Work permit in Cyprus

• This is the temporary residence and work permit, called the single permit (GEN) for paid employment. A third-country national must hold it to work as an employee in Cyprus. Domestic work, companies of foreign interests, athletes, trainee accountants and others follow their own rules.
• An employer starts the process. The Department of Labour examines the employer’s application, and the basic precondition is that the employer cannot meet the need from the local labour force, meaning Cypriot or European workers, which the Department checks by investigation.
• The Department of Labour’s criteria are the non-availability of suitably qualified local staff, better use of the local labour force, better working conditions, and terms for foreigners equal to those for Cypriots. Where a foreigner has special skills Cypriots lack, the employer must name a Cypriot to be trained.

Sources: Migration Department, Department of Labour. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The pages we read set no minimum salary for the general permit, so that figure is unknown. The Department of Labour’s rule is that foreigners’ terms and conditions must be the same as for Cypriots.
• The online employer service has a separate category for highly qualified positions with annual gross earnings above €35,000. To be safe, a job paying more than €36,000 a year gross sits clearly in that category. The service also has categories for jobs with and without required qualifications.

Sources: Migration Department, Department of Labour, Department of Labour and Social Insurance Services (gov.cy). Checked 17 October 2026.

• Whoever the employer is and whatever the job, you must have an entry permit before you travel to work. Only athletes and coaches, priests and tourist representatives can enter with a visa from a Cyprus consulate instead.
• Supporting documents for the entry permit must be officially translated and certified. You give biometric data (a photo and fingerprints) and a signature with the payment receipt and a valid travel document, and again at each renewal. Public documents from a Hague Apostille Convention state need an apostille.
• Your employment contract is on a form from the Department of Labour, which publishes versions for local enterprises in general, the tourist industry, and agriculture and animal farming, with and without accommodation and meals. The Department seals the contract.

Sources: Migration Department, Department of Labour. Checked 17 October 2026.

• After you arrive you register in the Aliens Register and apply for the temporary residence and work permit, only at the Migration Department in Nicosia. Appointments are required only for some permits (not this one), and walk-in service runs Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 14:30. You get a letter to collect the permit, or a letter giving the reasons for a rejection.
• The Department examines a complete application within four months; missing documents extend that. Highly paid staff of companies of foreign interests can enter with a visa or an employer’s entry permit and are examined within one month.

Sources: Migration Department. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The entry permit with a temporary residence and work permit valid for 1 to 3 years costs €120. Issuing or renewing a residence and work permit for 1 to 3 years costs €130, and first registration in the Aliens Register costs €70. For highly paid staff of companies of foreign interests the page lists €70, €80 and €70 for the same steps.

Sources: Migration Department. Checked 17 October 2026.

• A permit can last up to three consecutive years, set by the length of your contract. The maximum stay for employment is four years, and three for trainee accountants. Athletes and coaches, farm workers, expatriates and specialised cooks have no maximum.
• To change employer, you and your employer can end the contract by mutual agreement with a signed release document. The release gives you 30 days to find a new employer and apply to renew your permit.
• Highly paid staff of companies of foreign interests can stay without a time limit while their permit is valid, and can move to another such company if they find work within one month.

Sources: Migration Department. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The pages describe no step from the general work permit to permanent residence. The four-year maximum stay for general employment sits beside a long-term resident document list that asks for tax returns and social insurance statements for the last 5 years, and how the two fit together is not stated.

Sources: Migration Department. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The Tax Department says more than 183 days in Cyprus in a tax year makes you tax resident. Its 60-day alternative needs at least 60 days in Cyprus, no more than 183 days in any other country, a business or job in Cyprus and a permanent home you own or rent. Income tax rates from the 2026 tax year run from 0% up to €22,000 to 35% above €72,000.
• Employees pay social insurance of 8.8% of earnings up to the 2026 monthly maximum of €5,742. The health system (GeSY) contribution on employee pay is 2.65%, and the Tax Department says it applies if you are a Cyprus tax resident or the income comes from Cyprus.
• The Tax Department's return guide describes first-employment allowances: 50% of annual pay for 17 years if you were resident outside Cyprus for at least 15 consecutive years before your first job there (10 years for a first job started between 1 January 2022 and 29 June 2023) and the pay is above €55,000 a year, or 20% (capped at €8,550 a year) for 7 years if you were employed abroad for at least 3 consecutive years before the first job started, for jobs starting between 26 July 2022 and 31 December 2027.

