Category F: permanent residence from day one, for €9,568 a year in foreign income.

Category F is the Cyprus permit most American and Canadian retirees use. Unlike Portugal's D7 or France's visitor visa, it is permanent from the moment it's granted — no renewal ladder, no annual income re-tests. The trade-offs: you can't work in Cyprus, and the file can take well over a year to decide.

Who Category F is for

Category F is an immigration permit under Regulation 5 of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations, for people with "secured annual income" from outside Cyprus — pensions (including US Social Security, CPP and OAS), rental income, dividends, interest, and similar. It is squarely aimed at the financially independent, which in practice means retirees.

What it is not: a work permit. Category F holders may not take up employment in Cyprus. If you plan to work remotely for a US or Canadian employer, look at the digital nomad visa instead — Category F sits uneasily with active work, even remote work, and that's a question for a lawyer, not a website.

The income requirement, precisely

The published floor is €9,568.17 per year for the main applicant, plus €4,613.22 for every dependant. Those oddly precise figures come from the Civil Registry and Migration Department (CRMD) itself.

*At €1 = $1.14 (July 1, 2026). CRMD assesses in euros.

Step by step, from the US or Canada

1. Decide where you'll wait. You can file from abroad, or enter Cyprus visa-free (90 days), file, and stay on a temporary residence "pink slip" while the Category F application is pending. The pink slip needs €24,000/year of foreign income — higher than Category F's floor.
2. Open a Cypriot bank account and set up the income trail: pension deposits or transfers landing in Cyprus are the cleanest evidence.
3. Secure accommodation — a rental contract or title deed in the government-controlled areas.
4. Gather documents (list below), including an FBI Identity History Summary (US) or RCMP certificate (Canada), apostilled and recently issued.
5. File form MIP1 with the CRMD in Nicosia, with the €500 fee. Applications go to the central office, not district offices.
6. Wait. Official guidance says about 12 months; real-world files frequently run longer. Timelines are volatile — build slack.
7. Approval: you receive the immigration permit and register biometrics for the residence card. The status itself does not expire.

The document checklist

• Form MIP1, completed and signed
• Passport copy (valid, with entry stamps if filing from Cyprus)
• Evidence of secured annual income from abroad: pension/Social Security/CPP award letters, rental contracts, dividend and interest statements, tax returns
• Cypriot bank account statements
• Title deed or rental agreement for accommodation in Cyprus
• Criminal record certificate from your country of residence (FBI or RCMP), apostilled
• Marriage/birth certificates for dependants, apostilled and officially translated
• Health insurance covering you in Cyprus (see below)
• Curriculum vitae / personal statement is commonly requested in practice

What "permanent" actually means

• No expiry, no status renewals. The permit is indefinite; only the physical card gets reissued periodically.
• The absence rule: the permit is cancelled if you acquire residence elsewhere or stay outside Cyprus for two consecutive years.
• No work in Cyprus. Owning shares and receiving dividends is fine; employment and running a local business are not.
• Family: spouse and dependent children are included, with the per-dependant income add-on.

The long game: 7 years to a passport

Time on Category F counts as legal residence for naturalisation. Under the Civil Registry (Amendment) Law in force since December 19, 2023, you need 7 years of cumulative legal residence within the 10 years before applying, plus 12 months of continuous residence immediately before the application (absences up to 90 days total don't break it). You'll also need Greek at B1 level, knowledge of Cyprus's political and social life, good character, and stable resources. Processing is currently estimated at 2–3 years on top.

The tax question you should ask before applying

Spend 183+ days a year in Cyprus and you become Cypriot tax resident. For retirees that is often good news: foreign pension income can be taxed at a flat 5% above €5,000/year (2026), and non-domiciled residents pay 0% defence contribution on dividends and interest for 17 years. There is no inheritance tax and no wealth tax. But Americans keep filing US returns wherever they live, and there is no US–Cyprus totalization agreement. Read the pension tax and non-dom guide, then talk to a cross-border professional.

Category F vs the alternatives

Want permanence faster and have capital? The Regulation 6(2) fast-track takes a €300,000+VAT investment plus €50,000/year income, and is commonly decided in 2–6 months. Just testing the island? The pink slip (temporary visitor permit, €24,000/year income) renews annually. Working remotely? The digital nomad visa needs €3,500/month net. Compare all four →