Cypriot nationality law

Commonwealth citizenship

Cypriot citizens also have Commonwealth citizenship and therefore, if they are settled in the UK, have the right to stand for and be elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

Citizenship of the European Union

Cypriot citizens are also citizens of the European Union and thus enjoy rights of free movement and have the right to vote in elections for the European Parliament.

Acquisition of citizenship

There are several ways to become a Cypriot citizen (citizen of Cyprus) :

1. Being married to a Cypriot national
2. Having Cypriot origins
3. Naturalization
4. New Baby born

Marriage to a Cypriot National

The first, being married to a Cypriot national, requires one to be married for at least 3 years, and have completed 2 years of residency in Cyprus prior to the date of the application.

The documents required are:

Having Cypriot Origins

To apply through this method, one must be over 18 years old, and naturally, have Cypriot origins, as long as one was born abroad after the 16th of August 1960, with one's father at the time of birth a Cypriot citizen. One can apply in this way if one is an individual born after the 11th of June 1999, whose mother was a Cypriot citizen at the time of one's birth.

Accompanying the application must be:

Naturalization

Naturalization is referred to as the process for which a non-citizen of a country, in this case Cyprus, may become a citizen of that country. The process may be done via a statute or an application to the relevant authorities. In March 2014, the Cyprus Council of Ministers revised the "Scheme for Naturalisation of Investors in Cyprus by Exception" as part of the government's attempts to attract foreign investors to the country. One of these attempts included a citizenship-by-investment program that granted applicants the right to live, work and study in Cyprus and in the European Union. Applicants applying for Cypriot citizenship through this citizenship-by-investment option must actively invest in the Cyprus economy, by purchasing state bonds, investing in financial assets of Cypriot entities, purchasing real estate, acquiring or incorporating companies operating in Cyprus, among others.

New baby born

According to the Republic of Cyprus Citizenship Law of 1967, anyone born on or after 16 August 1960, and with at least one parent being a Cypriot citizen, automatically acquires Cypriot citizenship. Those who were born between 16 August 1960 and 1999 to a Cypriot mother abroad however, do not automatically become citizens of Cyprus, but they may register after they turn 21 years old.

Travel freedom of Cypriot citizens

Visa requirements for Cypriot citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Cyprus. In 2016, Cypriot citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 159 countries and territories, ranking the Cypriot passport 17th in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index.