Earlier this month, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a series of changes to make the Cyprus Investment Programme more specific in purpose and even more trustworthy. The new provisions are yet to be announced by the Ministry of Interior as official provisions.

According to the Cabinet’s decision, the recent changes are:

    • The applicant must be in possession of a valid Schengen visa in order to be able to apply for citizenship.
    • Obligation to maintain the investments for a period of at least 5 years from the date of naturalization, instead of the current 3 years.
    • An applicant who has applied for citizenship in any other Member State of the European Union and who has been refused cannot apply to the Cyprus Investment Programme.
    • The applicant must have a residence permit in the Republic of Cyprus for at least six months prior to his application.
    • An obligatory donation of €75000 to the Foundation for Research and Innovation, in order to promote entrepreneurship in Cyprus. In addition, this obligation is lifted if the applicant has made an investment under the criterion “Buy or Set Up or Participation in Cypriot Businesses and Companies” amounting to at least 20% of the required investment cost of the stated criterion (ie €400.000 ) to a company that is active in the primary sector of the economy or in the secondary sector of the economy, or in one of the fields of research and technology, education, health, and renewable energy.
    • An obligatory donation of €75000 to the Cyprus Land Development Corporation, in order to implement affordable housing policies.
    • Inclusion of right to invest in listed Alternative Investment Products, up to €200000.
    • The inclusion of investments in the shipping sector will be now included in the eligible investments.
    • Further application of the ban on advertising of the program both online and offline with particular emphasis on the visibility of the Cypriot passport and the symbols of the Republic and the European Union.

The changes come as a further reinforcement on behalf of the Government for the transparency and safety of the Programme. According to Haris Georgiades, Minister of Finance, the scheme launched by Cyprus in the aftermath of the island’s 2013 economic crisis has granted 1,864 citizenships and raised €6.6bn. During the 2016-2019 period, the programme accounted for almost 10% of the island’s total GDP growth. These numbers are evidence for the attractiveness of Cyprus as an international business centre with a global outlook and a sound investment infrastructure.