Short answer: The government publishes application instructions for a Startup Visa scheme stated to run through December 2026. The revised scheme uses an initial three-year economic-activity approval period, with possible renewal. Eligibility, an individual residence permit and renewal are separate assessments.
This guide uses the revised practical guide and official pages checked on 3 October 2026. Some linked government documents retain older wording, so confirm your actual permit duration and application timing with the responsible authorities.
What is the published scheme status?
The Migration Department’s scheme page says the scheme has been renewed and is valid until December 2026. The government application service publishes an application email and supporting documents. The revised guide states that up to 150 visas can be issued under the scheme; it does not establish how many places remain available today.
Confirm current intake capacity and the applicable procedure with the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy before booking travel, signing a lease or committing company funds.
Who is eligible?
The revised practical guide linked by the application service concerns entrepreneurs from countries outside the EU and EEA, establishing an innovative startup or moving an existing startup or its branch to Cyprus.
The guide defines eligible innovative startups as unlisted small enterprises up to five years after registration, which have not distributed profits and were not formed through a merger. The enterprise should have or develop new products, services or processes creating new markets or disrupting existing ones, based on technology or new business models.
| Application route | Published structure |
|---|---|
| Individual | A non-EU applicant acting as the sole founder |
| Team | Up to five non-EU individuals, consisting of founders or at least one founder with senior executives |
Under the guide’s eligibility section, one or more applicants must own at least 25% of the company shares. Its later association-evidence paragraph uses different founder-percentage wording; confirm how the ministry will assess the proposed ownership and each applicant’s role before submitting.
Pre-revenue or revenue below EUR 1 million
Category A requires an application and business plan demonstrating the startup definition and innovation criteria. The guide describes evaluation by two independent evaluators, with a third evaluator in the specified split-result case.
Qualification requires at least 3 per criterion and 15/20 overall from the required evaluators. Use the official business-plan and evaluation annexes rather than assuming that incubator acceptance alone establishes approval.
Revenue at or above the specified threshold
Category B requires an external-auditor certificate and the relevant accounts showing both:
- At least EUR 1 million of sales revenue in the most recent audited financial accounts; and
- R&D costs of at least 10% of total operating costs in at least one of the preceding three tax years.
These are combined criteria for this category. A business below that revenue threshold may instead need the Category A assessment; revenue alone does not waive the other conditions.
How do I apply?
1. Apply for innovation-ministry approval
Use the government application service, which links the application, practical guide, business-plan guidelines, evaluation criteria and external-auditor certificate.
The service and the revised guide’s current contact section give startupvisa@dmrid.gov.cy. The service identifies Dr. Konstantinos Marakkou, with telephone 22 309444, as the responsible officer. The guide’s application paragraph also prints a different email; confirm receipt and the preferred channel with the service contact.
The guide says required documents for this initial assessment are submitted in English, and an application may be made from abroad or while legally resident in Cyprus. It publishes a five-week assessment period after receipt of a completed application; further information or clarification may be requested.
A positive evaluation produces a Notification of Initial Approval. It does not itself guarantee entry, residence or employment permission.
2. Complete the entry and migration procedure
The guide separates the following cases:
- Approval received abroad: apply for the relevant visa or entry/registration/residence permission within six months of initial approval, then enter within the issued document’s validity.
- Approval received while legally in Cyprus: submit the relevant registration/residence application within one month.
- Visitor status in Cyprus: request permission to change status in writing before the migration application.
The guide publishes a three-week examination period for a completed migration application and a five-week review period for the visitor-status-change request. Treat these as the published procedure, with completeness and approval conditions, rather than a guaranteed travel date.
The Migration forms page links MSUP2, supporting-document lists and a practical guide. Its linked checklist distinguishes founders, managers and support staff, with different entry, first-permit, status-change and renewal cases. Use the list for your exact role and circumstances.
The published checklist carries a January 2023 version date and retains older authority and other references. Ask Migration to confirm current supporting requirements instead of treating every historic salary or company-charge entry as a current rule.
How long do the approval and permit last?
The 19 December 2024 revision announcement, effective 1 January 2025, describes an initial three-year period and a further two years on renewal. The revised guide’s initial-approval section likewise specifies three years of economic-activity approval, with possible renewal for at least another two.
