Retiring in Cyprus

Hello,

I am a French pensioner who is thinking of retiring to Cyprus. I would be most interested in reading comments and advice from those who have already done so especially regarding fiscal status : how to become a fiscal resident in Cyprus taking into consideration the « non-dom » status recently enacted ?

Thanks.

its easy peasy = You can apply for residency once you arrive here and have a fixed abode. Go to the Immigration Office with Passport and get a fixed appointment which will be in approx 4-6 weeks time. They will at this stage give you a list of documents to take with you when you go to the actual appointment. Take at least two copies of everything thats applicable to you on the list and €20 each person .... it is VERY EASY, painless  and quick. There is no need to spend any money on immigration advisors or people who can for a fee do it for you.

@Toon

Thank you for your quick and helpful answer. I have 3 questions :

- being an EU national, I assume that an identity card will be accepted instead of a passport
- do you have more information as to the documents which will be required or do you have a link to an internet site detailing all this ?
- does your answer relate to obtaining a resident permit or to registering as a fiscal resident with possibly the non-dom status ? In the later case, should not it be the Tax Administration which would process my application rather than the Immigration Office ? As an EU national, I am supposed to be free to settle in any of the EU countries without being subjected to immigration procedures.

I have been trying to do some research on the Cyprus government sites, but so far I did not get anywhere.

Thanks again.

not sure on the first point although i had a maltese id / e-residency card from our 6 yrs residency on malta - we used our EU british passports and id rather go with that.. no point in taking a risk.,,, but having said that if you travel with the EU id card and thats what is acceptable at custom on entry and leaving then it should be Ok...

you will be given a list when you make your appointment, that list will be ticked with the documents you need to have that are appropriate to your application.. your appointment can be anything from 2-6 weeks later -  when you actually attend the appointment for residency you must have all the documents and 2 copies plus €20 per person

as a resident you must register for tax here too...so thats a separate task - id sugggest you register with the tax office here and apply for the dual taxation treaty if one exosts between you home country and cyprus...

you are of course free to move anywhere within the EU - however you must still register with the immigration dept within 3-4months - that applies to many of the EU member states not just cyprus,  Malta for sure is the same as here...   - even EU nationals in the UK have to do the same  - whether they actually do is a matter for debate lol i know many who havent done so here in cyprus and have no intention of doing it... . having the ARC Alien Registration Certificate cant be used as a requirement for a administrative function for sure but it is required for certain things for example a bank account  although you can get a bank account without one but the bank will make it a condition that you are applying for one... and will keep asking you for it   

usual documents vary depending on whether you are self sufficient, pensioned or working.

but as a general rule
proof of identity
proof of working and being paid
proof of address
proof of income / savings / pensions
marriage certs incl divorce papers if appropriate
proof of current comprehensive healthcare

@Toon

Thank you for your quick and detailed answer.

Dear Priscilla ...
My move to Cyprus was a little unique as I am not your run of the mill Expat !
I came here in 2005 when I was 39 years old !
Little early to be retiring .
I came with my first English Husband
We renovated a house in a small very expat village and basically fell out of love .
He returned to UK as the move here was not what he dreamed of ?
I stayed ... and did a few odd jobs here and there to survive ... it was hard and many times I thought I may return to the country I knew .
My Parents also moved out here which in hind  sight gave me the stability to stay ...
Now 12 years on I am remarried to a Syrian Man and am again 'retired'
So I have a second chance at a happy life here in beautiful Cyprus .
There are ... I would say 2 big things that are difficult to a just to here ... the way that animals are treated here is very different that The West
And the length of time it takes for paperwork to be finalised .
Obviously Cypriots will try and charge Expats a higher rate for anything that you need ?
But my now husband is Arabic and speaks Cypriot (which I dont) so like I said my situation is very different than a British couple of retirement age relocating here together .
I know many expats like that here ... and most are ..I think.. happy until they need medical back up ? In my experience when expats need medical help here that is what returns them home ... to the United Kingdom ...

we retired here after having retired to Malta in 2008 - early retirees at 50/51.. but Malta was too small and insular for us so we are giving it a whirl here, now 3 yrs in cyprus  and havent looked back and sure as hell dont regret the move. best thing we have ever done  - in addition to previous post with which i agree animal welfare abuses here take a lot out of you...the dual pricing here isnt half as bad as maltas.

For us we found that if you have to work then it becomes very difficult as work isnt easy to find never mind continue with especially with the summer heat  = low wages long hours and not a great deal of protection as well as too many people vying for the same jobs

However if retired with a secure income and things to do its a very pleasant lifestyle - we volunteer for animal rescue so that fills a lot of time in .

At this stage we have absolutely no intention of returning to our home country of the UK - but as previous poster has indicated this happens if health becomes a major issue - or maybe close family ties force a return.... for us if we were to move at all it would simply be another med island - Crete maybe but its just a thought just now and having just signed a 5yr fixed rent rental contract am pretty sure we will still be here for the long haul we love it