Sources: Republic of Cyprus, Business in Cyprus. Checked 17 October 2026.

• Digital nomad visa in Cyprus
• Retirement visa in Cyprus
• Family visa in Cyprus
• Golden visa in Cyprus

• Visas in Cyprus
• Cyprus

1. Categories of persons and countries whose nationals do not require a visa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus (gov.cy). Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive copy of 6 December 2025. Lists Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States for a stay up to 90 days as bona fide visitors.
2. Cyprus country information for US travellers, Internet Archive copy of 9 July 2026, US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Checked 16 October 2026. Up to 90 days without a visa for tourism or business, a temporary residence permit for longer; six months' passport validity recommended and two blank pages; sufficient funds and a return ticket; Cyprus is in the EU but not in Schengen; no residence permit for work or study for a US citizen who tests positive for HIV; enter and leave the Republic only at Larnaca and Paphos airports and the seaports of Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos. The page itself shows "Last Updated: January 21, 2025".
3. Remunerated employment (single permit – GEN), Internet Archive copy of 7 March 2026, Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 17 October 2026. Page posted 30 December 2025. Gives the fees (€120, €130 and €70), the four-month examination time, the three-year permit and the four-year maximum stay.
4. Social Security agreements with other countries, Internet Archive copy of 10 October 2026, US Social Security Administration. Checked 16 October 2026. Lists the countries with a totalization agreement (the latest, Romania, in force from 1 September 2026); Cyprus is not on the list. Explains that US Social Security covers US citizens employed abroad by American employers, which can produce dual coverage without an agreement.
5. Social Insurance Registration and Contributions, Business in Cyprus, Republic of Cyprus government portal. Checked 17 October 2026. Employee, employer and state shares of the social insurance contribution (8.8%, 8.8% and 5.2%).
6. Foreign earned income exclusion: figuring the exclusion, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026. Maximum exclusion for tax year 2026 is 132,900 dollars per person.
7. Foreign earned income exclusion: physical presence test, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026. 330 full days in a foreign country in any 12 consecutive months.
8. Cyprus travel advice and advisories (entry and exit requirements), Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 16 October 2026. Last updated 11 August 2026. Tourist and business visa not required for stays up to 90 days; student visa required; a Canadian passport must be valid at least 6 months beyond the date you expect to leave (Cyprus's own visa page asks for 3 months for visa applicants); customs may ask for a return ticket and proof of funds; ETIAS applications "not yet open", 30 European countries; an exit permit may be needed for dual citizens aged 16 or over or people eligible for Cypriot citizenship; entering through the north of the island is illegal; permits issued by the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" are not recognised.
9. Criminal record checks: processing times and fees, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Checked 16 October 2026. Federal fee 25 Canadian dollars per check, collected with any local fingerprinting charge; 3 business days or less with no match, up to 120 business days if manual processing is needed.
10. Authentication of documents: requirements, Global Affairs Canada. Checked 16 October 2026. Opened 16 October 2026. Global Affairs Canada authenticates and issues apostilles for Government of Canada documents and for documents issued or notarized in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island and Yukon; the competent authorities of the other provinces issue apostilles for their own documents; documents must be paper originals with a recognised signature.
11. Cyprus: pensions and benefits (Canada-Cyprus social security agreement), Government of Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada). Checked 16 October 2026. Page dated 6 October 2026. Agreement on Social Security in force since 1 May 1991; covers the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security (not the Quebec Pension Plan); periods in either country can help you qualify for old age, disability and survivor benefits, each country paying only for its own periods; residence in Cyprus after age 18 can count toward OAS.
12. Convention between Canada and the Republic of Cyprus for the avoidance of double taxation (signed 2 May 1984), text (CTS 1985 No. 12), Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada, Treaty Law Division). Checked 16 October 2026. Opened 16 October 2026. Article 4 residence and tie-breaker (permanent home, centre of vital interests, habitual abode, nationality); article 14 independent services taxable only in the country of residence unless there is a fixed base; article 15 employment taxable where the work is done, unless 183 days or less in the calendar year and either pay of C$3,000 or less or pay from a non-resident employer not borne by a local establishment; article 18 pensions and annuities (tax in the paying country limited above C$10,000 and 15%), and social security pensions taxable only in the paying country; article 24 relief from double tax; article 25 non-discrimination; no clause letting a country tax its own citizens living in the other (article 29 keeps only Canada's foreign-affiliate rules); the text gives no entry-into-force date.
