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LIVING IN CYPRUS
LIVING IN CYPRUS - HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, CHILDCARE
For many years, Cyprus has been an attractive destination for expats and their families.
With year-round sunshine, beautiful natural landscapes, relaxed lifestyle, friendly inhabitants, diverse culture and rich history, it has been a favourite retirement location for British and European expats for many decades. In the last 5-10 years, the country has been attracting more and more Asian investors and their families. For example, there is now a substantial number of Russian expats living and working in the Limassol district and Chinese expats living and working in Pafos district.
HEALTHCARE
High quality healthcare is provided through the Cyprus National Healthcare System (known as GESY) and private sector hospitals. State of the art medical services offer the highest quality in patient care, while the country has been ranked 21st out of 169 countries in the latest Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index.
EDUCATION
Cyprus is a world-class educational centre with high-quality academic institutions, offering a large variety of fully accredited study programs, attracting thousands of international students each year. The country has the highest number of ranked Higher Education institutions per capita in the EECA region (QS World University Rankings). Free education in Greek language is offered by government owned schools in which English and French are taught as second languages. Also in all major cities, there are multi-lingual and multi-cultural private schools which offer American, British, French, and Russian curriculums from pre-primary all the way to secondary education.
CHILDCARE
Cyprus is one of the safest countries in the world for raising your children. Cypriots are very friendly towards and most hotels and restaurants welcome families with small children. There are many kindergartens, both public and private and many are English or Russian speaking. Note the public kindergartens are government owned and operated and are Greek speaking only.
CYPRUS - LIFESTYLE, HISTORY, CULTURE, CITIES, BEACHES
LIFESTYLE
Compared to most West European countries, residents in Cyprus benefit from the safer environment, lower crime rates, lower cost of living, and competitive prices for residential properties and rentals. Cyprus is one of the five safest countries in the world and stands out as the safest country for the young people out of 184 countries according to the data published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
HISTORY & CULTURE
With a strategic location between Europe and the Middle East, Cyprus has been at the cross roads of civilizations and cultures for many centuries. Over the years, travelers, traders and invaders have left their mark. This has created a rich history and culture, lending influences from both Eastern and Western civilizations, from stone-age settlements over 10,000 years ago until today.
CITY & COUNTRY LIFE
Cyprus offers its residents the choice to enjoy a vibrant and dynamic lifestyle in multicultural cities or more peaceful and relaxing way of life in picturesque villages in the countryside.
BEAUTIFUL BEACHES & CRYSTAL CLEAR SEA
Cyprus has build a very successful tourism industry based on its sunny weather and beautiful and safe beaches. In fact, it has been awarded with 69 'Blue Flags' for its beaches, by the EU, the highest per capita award in the EU. It has also been ranked highly for its crystal-clear sea waters and excellent water quality by the European Environment Agency.
CYPRUS - ENGLISH LANGUAGE WIDELY, DRIVING IN LEFT LANE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Cyprus was part of the British Empire until its independence in 1960. Similar to other former colonies in the British Empire, Cypriot laws are based on English common law and Cypriots have adopted many English customs, have a preference for English brands and education.
English language is widely spoken on the island with around 75% of the local population being able to communicate in English fluently, whilst the most of the business community as well as the public sector, are able to use the English language.
DRIVING
Cyprus is a small island so the best way to get around is by car. EU driver's licenses are valid in Cyprus until their expiry date. When the license expires, you must exchange it for a local one. For non EU driver's licenses, there are many reciprocal exchange agreements with many countries, so in most cases, you probably do not need to pass a local driving test. As Cyprus was part of the British Empire before independence in 1960, all cars have the steering wheel on the right and driving is on the left lane of the road.
CYPRUS - LEGAL PATH TO EU CITIZENSHIP AND PASSPORT
HOW TO ACQUIRE CYPRUS CITIZENSHIP
The interest in Cypriot citizenship has been growing from UK and non-EU citizens who are looking for safe country to live which offers a passport with visa-free travel to many countries. The popular Cyprus Investment Programme (launched in 2007), which allowed HNWI to acquire a Cyprus passport with about €2.5 million investment has been cancelled since 1st November 2020.
Today there are 3 legal ways to acquire a much desired Cyprus passport:
1. By naturalization based on the being legally resident in Cyprus
2. By marriage to a Cypriot citizen
3. By having Cypriot citizen ancestors
Citizenship by naturalization due to years of residence
Application for Cyprus citizenship can be submitted by foreigners who have completed a total of 7 years of legal residence in Cyprus before the application date. (note 'legal residence' means being physically present in Cyprus for 1825 days in the 7 year period) AND the applicant must have resided continuously in Cyprus in the last 12 months before the application date.
Citizenship by marriage
Foreign spouses of Cypriots who have completed 3 years of marriage and 2 years of physical residence in Cyprus before the date of the application are entitled to apply for citizenship. Also, spouses of Cypriots living abroad are entitled to apply when they have completed at least three years of marriage.
Citizenship due to the Cypriot origin
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Minors or adults born abroad after the 16th August 1960 and whose father at the time of birth was a Cypriot citizen, and by those born after the 11th June 1999, whose mother was a Cypriot citizen at the time of their birth.
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Minors born before the 11th June 1999 in Cyprus or abroad and whose mother is a Cypriot citizen and whose father is a foreigner or for minors whose father took Cypriot citizenship after their birth.
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Minors whose father or mother acquired Cypriot citizenship by naturalization or by marriage with a Cypriot citizen.