However, its migration section still states one year for the in-country residence permit, and its post-successful-reassessment provisions distinguish potential two-year permits for paid employees from one-year permits for self-employed people. The Migration webpage also retains older two-year initial-approval wording.
These published statements concern different stages and contain inconsistent duration wording. Confirm the actual card duration, expiry and renewal route in writing with Migration. Do not assume that a three-year scheme approval makes every residence card valid for three years.
What work and family rights does the guide describe?
For founders, the revised guide describes self-employment or paid employment in their registered Cyprus company. For senior executives under the team scheme, it describes paid employment in the company registered by the founders. These are specified company-linked rights.
For founders’ and senior executives’ families, the guide describes immediate residence rights and family reunification, with the spouse’s labour-market access on the same terms and conditions as the sponsor. Complete the applicable family procedure and check the conditions for each person.
The linked migration checklist includes Plan A medical insurance covering inpatient/outpatient care and transportation of remains, or GeSY registration evidence plus private transportation-of-remains cover. Assess healthcare eligibility separately with the Health Insurance Organisation before relying on public coverage.
Can the company hire other foreign employees?
The revised guide distinguishes the initial applicant team from additional recruitment:
- Up to five additional foreign staff without prior Labour Department approval, with gross monthly pay of at least EUR 1,500, under the stated permit conditions.
- With investment in Cyprus of at least EUR 150,000, up to ten more beyond those five, without that prior approval.
- Recruitment beyond those groups follows the applicable third-country-employment procedure with prior Labour Department approval. For this route, the guide sets a 50% foreign-staff ceiling and the stated labour-market-test exception for gross pay of at least EUR 1,500; a Labour Department-stamped contract is required.
The 50% figure is therefore part of a conditional recruitment procedure, rather than permission for every startup to hire any number of foreign staff on any terms.
What does reassessment and renewal require?
The revised guide groups its success tests as follows:
- Viability: accounts demonstrating at least 15% revenue growth, or investment of at least EUR 150,000 during operation in Cyprus.
- Contribution: at least three new Cyprus jobs, or participation in a local incubator/accelerator programme, or at least one new product/service launch under the stated innovation and local-ecosystem criterion.
- Digital skills: internationally recognised certificates in the specified areas. The guide calls for at least two certificates for an individual applicant, or at least one for each team member; the ministry can indicate a specific certificate to obtain before re-issue.
Digital-skills areas listed include IT, digital marketing, data analytics/machine learning, design/UX, project management and new-product development. Merely launching a product or presenting one growth percentage does not establish that all reassessment criteria are met.
The guide’s overview says an application may be made three months before the third year ends; its reassessment section says two months before the residence permit expires. Confirm which event and submission window apply to your case well before expiry.
A negative reassessment is notified to Migration, which informs affected people that they must regularise their stay through another applicable route or depart. Successful business reassessment still needs the relevant migration permission; citizenship must be assessed under the separate naturalization conditions.
How should I compare other routes?
Compare the business model, permitted work, family procedure, financing and residence conditions for your actual situation. Use the company-registration guide and digital-nomad guide for their separate conditions, and confirm the appropriate route with Migration and an independent adviser.
Keep copies of the application, approval, supporting evidence and official correspondence. Obtain dated professional quotations before paying for advice or company services.
Frequently asked questions
What is the published Cyprus Startup Visa status?
The government publishes an application service, and the Migration Department says the scheme is valid through December 2026. The revised guide states a scheme limit of up to 150 visas. Confirm current application capacity and your eligibility with the responsible ministry before making commitments.
What does startup-visa renewal require?
The revised guide requires evidence of viability through at least 15% revenue growth or EUR 150,000 of investment during operation in Cyprus; a contribution through at least three new jobs, participation in a local incubator/accelerator or a new product/service launch; and the specified digital-skills certificates. Renewal also needs the applicable migration approval.
Does initial startup approval guarantee entry, residence or work?
No. The revised guide expressly separates the innovation ministry’s initial approval from the visa and migration applications. The applicant must obtain the relevant entry and residence/work permission and comply with its conditions.