13. Cyprus travel advice, Internet Archive copy of 12 October 2026, Smartraveller (Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). Checked 16 October 2026. Page updated 23 July 2026 and marked still current at 13 October 2026: Australians do not need a tourist visa for stays of up to 90 days in a 6-month period; anyone staying longer must apply for a visa, which can be done in Cyprus; overstayers can be put on a stop list and refused re-entry for up to five years; advice is to exercise a high degree of caution; Australia does not recognise the Turkish Cypriot administration in the north.
14. National Police Checks, Australian Federal Police. Checked 16 October 2026. A National Police Check can be used for working overseas; each application costs 57 Australian dollars, or 114 with fingerprints; identity documents worth 100 points are needed. The page does not say whether Cyprus accepts it, and the Cypriot list does not name the document.
15. Notarial services (legalising documents) in Australia, Internet Archive copy of 12 March 2026, Smartraveller (Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). Checked 16 October 2026. Page last updated 4 March 2026: DFAT legalises Australian public documents and notarised copies by apostille or authentication for 105 Australian dollars; it cannot say whether the overseas authority needs it, so ask that authority.
16. Social Security Agreement between Australia and Cyprus: text, Internet Archive copy of 19 November 2024, Department of Social Services (Australian Government). Checked 16 October 2026. Articles 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 read: the agreement covers Australian age pension, disability support pension for the severely disabled, widows' pensions and carer pension, and Cyprus social insurance benefits for age, invalidity and work injury, survivors and funerals; a person working in Cyprus is insured under Cypriot law even if they live in Australia; residence in Cyprus counts as residence in Australia for claiming.
17. Income tax treaties: treaties in force (Australia), Australian Treasury. Checked 16 October 2026. Table last updated 24 March 2026: no entry for Cyprus, so there is no income tax treaty between Australia and Cyprus.
18. Annex 1: list of third countries whose nationals need, or are exempt from, a visa to cross the external borders (hosted on gov.cy), Cyprus Government Portal (gov.cy), linked from the Visas page as the list for ordinary passports. Checked 16 October 2026. Part B, the list of third countries whose nationals are exempted from holding a visa when crossing the external borders, includes New Zealand. The PDF is dated by its upload folder (January 2026).
19. Criminal records: get your own, Ministry of Justice (New Zealand). Checked 16 October 2026. Opened on 16 October 2026. The Ministry aims to respond to criminal record check requests within 20 working days (Privacy Act 2020); if a country asks for the record to be Apostille-certified, you send the record you get to the Department of Internal Affairs Apostille service.
20. Use your NZ documents overseas (apostille and authentication), New Zealand Government (govt.nz), Department of Internal Affairs Authentication Unit. Checked 16 October 2026. Page last updated 15 September 2026. Lists Cyprus as an apostille country; NZ$37 for one apostille certificate and 15 working days; an urgent service of 5 working days costs NZ$120.
21. Tax treaties (New Zealand double tax agreements in force, signed and under negotiation), Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 16 October 2026. Opened on 16 October 2026. 41 agreements in force; Cyprus is on none of the lists (in force, signed, or being negotiated).
22. Social security agreements, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development). Checked 16 October 2026. Lists the countries with a New Zealand social security agreement: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Greece, Malta, Netherlands, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Cyprus is not on it.
23. Countries and regions: working holiday visa schemes (New Zealand's arrangements with over 40 countries), New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Checked 16 October 2026. Opened on 16 October 2026. The table of working holiday arrangements for New Zealanders (generally ages 18 to 30, some 35) has no entry for Cyprus.
24. Department of Labour: general information on the employment of non-EU citizens, Internet Archive copy of 30 August 2024, Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance (mlsi.gov.cy). Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 13 August 2024 according to the copy; based on Council of Ministers decision 33.210 of 15 March 1990 and the criteria agreed with the social partners.
