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Good practice Imported

Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa Scheme

Cyprus · Nicosia · See the Cyprus profile · See the Nicosia profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 89% 48/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Cyprus's capped digital-nomad residence scheme, launched with just 100 places in 2021, hit its enlarged 500-permit ceiling by 2023; government data show 518 permits active by mid-2025 and an estimated €10m in annual nomad spending, alongside documented local rent pressure.

100 permits
Initial permit cap (Oct 2021)
500 permits
Enlarged permit cap (Mar 2022)
1,000 permits
Doubled permit cap (Mar 2025)
518
Active permits (end of June 2025)
10 million EUR
Estimated annual nomad spending
up to 22%
Rent increase in Limassol/Paphos (over two years)
Cyprus Digital Nomad Visa Scheme

Details

Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, Republic of Cyprus
Period
2021–present
Region (NUTS)
CY00
Keywords
Digital nomad visas, remote-worker migration, talent attraction

Context

Cyprus's Digital Nomad Visa, administered by the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, lets non-EU/EEA nationals reside in Cyprus for up to three years while working remotely for employers or clients based abroad. The Council of Ministers launched the scheme on 15 October 2021 with a ceiling of 100 permits.

Results

The cap was raised to 500 on 3 March 2022 after early demand, reached in 2023 (new applications effectively suspended), then doubled to 1,000 in March 2025. By the end of June 2025, 518 permits were active (plus 389 family-member permits and 306 renewals), with 2023 the peak year for new applications (371). The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates nomad spending at roughly €10 million a year, but the same data linked the scheme to rent increases of up to 22% in Limassol and Paphos over two years.

Conclusions

Cyprus demonstrates real, quota-verified demand for a small EU nomad scheme, but its hard cap and unmanaged housing side-effects show the limits of a purely permit-based approach without complementary local policy.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years)
Staffing & skills
Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, Republic of Cyprus

Conditions for success

  • Time-bound residence permit (up to 3 years) for non-EU/EEA remote workers employed by or owning a company based abroad
  • Gradual cap increases in response to demand (100 → 500 → 1,000 permits)

Common failure modes

  • Hard permit cap reached in 2023 suspended new applications until a 2025 cap increase, showing growth constrained by policy rather than demand
  • Documented local rent increases of up to 22% in Limassol and Paphos over two years, with no offsetting housing measures

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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