Inspired by legends and myths, the legendary island of Cyprus is considered one of the most beautiful places in the world. That is why many people are wondering how a Russian citizen to obtain Cypriot citizenship. It was in this place that at one time the history of Greece and its gods came together, giving the opportunity to be born to Aphrodite herself, the goddess of love and beauty. Even now, the island is recognized as one of the most popular places for tourists who want to not only just lie on the beach, but also admire the many attractions. It is the question of what it takes to obtain Cyprus citizenship will be central to this article.
The benefits of living on the island
Before talking about moving to the island, you should know all the pros and cons of this step. Obtaining Cypriot citizenship to a citizen of the Russian Federation subject to a certain algorithm of steps is quite simple, however, the question of whether this is really necessary comes to the fore.
Existing advantages:
- Cyprus is one of the countries that make up the European Union, so freedom of movement and employment in any of them is guaranteed.
- It is desirable for a Russian to acquire citizenship in Cyprus at a young age, since free tuition at any of the universities of the island will be guaranteed, and after that you can enroll in European educational institutions with numerous benefits.
- Low income tax existing in the country, as well as the possibility of using the European credit system.
- Low crime, low corruption.
- Medical care is of high quality even in public institutions.
- It is easy to get Cyprus citizenship to a Russian citizen without renouncing the initial citizenship - this country has a dual citizenship policy, just like Russia.
Minuses
In fact, the standard of living on the island is much higher than that of any other country located nearby, but there are a number of disadvantages that you also need to know before you start participating in the program. Before you obtain the citizenship of Cyprus, you should know that:
- the island is limited from other countries, so in order to go to other European countries, you will need to spend a lot of money due to remoteness, and the number of direct flights is extremely small;
- the tourism sector is clearly prevailing in the country, so almost all jobs are concentrated in it - getting a job in another area is very difficult;
- there are periodic problems with the availability of fresh drinking water;
- periodic development of political tension is possible.
Ways to obtain citizenship
At the moment, a little more than a million people live on the island, and one fifth of them are foreigners. Every year, many people ask how to obtain the citizenship of Northern Cyprus, and therefore submit documents for this. In total, the country's authorities issue about 2,000 new passports per year, with almost a quarter of them owned by Russians. This policy is primarily due to the fact that for those who are wondering about how to obtain citizenship of Cyprus, there is an accelerated procedure. You can use it as follows.
Investments
One of the easiest ways to get Cypriot citizenship is through investment. This program has existed since 2014 and is aimed at attracting influential businessmen and foreign investments to the economic sector to the island. The project proved to be extremely popular, annually replenishing the state budget of the country by several hundred million dollars. At the moment, in order to obtain citizenship, it is required to deposit at least $ 2 million over several months in one of the following areas:
- securities, government bonds or financial assets of Cyprus corporations;
- the creation on the island of a company that will provide jobs for at least 5 citizens of the island;
- opening a bank deposit account in the country for a period of at least 3 years.
In addition, you can obtain the citizenship of Cyprus when buying real estate. However, it should be worth more than 500 thousand euros, and the person himself should not be on the list of persons who fall under the freezing of assets in the European Union. Also, the applicant for citizenship should not be previously convicted.
All investments of someone who is wondering how to obtain citizenship of Cyprus should take place within 3 years before applying for citizenship, and then continue the same after receiving the passport directly.
Naturalization Procedure
You can obtain citizenship of the island through naturalization, that is, voluntary acquisition of status through the desire of the applicant. Such an applicant must be older than 21 years old and have lived on the island legally for at least 7 years, while prior to filing an application during the last year, such a stay must be permanent. For spouses and children of island citizens it is allowed to lower the deadline - for them, an application can be submitted in 5 years.
Citizenship through origin
In some cases, persons who were born outside the country can obtain a passport of a citizen of Cyprus. However, in this case one of the following rules must be observed:
1. The father of the applicant born after 08/16/1960 had a Cyprus passport.
2. The mother of the applicant was a citizen of Cyprus and had a document confirming this fact, that is, the passport itself. The applicant was born only after 06/11/1999.
