The Cyprus Citizenship program is one of the most attractive schemes available to non-European high net worth individuals. Pursuant to the Civil Registry Law 2002 (L. 141(I)/2002 as amended), a non-Cypriot citizen is entitled by exemption to apply for obtainment of Cyprus Citizenship by exception, provided that they fulfil certain criteria. However, according to local authorities, the existing criteria are to be amended and are likely from February 2016 to be removed from the program.
The fast track process (with Citizenship approval within 3 months of application) of obtaining a Cypriot passport provides the investor with visa-free access to more than 160 countries.