How third country nationals can be employed in Cyprus?
Non-EU citizens can be eligible for the employment in Cyprus under the condition that they are employed at a foreign entity. The concept of a foreign entity includes companies where:
- Non-EU shareholders own the majority of the company’s shares (more than 50%);
- Foreign direct investment of capital amounting to at least €200.000, legally admitted to a bank account in Cyprus from abroad and can be confirmed by SWIFT transaction. This amount can be used for company’s activities.
In this particular case, this type of visa allows a third country national to be engaged in the employment activities in Cyprus or the company owners to employ themselves in the positions of directors.
If a company meets the above criteria and qualifies as a company with foreign interest, then it may recruit the following categories of the third country nationals:
- Senior Management – Directors, General managers, Heads of Departments, Project;
- Managers (the gross monthly salary needs to be not less than €4.000 and more);
- Middle Management – Upper / middle management personnel, Other administrative, secretarial or technical staff ( the gross monthly salary needs to be not less than €2.500 and more);
- Specialists (the gross monthly salary needs to be not less than €2.500 and more)
To note, also the family members of such employees will be granted with the right to reside in Cyprus, providing that if, in case of spouses, the marriage has been registered for 12 months.
If an employee is not currently in Cyprus, then he needs to obtain firstly the Entry Permit issued by the Immigration authorities in Cyprus to arrive in the country and subsequently apply for the Alien’s Registration Certificate.
The above is for informative purposes only. Further professional advice should be sought for each particular case. Our firm does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage occurring by acting on the basis of this information.