Documents to prepare before you move to Cyprus

Order papers from your home country first: they take the longest and most permits need them. A typical file needs a passport valid well beyond the permit, a criminal record certificate for the first permit, and birth and marriage certificates for family members. Public documents need an apostille if your country is in the Hague Convention, or consular legalisation if it is not. Documents from Russia and Serbia are exempt under bilateral agreements, and many public documents issued in another EU country are exempt under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191. Documents not in Greek or English need a certified translation: into Greek by a sworn translator in Cyprus, or into English by the issuing country's consulate or a government department of that country. Get the apostille before the translation, check what your route asks for, and keep the originals together: many appointments ask to see them.

• Passport valid well beyond your planned permit. For a visitor permit it must be valid at least three months beyond the day you apply, and the permit ends three months before the passport expires.
• Criminal record certificate with an apostille, for the first permit. Order it close to the move, so it is recent when you file.
• Marriage and birth certificates for a spouse and children, with an apostille.
• Proof of income for routes that need it: pension statements, employment contract, dividend or rent records.
• Diplomas or proof of experience if you will be employed: companies of foreign interests ask for relevant qualifications or two years of experience.
• Medical tests for immigration permits such as Category F: from 1 September 2026 originals of tests done abroad, legalised, are part of the file, unless you already hold a temporary permit with medical documents on file.
• School records for children, to help with enrolment.

Public documents issued abroad, such as criminal record certificates, birth and marriage certificates and diplomas, need to be ratified before a Cyprus authority accepts them:

• Hague Convention countries: an apostille from the competent authority of the issuing country.
• Other countries: legalisation, usually by the issuing country's foreign ministry and the Cyprus consulate.
• Russia and Serbia: exempt under bilateral agreements with Cyprus, according to the Migration Department.
• Other EU countries: many public documents, such as birth, marriage and criminal record documents, are exempt from the apostille under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191. The regulation also offers multilingual standard forms that can replace a translation.

An apostille is always issued in the country that issued the document. Cyprus can apostille only Cyprus documents.

• EU citizens (MEU1): passport or ID card, rental contract, and proof of work, self-employment or sufficient resources with health insurance.
• Visitor permit (Pink Slip): passport, criminal record certificate, family certificates, proof of income from abroad, rental contract, Plan A health insurance and a medical certificate from a Cyprus clinic.
• Employment: diplomas or proof of experience, the employment contract and the employer's documents.
• Family reunification: marriage and birth certificates, and proof of the sponsor's residence and income. A spouse must be at least 21 and the marriage at least one year old.
• Category F: income proof, criminal record and medical tests done abroad.

1. Check your route and get its document list.
2. Order the criminal record and civil certificates.
3. Get the apostille or legalisation on each one.
4. Have them translated, if they are not in Greek or English.
5. Collect the Cyprus documents after you arrive: rental contract, insurance, bank statement, medical tests.

Some documents can only be made once you are here. Plan two to three weeks for them:

• Rental contract in your name. Leases signed from 1 January 2026 need no stamp duty.
• Cyprus bank account and statement. A visitor permit needs transfers from abroad of at least €2,000 a month, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% per child.
• Health insurance from an insurer in Cyprus: Plan A, with inpatient and outpatient care and repatriation of remains, for a visitor permit.
• Medical certificate with blood tests and a chest X-ray from a Cyprus clinic, for a visitor permit.
• Employment contract signed with a Cyprus employer, for work routes and for the MEU1 on the basis of work.

Documents not in Greek or English need a certified translation. The Migration Department accepts two kinds:

• A translation into Greek by a sworn translator registered with the Press and Information Office in Cyprus.
• A translation into English made by the issuing country's consulate or a government department of that country.

Get the apostille first, then translate the document together with the apostille. Ask us which language the file uses.

Scan everything and keep originals together. Many applications ask for originals at the appointment.

• Keep a folder per family member with the original, the apostille and the translation.
• Keep a scan of each page in one shared folder, named by document and date.
• Note the issue date of time-sensitive documents, such as the criminal record certificate.
• Bring two copies of each document to appointments.

• Translating a document before it has its apostille: the translation then has to be done again.
• Bringing a criminal record certificate that is too old by the time you file.
• Assuming an EU document always needs an apostille, or never does: check the regulation for that document type.
• Using a private translation abroad that is neither by a Cyprus sworn translator nor by the issuing country's authorities.
• Forgetting documents for children, such as birth certificates with both parents' names.