# Move Your Team to Cyprus: eligibility, permits, families, cost and timeline

> Plan the move of your team to Cyprus. Check company of foreign interests eligibility and the 70% staff ratio, map every employee to a permit route, and budget the relocation in waves. 2026 rules, reviewed by ICPAC and ICAEW chartered accountants in Nicosia.

Publisher: Aqualis Ltd, Nicosia, CY. Members of ICPAC and ICAEW.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14. Figures marked "Confirm" await adviser sign-off.
Canonical URL: https://relocatestafftocyprus.com/

## Short answer

A foreign-owned company can relocate non-EU staff to Cyprus through the Business Facilitation Unit fast track once it registers as a company of foreign interests. It needs majority third-country ownership, or a third-country stake worth at least €200,000, plus a €200,000 initial investment and real offices in Cyprus. Staff paid at least €2,500 gross a month qualify as highly skilled, with permits of up to three years, family reunification and a spouse free to work. Lower-paid support staff need Labour Department approval. Third-country staff should stay within 70% of headcount, checked from 2027. EU nationals only register for an MEU1 certificate.

## Cyprus team relocation rules for companies of foreign interests, 2026

- **Ownership test**: Majority of shares held by third-country nationals. At 50% or less, the third-country stake must be worth at least €200,000 (In law)
- **Initial investment**: At least €200,000 brought into Cyprus, held with a licensed credit institution or spent on offices or equipment. E-money and payment accounts do not count (In law)
- **Alternative categories**: Earlier policy also admitted listed companies, shipping, high-tech, pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Whether these still replace the ownership test in 2026 is not settled (Confirm)
- **Offices**: Independent business premises in Cyprus, separate from any home. A virtual office or mailing address is not enough (In law)
- **Staff ratio**: Third-country nationals at most 70% of total staff, reached over five years. Compliance for new recruitment first checked from January 2027 (Confirm)
- **Registration**: Online through the Business Support Centre, which absorbed the Business Facilitation Unit in 2025. About ten working days for a complete file. No government fee reported (Confirm)
- **Highly skilled employee**: Gross salary at least €2,500 a month, a degree or two years of relevant experience, and a contract of at least two years. No labour market test (In law)
- **Support staff**: Paid under €2,500. Needs Department of Labour approval, and at least the national minimum wage of €1,088 a month, or €979 in the first six months (Confirm)
- **Permit length**: Matches the employment contract, up to three years, renewable for highly skilled staff (In law)
- **Family reunification**: Spouse and unmarried children under 18 of highly skilled staff, without the usual two-year wait. Health insurance required for each family member (In law)
- **Spouse’s right to work**: The spouse of a highly skilled employee may take paid employment without Labour Department approval. Self-employment is not covered (In law)
- **Medical tests**: HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and a chest X-ray for tuberculosis, certified by a doctor in Cyprus. Sources differ on where tests may be taken (Confirm)
- **Insurance and records**: Medical cover for inpatient and outpatient care and repatriation, or GHS registration plus repatriation cover. Criminal record certificate from the home country, apostilled or legalised and translated (Confirm)
- **Government fees**: Family reunification entry and residence permit €200. Per-person employee permit and registration fees could not be confirmed for 2026 (Confirm)
- **EU, EEA and Swiss staff**: No work permit. Apply for an MEU1 registration certificate within four months of arrival (In law)
- **Relief for relocating staff**: 50% of employment income exempt for 17 years where pay exceeds €55,000 a year, for a first Cyprus employment after 15 years of non-residence (In law)

## How to move a team of employees to Cyprus

1. **Register the company.** Form or adapt the Cyprus company, open the bank account, bring in the €200,000, sign the office lease, then apply online to the Business Support Centre for the register of companies of foreign interests.
2. **File the employee permits.** Issue contracts of at least two years at €2,500 or more, collect degrees or proof of experience, criminal record certificates and insurance, and file each residence and employment permit with the Migration Department.
3. **Arrive and register.** Employees arrive, complete medical tests and biometrics, and receive social insurance and tax numbers. Payroll starts, with General Healthcare System registration. EU staff apply for MEU1 within four months.
4. **Bring the families and settle.** File family reunification for spouses and children, enrol children in school, register dependants with the General Healthcare System, and track the staff ratio ahead of the 2027 check.

