Residence Permit in North Cyprus: Property and Permanent (2026)

Residence Permit in North Cyprus: Property and Permanent (2026)

This guide sets out, as of 28 October 2026, what the laws of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) say about a residence permit in North Cyprus for a foreign property owner. It is built on the Residence and Visa Regulation (consolidated text including the amendment published in Official Gazette No. 194 on 5 October 2026), the Permanent Residence Law 51/2015 (consolidated text of 25 June 2026), Decree-Law 89/2026 on foreigners’ acquisition of immovable property (Official Gazette No. 147, 7 August 2026) and the pages of the Ministry of Interior and its Immigration Department. Two different permits are often mixed up: the short-term permit that an owner can apply for under the regulation, and the permanent residence permit that Law 51/2015 provides after six years of permits.

The sections below separate the regimes by type, state exactly what the £300,000 line in the regulation and the EUR 125,000 line in the permanent residence law each apply to, list the documents and time limits that the texts mention, show the official fee schedule with worked arithmetic, and compare the TRNC rules with those of the Republic of Cyprus and Türkiye. Figures that can change carry their date, and each rule is attributed to the text it comes from.

Residence Permit in North Cyprus: The Regimes by Type

The TRNC does not run a single residence-by-investment programme. Residence is regulated by the Residence and Visa Regulation, made under Article 20 of the Aliens and Immigration Law (Cap. 105), and by the Permanent Residence Law 51/2015. Article 11 of the regulation requires a foreigner who stays longer than the period of the visa or visa exemption, or longer than ninety days, to hold a residence permit unless another lawful status applies. Work permits, business-establishment permits and permanent residence permits are treated as residence permits for the term they are valid, so their holders do not need a separate one.

Article 13 of the regulation names the permit types: the short-term residence permit (up to one year each time unless a rule says otherwise), the family residence permit (up to ten years each time), the student residence permit (up to one year each time), and permits for people aged sixty or over, which may be issued for up to three years at a time. The table places these next to the permanent route so the legal basis of each is visible.

The permit most relevant to a buyer is the second row from the top: the short-term permit for a property owner. It is not a one-year permit renewed annually in every case: Article 14(2)(b) as amended through 5 October 2026 provides terms of five and ten years in defined cases, which the next sections set out.

Which Authorities and Texts Govern a Residence Permit in North Cyprus

Several bodies act at different stages. The Ministry of Interior runs the Immigration Department (Muhaceret Dairesi); applications are first received by the Immigration branch of the District Police Directorate for the area where the applicant lives, which sends the file to the Department with a reasoned opinion within ten days (Regulation, Art. 22(1) and 22(3)). The Council of Ministers approves each foreigner’s purchase of immovable property, and the Ministry of Interior’s Property Unit takes purchase applications in person, by proxy or through a lawyer. The District Land Registry Offices register the contract and the title. The Revenue and Tax Department publishes the minimum wage and collects stamp duty and income tax.

The texts used in this guide, with their dates, are the following. The Residence and Visa Regulation was published in 2019 and has been amended repeatedly; the Central Legislation Office hosts the consolidated version dated 5 October 2026, which lists the amending regulations through A.E. 943/2026 (Gazette 194). Law 51/2015 is hosted in the version amended by Law 41/2026. Decree-Law 89/2026 replaces several paragraphs of Article 8 of the Law on Acquisition of Immovable Property and Long-Term Leasing (Foreigners) 52/2008 for as long as it stays in force. The Land Registry fee schedule is in Gazette No. 197 of 7 October 2026. The minimum wage is taken from the Revenue and Tax Department’s notice for 1 July 2026.

The Ministry of Interior also runs online services: the home page of the Ministry lists a residence permit portal, an immigration online appointment system, a property permission portal and an e-visa service. The regulation (Art. 22(1)) states that the information and documents required for each permit type are set by the Department and published on its official website, so the checklist in this guide follows the regulation’s conditions rather than any single form.

The Ministry’s public information pages for short-term permits and the Immigration Department’s own site describe the permits in summary form. Where those summaries are shorter than the consolidated regulation, this guide follows the regulation, because it is the text with the latest amendments.

The Short-Term Residence Permit for Property Owners

Article 14(2)(b) of the regulation sets the conditions for a residence permit in North Cyprus that is based on owning immovable property. Read in sequence, they are as follows.

