on resale
Property	€300,000	€300,000
VAT or transfer fee	VAT €57,000 (19%)	Transfer fee about €8,600
Transaction lawyer, 1% plus VAT	€3,570	€3,570
Land Department registration and certificates	€75	€75
Application fee	€500	€500
Alien Registration Certificate	€70	€70
BRIDGES all-in support	€7,000	€7,000
Total	from €368,215	from €319,815

Three notes from the same BRIDGES page. VAT on a new home is 19%, and BRIDGES says a 5% rate can apply to your own home if you relocate; the conditions need to be checked with the lawyer before you sign. On a resale of commercial property there is no VAT, and the transfer fee quoted already includes a 50% reduction. BRIDGES also states that stamp duty has been abolished since 2026.

The €48,400 difference between the two columns is mostly VAT. It is real money, but commercial property is a different asset to own and let, so I never choose a category only by this line.

Costs that grow with the family

The investment threshold is the same for a single applicant and for a family. What grows is the income you must prove, €70 per person for registration and insurance. BRIDGES quotes a basic Plan A health insurance policy at €120 to €430 a year per person, depending on age, and family support at €10,000 instead of €7,000.

Selling later

The property is yours, but it is tied to the status. If you dispose of the investment without immediately replacing it with another qualifying one of the same or higher value, the permit is cancelled. BRIDGES says the same in plain words: a sale is only possible with immediate replacement.

What I check before any deposit

• The developer, the building permits, the title and any encumbrances, which BRIDGES checks before the deposit.
• That the home is a genuine first sale, or that the 2013 exception applies.
• That every euro of the qualifying amount will arrive from abroad through a traceable bank route.
• The VAT rate for this exact property and who confirms it.

BRIDGES lists properties that qualify for the threshold and its cost calculator on the page about Cyprus permanent residence. For the steps that follow the purchase, see my guide to the application process and documents. Last checked 19 October 2026.