25. Department of Labour: criteria for employment of non-EU citizens, Internet Archive copy of 30 August 2024, Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance (mlsi.gov.cy). Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 13 August 2024 according to the copy; the criteria date from an agreement between the social partners.
26. Application for Employment of Third Country Nationals (online service), Internet Archive copy of 14 November 2025, Department of Labour and Social Insurance Services (gov.cy). Checked 17 October 2026. Lists the position categories an employer can apply for; the highly qualified category is for annual gross earnings of more than €35,000.
27. Document certification and apostille, Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 16 October 2026. Opened live on 16 October 2026. Documents must be in Greek or English or carry an official translation by a sworn translator, the issuing country's consular authority or a government department; public documents from states that ratified the Hague Apostille Convention must carry an apostille; copies are certified in the same way; non-public documents must be certified by a certifying authority of the issuing state.
28. Department of Labour: applications by employers (contract forms), Internet Archive copy of 10 September 2024, Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance (mlsi.gov.cy). Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 13 August 2024 according to the copy; lists contract forms for local enterprises, including general, tourist industry and agriculture and animal farming.
29. Appointments at the Migration Department, Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 16 October 2026. Opened live on 16 October 2026. An appointment is required only for Migration Permits (Categories A to F), Regulation 6(2) permits, long-term resident status, card renewals for those permits, and the student service point; the nomad permit is not on that list. Submission of other applications, biometrics and collection of documents are served without an appointment, first come first served, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 14:30 (last entry 14:00). People who live outside the Nicosia district are served by the district units of the Aliens and Immigration Unit, while the nomad page says to file at the central offices in Nicosia.
30. Procedure for application submission for entry and residence, processing time and maximum duration of residence (highly paid employees of companies of foreign interests), Internet Archive copy of 27 April 2026, Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 17 October 2026. Page posted 30 December 2025; covers highly paid third-country nationals employed at companies of foreign interests, not the general route. Gives a one-month examination time and no time limit on stay.
31. Acquisition of the status of long-term resident: list of documents (Greek Word file on the Migration Department site), Internet Archive copy of 7 March 2026, Migration Department, Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection (gov.cy). Checked 16 October 2026. File posted December 2025, in Greek (read and translated on 16 October 2026): tax returns, VAT returns and social insurance contribution statements for the last 5 years, a Greek A2 certificate, bank statements for 12 months.
32. Tax Residency/Domicility, Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Finance, Tax Department. Checked 17 October 2026. Page posted 8 July 2026. 183-day rule, 60-day rule, domicile for Special Defence Contribution, 17-of-20-years rule, and the tax consequences for non-domiciled and non-resident individuals.
33. Individual Income Tax Return: tax bands from tax year 2026, Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Finance, Tax Department. Checked 17 October 2026. Page updated 6 July 2026. Tax bands from tax year 2026: 0% up to 22,000 euros, 20% to 32,000, 25% to 42,000, 30% to 72,000, 35% above.
34. Notice on the maximum insurable earnings for 2026, Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, Social Insurance Services. Checked 17 October 2026. Notice dated December 2025, published 15 January 2026: maximum insurable earnings of 5,742 euros a month from 1 January 2026.
35. General Healthcare System (GeSY) contributions (Greek-language page), Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Finance, Tax Department. Checked 17 October 2026. Rates table: 2.65% on employee pay from 1 July 2020, employer withholding 2.90%, income up to 180,000 euros; GeSY applies if you are a Cyprus tax resident or the income comes from Cyprus. The English address opens the Greek page.
36. Guide for the completion of the income tax return for individuals 2025, Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Finance, Tax Department. Checked 17 October 2026. Part 3 (tax residence) and Part 4A1 codes for first-employment allowances (50% for 17 years, 20% capped at 8,550 euros for 7 years) and for employment outside the Republic for over 90 days. Written for the 2025 tax year.
37. Summarized explanatory table for sections 21 and 21A of article 8 of the Income Tax Law, Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Finance, Tax Department. Checked 17 October 2026. One-page table: 20% exemption capped at 8,550 euros; 5 years for 8(21), 7 years for 8(21A) for employment starting between 26 July 2022 and 31 December 2027.