• The property must be a dwelling suitable for residence, and it must be used for that purpose (Art. 14(2)(b)(i)).
• If one title deed is divided into several shares and one shareholder has already received a short-term permit on that dwelling, another shareholder does not receive one for the same dwelling. A second shareholder can still receive one if the first holder has not obtained a family residence permit on the strength of it; where several short-term permits are issued on one dwelling, no family permit can rest on any of them (Art. 14(2)(b)(ii)).
• If the property was bought by contract, at least one third of the sale price must be paid, and the applicant must have applied to the Council of Ministers for permission to acquire the property (Art. 14(2)(b)(iii)).
• If the title deed is in the applicant’s name and the total value of the properties bought is £300,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency), the permit is issued for 10 years without an income condition. If the total value is below £300,000, the permit is issued for 5 years, again without an income condition (Art. 14(2)(b)(iv)).
• If the applicant holds a sale contract stamped and approved by the Revenue and Tax Department and the value stated in it is £300,000 or more, and the application is made to the Ministry, the permit is issued for 5 years without an income condition. If the contract value is below £300,000, the applicant shows a regular monthly income of one minimum wage, by an apostilled document from the home country or a document from any bank in the TRNC or abroad, and the permit is issued for 5 years (Art. 14(2)(b)(v)).

The £300,000 figure is therefore a switch between permit terms and between income conditions. It does not decide whether an owner may apply: a title-deed holder below the line is still within the five-year provision of Art. 14(2)(b)(iv). It applies to the total value of the properties bought on a title deed, or to the value stated in a stamped contract, and the regulation states it in pounds sterling, with the equivalent in another currency accepted. It does not appear in Law 51/2015, which uses a euro figure for a different purpose.

Article 28A of the regulation, which implements the agreement between the TRNC and Türkiye on additional facilities for each other’s citizens, removes the income condition of Art. 14(2)(b)(v) for citizens of Türkiye. The same Article reads the income condition of Art. 14(2)(i) for them as having enough income to live on.

Article 15 adds general conditions that apply to every short-term permit: the applicant claims a permit category and proves it; is not subject to an entry or stay ban; has housing that meets general health and security standards and gives the address; presents, if the Department asks, a criminal record certificate from the country of citizenship or legal residence; has no disease that the health authorities class as a threat to public health (this condition is not applied to applicants over sixty); shows means to live on for the permit period; and holds a passport valid long enough. For citizens of states without an embassy or consulate in the TRNC and for non-EU citizens, the passport must be valid at least six months beyond the requested permit period; for others it must be valid at least two months beyond. Article 24(1) adds that a permit is issued for a period 60 days shorter than the passport’s validity.

How the £300,000 Test Works in Practice

The regulation compares a total value with £300,000. The text of Art. 14(2)(b)(iv) speaks of the total value of the properties bought, so the sum of several purchases is the figure that is compared. The text of Art. 14(2)(b)(v) speaks of the value stated in the stamped sale contract. The table applies these two paths to prices shown in listings on this site, taking each price as the figure compared with the line. The prices are the listing’s own price fields as of 28 October 2026 and are examples of arithmetic, not offers.

The first row uses the starting price of the two-bedroom apartments in the listing for Milagro Villa & Residence Iskele, whose price field reads from £150,000 to £350,000, and its three-bedroom villa price of £320,000. The listing for Atlantis Beach Apartments Tatlisu shows a starting price of £199,950; one third of that figure is £66,650. Listings in the Iskele, Famagusta, Esentepe and Tatlisu city pages carry prices in pounds sterling, which is the currency the regulation uses.

Three points of reading apply. First, the regulation does not define “total value” by reference to a valuation report, so the compared figure is the one on the deed or contract documents. Second, the one-third rule and the Council of Ministers application in Art. 14(2)(b)(iii) concern the contract stage, before the deed is issued. Third, the dwelling-and-use condition in Art. 14(2)(b)(i) applies at every tier, so land without a dwelling does not meet it.

Entry, Visa and the EUR 50,000 Line

A foreigner who has not yet bought can also enter on a visa connected to property. Article 9(1)(d)(ii) of the regulation provides a residence visa of at most ninety days for people who show a title deed, or a sale contract stamped and approved by the Revenue and Tax Department. Article 9(3)(ç) lists what is asked when the visa is requested for a short-term permit based on property: the title deed if the property was bought; the sale contract if payments are continuing; or, if the property has not yet been bought, a document showing at least EUR 50,000, or the equivalent, in a bank account; and a truthful and satisfactory statement of the purpose of the visit.

