Scheme status and end date
Key figure: Scheme valid untilDecember 2026
The scheme is open until December 2026: that is the end date both the Migration Department and the practical guide gave on 25 September 2026.
The current rules come from the revision of December 2024. It set permits of 3 years and a ceiling of 150 visas for the whole scheme, so a late application competes for what is left of that number.
Category A, Category B and the capital question
Key figure: Minimum capital, current guide€0
The official guide sets no minimum capital (€0 in our reference). Eligibility is decided by the business itself, in one of two categories. The guide’s own wording, as recorded in our reference:
The December 2024 practical guide sets no minimum capital; eligibility rests on an innovative business plan scored by two evaluators (Category A) or at least EUR 1M revenue with R&D at least 10% of operating costs (Category B). Founders must hold at least 25% of shares. A EUR 50,000 capital requirement cited in some sources is not in the current official guide.
Which category fits you
Category A is for a company without a trading record: two evaluators score the business plan, so the plan is the application. Category B is for a company that already has revenue and spends on research and development, and the evidence is its accounts.
When this applies
A capital figure quoted by an agency or a blog is not a condition of the scheme unless it appears in the current practical guide. We work from the guide.
Checked on cy-dmrid-startup-guide
Founders, shares and team size
Key figure: Founders per application, maximum5
One application covers a single founder or a team of up to 5. Every founder on the team needs a shareholding at or above the minimum the guide sets, quoted in the category rules above.
A co-founder with a smaller stake cannot be added to the team for the visa; that person needs a different permit, such as the work permit for a company of foreign interests.
Registering the Cyprus company from abroad
Key figure: Remote registrationYes
Incorporation without travel: Yes. The company is filed online with the Registrar of Companies, and the founders do not have to travel for it.
The visa package does not include company formation. We register the company as a separate service, and we time it so the company exists before the residence permit stage.
How long the startup visa takes
Key figure: Processing time5 weeks
Allow about 5 weeks from a complete application. Initial approval by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy; then about 3 weeks for the Migration Department permit.
Our own part, from eligibility review to filing, is 15–30 working days. The two periods run one after the other and are not added into one promise: the authorities set their own pace.
Permit term, renewal and family
Key figure: Permit validity3 years
The permit runs for 3 years. Right to economic activity and residence for 3 years, renewable for at least 2 more years if the company is assessed as successful.
Immediate residence for family members and family reunification; spouses get labour market access.
Who this is not for
The startup visa is narrow by design: 150 places, innovative businesses only, and an end date of December 2026. It is the wrong route in these cases.
- You are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen: you register your residence instead of applying for a visa.
- Your business is a standard service or trading company without an innovative element under Regulation (EU) 651/2014.
- You plan to work for someone else’s company in Cyprus: that is the work permit route.
- You need a permit that does not expire: the startup permit lasts 3 years and renews only if the company is assessed as successful.