## Free tools on this page

- **Cyprus company of foreign interests eligibility and staff ratio checker**: Tests a company against the Cyprus company of foreign interests criteria: third-country ownership or a €200,000 minority stake, the €200,000 initial investment and real offices. Plots current and planned third-country staff against the 70% ceiling and counts the Cypriot or EU hires needed to stay within it.
- **Cyprus team relocation manifest**: Assigns each employee to a Cyprus route: EU MEU1 registration, highly skilled permit at €2,500 a month or more, support staff with Labour approval, or not eligible below the salary floor. Counts the employee and family permits to file and flags family, spouse work and 50% tax exemption issues.
- **Cyprus team relocation cost and timeline planner**: Estimates the total cost of relocating a team to Cyprus, covering flights, temporary housing, relocation allowances, government fees, documents, professional fees and international school fees in Limassol as low and high ranges, and draws a Gantt-style plan of arrival waves using typical permit processing times.

## Questions and answers

### Can a foreign company move its whole team to Cyprus?

Yes, if the Cyprus company registers as a company of foreign interests and each non-EU employee earns at least €2,500 gross a month. EU staff only need an MEU1 registration. The limits are the staff ratio, which caps third-country nationals at 70% of headcount, and the salary floor, which rules out most junior roles.

### What is a company of foreign interests in Cyprus?

A Cyprus company entered on a government register run by the Business Support Centre. It must be majority owned by third-country nationals, or have a third-country stake worth at least €200,000, plus a €200,000 initial investment and real offices. Registration lets it hire non-EU staff without a labour market test.

### Do we need €200,000 to register with the Business Facilitation Unit in Cyprus?

Yes. The initial investment must be at least €200,000, either deposited with a licensed Cyprus bank or spent on office premises or equipment. One 2026 source says it must be made within six months before the application. Funds in an e-money or payment account do not count.

### What salary does a highly skilled employee need in Cyprus in 2026?

At least €2,500 gross a month, with a degree or two years of relevant experience and a contract of at least two years. Holders of older key personnel permits on €2,000 or more may renew with the same employer until 31 December 2026, which the adviser should confirm for your staff.

### Can we bring support staff paid less than €2,500 to Cyprus?

Yes, but not on the fast track. Each role needs Department of Labour approval showing it cannot be filled locally, pay must meet at least the national minimum wage of €1,088 a month, or €979 in the first six months, and family rights are narrower. For a relocating team it is usually simpler to raise pay to €2,500.

### What is the 70% rule for third-country staff in Cyprus?

A company of foreign interests should employ no more than 70% third-country nationals, so at least 30% Cypriot or EU staff, reached over five years. Sources say compliance for new hires is first checked from January 2027, with shortfalls reviewed case by case. Our eligibility checker shows how many local hires you need.

### How long does a Cyprus work permit take for our employees?

Company registration takes about ten working days once the file is complete. Aqualis typically sees work permits in 4 to 8 weeks, residence permits in 6 to 10 weeks and family permits in 4 to 8 weeks. Missing apostilles or translations are the most common cause of delay.

### Can employees bring their spouse and children to Cyprus?

Highly skilled employees can bring a spouse and unmarried children under 18 through family reunification, without the usual two years of prior residence. Each family member needs health insurance. Support staff do not get the same family rights on arrival.

### Can my employee’s spouse work in Cyprus?

If the employee is highly skilled, yes. The spouse can take paid employment without a separate Labour Department approval. Self-employment is not covered by this right, and spouses of support staff do not have it.

### Do EU citizens on our team need a Cyprus work permit?

No. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may work freely and register for an MEU1 certificate within four months of arrival. They count on the Cypriot and EU side of the staff ratio, which is why EU passport holders in a relocating team are valuable.

### Which documents need an apostille for a Cyprus work permit?

Usually the criminal record certificate, degree certificates, and for families the marriage and birth certificates. Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention apostille them. Others need legalisation through the Cyprus consulate. Documents not in English or Greek also need a certified translation.

### Is a virtual office enough for a company of foreign interests in Cyprus?

No. The company needs independent business premises separate from any home. A serviced office or shared space can work if a room is reserved for the company’s exclusive use. A mailing address or registered office service is not enough.

### Does the 50% tax exemption apply to staff we relocate to Cyprus?

Often, yes. Half of employment income is exempt for 17 years where pay exceeds €55,000 a year, for a first Cyprus employment by someone not resident here for the previous 15 years. It is claimed through payroll. Staff below €55,000 may qualify for a 20% exemption capped at €8,550 a year.

### Are directors and shareholders automatically allowed to work in Cyprus?

No. Owning shares or holding a directorship gives no right to live or work in Cyprus on its own. A director or shareholder can be employed by the company if the role and salary meet the highly skilled test, and is filed like any other employee.

## Contact

Aqualis Ltd, https://www.aqualis.com.cy