The EUR 50,000 figure is thus a visa-stage evidence line for a person who has not yet purchased. It is not a purchase price, it is not a minimum property value, and it does not appear in the permit conditions of Art. 14. The visa itself is limited by Art. 7(2): a stay on a visa cannot exceed ninety days at a time or ninety days in any 180 days. An application for a residence permit must be made within the visa period (Art. 22(2)(a)). Where someone entered on a general visa and later decides to apply, Art. 10(5) lets the Chief Immigration Officer extend the visa up to a total of ninety days if the person appears to meet a permit’s conditions and the application has a chance of success. A visa extension costs TL 20 per day under the Second Schedule, and the application must be made through the GöçSis system at least five working days before the visa ends.

The regulation also states that a visa gives no absolute right of entry: Art. 5 provides for border checks and for a comprehensive check where there are doubts about an arriving foreigner, and Art. 6 lists the persons who are refused entry, including people regarded as a risk to public order or public security and people with an outstanding fine for an earlier unauthorised stay.

Documents Checklist for a Residence Permit in North Cyprus

The regulation fixes conditions rather than a form list, and leaves the exact document list to the Immigration Department’s website. The checklist below ties each item to the regulation article that makes it relevant. The wording of each item is the guide’s paraphrase of the text.

Some guides list a residential address certificate from the local mukhtar with a post-office stamp, a medical examination with specified tests and a certificate of clean criminal record as universal items. The regulation does not mention a mukhtar certificate or name specific medical tests; it requires the address and a favourable health report, and it makes the criminal record certificate conditional on the Department’s request. The Ministry’s pages describe the same process in summary form.

Where a permit rests on a contract, the contract itself is part of the file. Decree-Law 89/2026 requires the buyer to register a contract stamped under the Stamp Duty Law at the District Land Registry Office within one month and to apply to the Ministry for the purchase permit; otherwise the contract is treated as automatically invalid. The title-deed categories that may sit behind such a contract are explained on the page about North Cyprus title deeds and Land Registry searches.

Step-by-Step Timeline for a Residence Permit in North Cyprus

The regulation and the decree-law contain a number of fixed time limits. The table arranges them in the order in which a property owner meets them. The periods are those written in the texts; the texts give no processing time as a promise from the administration, and the longer steps depend on the Council of Ministers’ decision date.

Two features of this sequence deserve emphasis. The permit starts on the day the visa or the previous permit ends if the application was made in time, and on the application date if it was made late (Art. 22(6)). And if no document or payment is completed within the periods in the notice or within the 60-day period, the application is cancelled and, where the person has no other lawful status, the notice warns that the person must leave within five days, after which the stay is counted as unauthorised (Art. 22(9)(d)).

Fees and Duties for the Permit and the Purchase

The First Schedule to the regulation (Art. 30) sets the residence permit fee by the length of the permit. The schedule, as amended through A.E. 784/2026, lists the following for short-term and family permits; the permit fee, a late-application fee and a retroactive-permit fee are stated in Turkish lira.

The last column is the guide’s arithmetic: each row from six months upward equals TL 4,000 for each year of the longest term in that row (TL 8,000 for two years, TL 12,000 for three, TL 16,000 for four, TL 40,000 for ten). The schedule adds a retroactive-permit fee of TL 1,000 for each month of lateness, and the regulation charges the ordinary fee, not the late fee, to those who apply within the periods of Art. 22(2). Student permits carry lower fees (TL 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000 for the three listed durations).

Purchase-side charges are separate. Article 8(4) of Law 52/2008, in its consolidated text, requires a service fee equal to half of the current gross monthly minimum wage when the purchase permit application is filed. The Revenue and Tax Department’s notice gives a gross monthly minimum wage of TL 70,893 and a net one of TL 61,677 from 1 July 2026, so half of the gross figure is TL 35,446.50. The Land Registry fee schedule in Gazette No. 197 (7 October 2026) shows totals of 4% for the first property a foreigner buys, 5.5% for the second and 6% for the third, with a separate column for nationals of states that recognise the TRNC, and the schedule stays in force through 5 January 2027. On the £150,000 apartment in the table above, 4% is £6,000; on £300,000 it is £12,000. Taxes and fees on the purchase are set out in more detail on the page about North Cyprus property taxes and fees.

The fee for the permanent residence permit is in the law itself: TL 25,000, with a TL 10,000 fee for the check carried out every two years (Law 51/2015, Art. 14(1)(A)). Article 14(1)(B) allows the Council of Ministers to raise both amounts up to fifteen times by regulation, taking into account annual inflation figures of the Statistical Institute. Ten per cent of what is collected under that article goes to the Sickness Insurance branch of the Social Insurance Fund (Art. 14(2)).