Standard package of documents
Due to the fact that there are several ways to obtain Cyprus citizenship, the package of documents may be slightly modified. However, regardless of its content, all documents contained must be translated into Greek and English, and then certified with an apostille.
The basic package of documents, which is suitable for all applicants for citizenship, includes:
- completed and signed application form;
- photocopies and the original passport;
- confirmation of the presence of real estate on the island for living: in its role may be contracts of sale, lease, spouse registration and other documents;
- receipt of state duty in the amount of 500 euros;
- certificates of marriage or divorce, as well as the birth of children;
- certificate of no criminal record.
Procedure
All final decisions about who should be granted citizenship and who not should be made by the Cabinet of Ministers. However, before that they first go through the Department of Civil Registration and Migration of the island of Cyprus, where applicants submit them. All documents are carefully checked by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and, if necessary, the Ministry of Finance.
1. Investors will have to wait for an answer about 8 months - this is how many necessary documents are checked and the distribution of investments is viewed.
2. For spouses, citizens of the island will have to wait from six months to a year, depending on the pace of viewing.
3. Consideration of citizenship by naturalization can often take up to 3 years, but in rare cases, even this long period of time stretched to 5 years.
Dual Citizenship Opportunity
Both Cyprus and Russia recognize the dual citizenship procedure, so losing Russian citizenship after obtaining a Cyprus passport is not a prerequisite. However, there are a number of nuances. Firstly, Cyprus does not undertake to notify the Russian authorities that a resident of another country has received their citizenship. Russia, in turn, recognizes such a citizen as exclusively Russian, and therefore in the country he is still obliged to act according to Russian documents, and use the passport of a Cypriot citizen outside the state.
Denial of Review
Typically, the Cypriot authorities justify their refusal to consider applying for citizenship. These reasons include:
1. Providing knowingly false information or documents, as well as hiding important things when applying.
2. The presence of ties with the enemies of the country or disrespect for the republic itself.
3. Living in the country for less than 7 years, as well as trips for the last year.
4. The presence of a criminal record for the period in the last 5 years.
For those who are trying to obtain Cyprus citizenship through investment, it is worth knowing that all money invested in the country's economy will be returned in case of refusal.
Personal renunciation of citizenship
At the legislative level, it is enshrined that a person, if necessary, can renounce citizenship. To do this, you need to write a special statement in an officially approved form to the Cabinet of Ministers. Typically, a petition is granted quite simply, except in cases where a citizen has committed a criminal offense in the country or is evading military service.
Guardian Lists
In September 2017, information appeared in one of the most famous newspapers in Britain that Cyprus published a list of Russians who received citizenship of this country. Of course, this is not about ordinary citizens, but about the financial elite of Russia and Ukraine. According to external data, their investments in the economy of Cyprus for simplified citizenship are equivalent to 4 billion euros over the past few years. Surprisingly, the people on this list refuse to comment on the situation in any way or directly refuse the fact of having a Cypriot passport. Confirmed the presence of dual citizenship, only a few of them. These include Nikita Mishin and Alexander Ponomarenko, whose fortunes are equivalent to several billion dollars.
At the moment, it is estimated that approximately half of the investments that were made in the development of the Cyprus economy by Russian and Ukrainian citizens were invested in real estate, and the second half - in Cyprus companies or securities. Citizenship is given to such people as persons who have made significant investments in the country, and therefore have helped its development, and a citizen’s passport is considered to be just a minor useful addition.
Conclusion
It should be understood that Cyprus and its authorities are very fond of money, especially foreign. That is why now there is such an effective system of simplified citizenship through investment. This allowed citizens of other countries to obtain a second citizenship, which at the same time does not make them lose their original citizenship, but makes it possible to enjoy the rights of citizens of the European Union. This made it possible for businessmen to conduct their business in the international arena without the need for a visa. Cyprus also gives them a place to lay at the bottom if necessary, since there is simply no extradition from the country.
All decisions on the subject of citizenship are decided exclusively by the Cabinet of Ministers, and therefore it is impossible to automatically deprive a citizen of Cyprus of his passport. If you add to all these pluses the magnificent nature and pleasant climate, you can easily understand why the Russians are so drawn to obtaining citizenship of this state, which can be acquired much more easily than in any other European country.