Route comparison
Search and select up to three routes. ReloTide compares reliable published metadata first and shows optional structured facts only where source-backed data exists.
Route picker
Side-by-side research
Baseline rows come from published route metadata. Optional fields appear only where ReloTide has source-backed structured enrichment.
| Field | 🇨🇾CyprusCyprus Startup Visa 2026 |
|---|---|
| Country | Cyprus (CY) |
| Route | Cyprus Startup Visa 2026 |
| Route family | Startup / founder |
| Route type | startup |
| Summary | Current Cyprus Startup Visa guide: scheme validity through December 2026, innovation approval, two-year economic-activity framework and separate residence steps. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-20 |
| Official/supporting source count | 8 |
| Route guide | Open full guide → |
| Program availability | ActiveSource 1Source 2Source 3Source 4Source 5Source 6Source 7 |
| Best-fit work models | Startup founder, Business owner, Local employmentSource 1Source 2Source 3Source 4Source 5Source 6Source 7 |
| Income requirement | The current published Startup Visa criteria do not state a fixed personal annual-income threshold. The application is assessed against the innovation/business-plan criteria and relevant company conditions; an unstated threshold should not be inferred.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Savings requirement | The reviewed current scheme information does not specify a personal savings-balance threshold. This is distinct from the company ownership and business-performance criteria and does not rule out requests for evidence in an individual case.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Investment requirement | At least 25% of the startup's shares must be held by one or more members of the applicant/team. The revised scheme does not state a universal minimum monetary investment by the founder; a separate company investment of at least EUR 150,000 enables recruitment of additional foreign staff under the scheme, not basic visa eligibility.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Government fees | The Migration Department publishes EUR 120 for an entry permit and temporary residence permit, EUR 130 for issue or renewal of a temporary residence permit, and EUR 70 for first registration in the Aliens' Register.As of 2026-10-09Source 1 |
| Processing time | The innovation authority targets a decision within five weeks of receiving a complete application. The Migration Department states that the subsequent immigration application is examined within three weeks after complete submission; a visitor-status change request is listed at five weeks.As of 2026-10-09Source 1 |
| Validity | The scheme is currently renewed through December 2026. The revised scheme announcement effective 1 January 2025 describes residence permits of three years, renewable for a further two years. The Migration Department's operational page still describes a one-year permit for a founder already in Cyprus from the initial-approval notification; because these official descriptions conflict, applicants should confirm the issued permit term with the Department.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Renewal | The revised scheme allows renewal after the initial three-year period for a further two years. The Government announcement says renewal assessment expects at least 15% revenue growth or EUR 150,000 investment during Cyprus operations, plus at least one specified development outcome: three new Cyprus jobs, participation in a local innovation-support programme, or launch of a new product/service. The Migration Department's operational page describes an older one-year permit for a specific in-country application path, so confirm the applicable renewal process and duration with the authority.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Family inclusion | The revised scheme provides immediate residence eligibility and family-reunification rights for founders' and senior executives' family members, subject to immigration-law conditions. The official practical guide specifically identifies spouses and their labour-market rights; confirm the individual family-member category and documents with the Migration Department.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Spouse work rights | The official Startup Visa practical guide states that founders' and senior executives' spouses have access to the labour market on the same terms and conditions as the sponsor, subject to the applicable residence and employment rules.As of 2026-10-09Source 1 |
| Local-work rules | After separate immigration approval, founders may be self-employed or employed in their registered company; senior executives under the team scheme may be employed by the company registered in Cyprus. Initial innovation approval alone does not grant entry, residence or work rights. The scheme's stated employment framework is limited to the qualifying startup and immigration conditions.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Application location | Initial innovation applications are submitted to the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy through the scheme's designated email/service. The subsequent entry/residence application is submitted to the Migration Department's headquarters in Nicosia; applicants abroad may use a Cyprus consular authority for the visa stage as applicable.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Permanent-residence pathway | Startup Visa is a temporary scheme, not an automatic permanent-residence grant. The revised scheme announcement says successful companies renewing after the first three years may have a prospect of long-term residence; this is conditional and not an entitlement. Any separate Cyprus long-term-resident application remains subject to its own residence and eligibility rules.As of 2026-10-09Source 1Source 2 |
| Citizenship pathway | Startup Visa approval does not itself confer citizenship. Naturalisation is a separate process under the current M127 residence-based rules, including residence, language, integration, character and other requirements; eligibility depends on the applicant's complete residence history.As of 2026-10-09Source 1 |
Use Eligibility Check to surface published routes worth researching, then send up to three directly into this comparison.