Family Members and Other Categories

Articles 16 and 17 govern the family residence permit. The sponsor may be a TRNC citizen or the holder of a residence permit, a permanent residence permit, a work or business permit or a student permit. A person holding a humanitarian permit cannot be a sponsor. Those who may apply include the foreign spouse or partner of the sponsor, a disabled foreign child over eighteen, unmarried children under twenty-five (and unmarried daughters of any age) where the sponsor is not on a student permit, and, on conditions, the sponsor’s or spouse’s parents. For a sponsor who is a TRNC citizen, unmarried children and the sponsor’s own parents qualify. In a polygamous marriage lawful in the home country, only one spouse receives a family permit (Art. 16(3)).

The duration of the family permit cannot exceed the time the sponsor is lawfully permitted (Art. 16(4)). The sponsor must have housing that meets health and security standards for the size of the family and a valid health insurance policy covering every family member (Art. 17(1)). The applicant must show the family tie, may not have married for the purpose of obtaining a permit or citizenship, and must be at least eighteen for spouses. The regulation allows an inquiry where a marriage is reasonably suspected to be arranged for that purpose (Art. 18).

One consequence for owners follows from the share rule in Art. 14(2)(b)(ii): if several shareholders of one title receive short-term permits, none of those permits can be used as the basis for a family permit. Where the owner holds the permit alone, the owner’s family can apply as dependants. The regulation’s cap of ten years for family permits matches the ten-year term available to owners at the £300,000 level.

The remaining categories in the regulation are mentioned here only to show their place. The short-term income-based permit of Art. 14(2)(i) needs a monthly income of at least three minimum wages or that sum for a year in a bank account. Foreigners receiving a pension from the Social Insurance Department may receive permits up to five years at a time without another income condition (Art. 14(2)(j)). Student permits are given for study at higher-education institutions and, in listed cases, at private schools (Art. 19). The right to work for students is governed by the Foreigners’ Work Permits Law (Art. 21). A foreigner who is found to be working while holding only a residence permit is within the revocation grounds of Art. 23(1)(ğ).

For the income-based permit, the arithmetic uses the Revenue and Tax Department’s figures. Three gross minimum wages are TL 212,679 per month (3 × 70,893), or TL 2,552,148 for twelve months; on the net figure the amounts are TL 185,031 and TL 2,220,372. The regulation says “minimum wage” without stating gross or net, so both figures are given.

Permanent Residence Under Law 51/2015

The Permanent Residence Law defines the permit as one that gives the right to reside continuously in the TRNC. For a property owner, Article 5 sets the conditions. The Director of the Immigration Department, or a senior official authorised by the Minister, grants the permit to a foreigner who has held permits without interruption for at least six years on the basis of owning a home and having assured income, provided that the foreigner meets the conditions of Art. 5(2).

The EUR 125,000 figure therefore applies to one thing: the definition of the “home” that a permanent residence applicant must own under Art. 5(2)(B). It does not set a price at which a short-term permit is available, and it is not the same figure as the £300,000 line in the regulation. A home worth £300,000 would meet the EUR 125,000 test as well, since the text says “or the equivalent”, but the two tests answer different questions: how long a short-term permit lasts, and whether the owner qualifies for the permanent permit after six years.

The assured-income definition can be turned into numbers using the minimum wage notice. For a single applicant, one gross minimum wage is TL 70,893 per month and a deposit equal to one year is TL 850,716 (12 × 70,893). For a couple it is 2 × 70,893 = TL 141,786 per month, or TL 1,701,432 for a year. For a couple with two dependent children it is 2 + 0.5 + 0.5 = 3 minimum wages, which is TL 212,679 per month and TL 2,552,148 for a year. The same figures on the net basis are TL 61,677 and TL 740,124 for a single applicant. The law states “minimum wage” without saying gross or net.

Article 5(1) counts permits obtained on the basis of owning a home and having assured income. Law 51/2015 has separate routes for people holding work or business permits (Art. 4), for marriage to a TRNC citizen on the conditions of the Citizenship Law 25/1993 (Art. 6), and for people born in the TRNC or who arrived before adulthood (Art. 7).

Renewal, Refusal and Revocation

For short-term permits, Art. 22(2)(b)(ii) of the regulation states that a renewal application is made within forty days from the end date of the current permit; the ordinary fee is charged if the application comes within that period. Student permit holders have sixty days. A renewed permit is a new permit document each time (Art. 24(4)).

