Cyprus

Cyprus

Southern Europe / Mediterranean

EuropeEU
78
Overall score
Strong overall
Language
Greek
Currency
EUR
Citizenship
8 years (standard route)
Personal tax
0–35%
Cost of living
€1,500 / mo (single)

A low-tax, English-friendly EU island: 15% corporate tax, no capital gains on most securities and a non-dom regime, though it is outside Schengen and citizenship is slow.

Pros

  • 15% corporate + non-dom regime
  • 0% CGT on most securities
  • English widely spoken

Cons

  • Not in Schengen
  • Citizenship is slow
  • Smaller job market

Best for

Holding companiesInvestors & tradersNon-dom relocators

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
91
Citizenship
67
Residence
59
Money & business
Taxes
82
Corporate tax
57
Business
66
Investment
63
Economy
82
Wealth building
70
Living, study & work
Education
88
Salary & work
69
Cost of living
63
Buying power
79
Quality of life
Safety
73
Healthcare
82
Infrastructure
76
HDI
91

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Excellent
91

Passport-index style mobility for the Cyprus passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

181 / 198
Mobility
#14
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free132
  • On arrival40
  • eTA9
  • Visa required17

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Good
67
Years required8 years standard; reduced periods can apply to eligible high-skilled workers
Dual allowedtrue
LanguageBasic Greek (B1) for standard naturalisation
ResidenceEight years of qualifying legal residence under the standard route
NotesThe former cash-for-passport CBI scheme was abolished in 2020; only standard naturalisation remains.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Moderate
59
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock14.9% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality0.74 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
Permanent Residence by investment (€300k)Digital Nomad VisaWork permitCompany employee (ICT)
StudentStudent permit; limited part-time work in approved sectors.
WorkPermits via 'companies of foreign interest' route for skilled hires.
Self-employedSelf-employment & business permits; substance requirements.
PermanentFast PR via €300k property/investment; citizenship later by naturalisation.

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Excellent
82
Personal0% up to €19,500, then 20–35%; non-dom exemptions on dividends/interest
Corporate15% from 1 January 2026
Capital gains0% except on Cyprus-situated real estate (20%)
Dividends0% for non-doms (17% SDC otherwise)
Exit taxLimited; EU ATAD exit tax at corporate level
Foreign cosCFC rules apply (ATAD)
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Limited
36
Personal0% up to €19,500, then 20–35%; non-dom exemptions on dividends/interest
FreelanceSelf-employed register; favorable non-dom treatment on some income
Capital gains0% except on Cyprus-situated real estate (20%)
Dividends0% for non-doms (17% SDC otherwise)
Exit taxLimited; EU ATAD exit tax at corporate level
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Moderate
57
Corporate15% from 1 January 2026
Capital gains0% except on Cyprus-situated real estate (20%)
Dividends0% for non-doms (17% SDC otherwise)
Foreign cosCFC rules apply (ATAD)
Business
Business friendliness
Good
66
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality0.74 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness0.87 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Yes: full foreign ownership; popular holding jurisdiction
Local co.Private LTD in ~1–2 weeks; common IP & holding structures
FreelanceSelf-employed register; favorable non-dom treatment on some income
Corporate tax15% from 1 January 2026
Capital gains0% except on Cyprus-situated real estate (20%)
Exit taxLimited; EU ATAD exit tax at corporate level
Foreign cosCFC rules apply (ATAD)
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Moderate
63
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap29% of GDP (2024)
Private credit57% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gains0% CGT on securities; non-dom: no tax on dividends/interest for 17 yrs
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxNone
BrokersGood: many EU/forex brokers based in Limassol
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Excellent
82
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$37.6B (2024)
GDP / person$38,674 (2024)
GNI / person$56,200 PPP (2024)
GDP growth3.9% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation1.8% / yr (2024)
Unemployment4.9% (2025)
Output per worker$70,318 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture1.2% of GDP (2024)
Industry11.1% of GDP (2024)
Services76.5% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
TourismFinancial & professional servicesShippingReal estate
Top exports
Services (tourism, finance, shipping)PharmaceuticalsRefined fuels
TypeHigh-income, services-led
Key sectorsTourism, International business & funds, Ship management
SummaryA services-driven island economy built on tourism, international business and ship management.
CurrencyEuro (eurozone member)
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Good
70
How this score is calculated

How favourable Cyprus is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Moderate
58
Business
Good
69
Investment
Good
78
Tax friendliness
Excellent
82
Cost of living
Moderate
63

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Excellent
88
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling16.2 years (2023)
Mean schooling12.6 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment121% gross (2024)
Education spending4.7% of GDP (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Tuition€3,500–9,000 / yr
Public uniPublic universities charge moderate tuition; many English programs
LanguagesGreek, English
Student workLimited part-time work for non-EU students in approved sectors
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Good
69
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$70,318 PPP (2024)
Unemployment4.9% (2025)
Participation67.0% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$2,265 · $3,543 PPP (2024)
Tech (IT & comms)$3,064 · $4,791 PPP (2024)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceGrowing: many relocated tech & forex/gaming firms
Job marketLimassol tech & fintech cluster; English-friendly workplaces.
Cost of living
Affordability
Moderate
63

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level64 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent€900–1,500 (1BR Limassol)
Monthly€1,500
CitiesNicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Good
79
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$56,200 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$24,818 PPP (2024)
Price level64 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality31.8 Gini (2023)
Inflation1.8% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Good
73
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate0.8 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law0.69 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption0.53 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability0.39 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Excellent
82
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy81.8 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality5.0 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians3.56 per 1,000 (2022)
Hospital beds2.15 per 1,000 (2022)
Health spending$4,538 PPP / person (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemUniversal public (GHS/GESY) + private
InsuranceGESY contributions for residents; private common
Avg cost€400–900 / yr private cover
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Good
76
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use89.6% (2024)
Internet resilience70 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed84 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed71 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access100.0% (2023)
Grid losses3.0% of output (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality2.80 / 5 (2022)
Air connectivity5,017 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Excellent
91
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.913 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy81.6 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling16.2 years (2023)
Mean schooling12.6 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$45,394 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.