Article 23 lists when a permit is refused, revoked or not renewed: one or more application conditions are not met or cease to be met; a false statement or a document that does not reflect the facts was submitted during or after the application; the permit was used outside its purpose; the person is subject to a valid deportation or entry ban; for family permits, the marriage was made to obtain a permit or citizenship, or the sponsor’s permit was cancelled; for student permits, evidence shows that study cannot continue; the permit holder is wanted by the police; the police issued an adverse report; or the person was found working while holding a residence permit. The decision is notified by SMS or to the legal representative or lawyer, and, unless another period is set, the person must leave within five days of notification or the stay is counted as unauthorised. A person refused or revoked who applies again within six months must show that the relevant conditions have changed (Art. 23(3)).

For the permanent permit, Article 8 of Law 51/2015 lists the grounds for cancellation. For permits obtained through a home and assured income, the ground is loss of the home or of the assured income, or the lack of valid general health insurance in the TRNC (Art. 8(5)). Other grounds apply to every holder: a prison sentence or a conviction for the listed offences (Art. 8(6)); an incurable communicable disease documented by the health ministry as a public-health danger (Art. 8(7)); a permit obtained by a false statement or concealment (Art. 8(8)); and unregistered work (Art. 8(9)).

The holder of a permanent permit must make a declaration every two years, within thirty days counted from the date the permit was first issued, stating that none of the cancellation grounds of Art. 8, other than Art. 8(7), applies. The form is prepared by the Immigration Department, handed in with its attachment, and a receipt is given (Art. 11(1)). A false declaration or a failure to declare is itself a ground for cancellation (Art. 11(2)). Article 12 makes it an offence to mislead the authorities knowingly with false statements, punishable by up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to fifty monthly minimum wages, or both. On the gross figure of TL 70,893, fifty wages are TL 3,544,650. A permanent permit holder is admitted to the TRNC unless an entry ban has been placed by a competent authority (Art. 10).

What a Residence Permit in North Cyprus Does Not Confer

The permits above are national permits of the TRNC. They have no effect on EU status. The European Commission states that EU legislation is suspended in the northern part of the island under Protocol 10 to the 2003 Act of Accession, because the Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control there. UK travel advice adds that the Republic of Cyprus does not recognise residence permits issued in the north and that the UK can give only limited consular support there. The UK government does not recognise the TRNC.

A residence permit in North Cyprus therefore does not give rights of residence or free movement in the Republic of Cyprus or any other EU state, and it does not give a right to work in the TRNC; work requires a work permit under a separate law. It is not citizenship. Citizenship is regulated by a separate law, the Citizenship Law 25/1993, to which Art. 6 of Law 51/2015 refers for the marriage route.

The same UK advice states that the Republic of Cyprus authorities count time spent in the north toward the 90-day visa-free total, and that arriving in the Republic through the north (for example through Ercan airport) is treated as entry at an unauthorised point. The advice says any crossing point can be used to move between north and south and notes that the Ledra Palace and Ledra/Lokmaci Street crossings are pedestrian-only. Rules on carrying cash across the line are set out on the page about the cash declaration when crossing the Cyprus border.

Tax residency and the six-month test

The TRNC Income Tax Law 24/1982 (text of 25 May 2026) taxes individuals who are resident in the TRNC on income from all sources inside and outside the TRNC for a calendar year (Art. 2(1)). Art. 2(2)(b) treats as resident a person whose domicile is inside the TRNC and who stays in it more than six months, continuously or in total, in a tax period. A foreigner who comes for a specific and temporary assignment is not treated as resident even if the stay exceeds six months (Art. 2(2)(c)). Art. 3(1) provides that foreigners and non-residents are taxed only on income arising inside the TRNC.

The test in the TRNC statute is a six-month one, not the 183-day test, though six months and 183 days are close in length. The 183-day test belongs to the Republic of Cyprus Income Tax Law 118(I)/2002, which treats a person present for more than 183 days in a tax year as resident and also contains an alternative test based on 60 days. Holding a TRNC residence permit does not by itself decide tax residency in either jurisdiction; the day counts and the statutory conditions do. Rules differ by person, and the statutes of the state concerned apply.

How the TRNC Route Differs from the Republic of Cyprus and Türkiye

The Republic of Cyprus Migration Department offers an immigration permit under Regulation 6(2) of the Aliens and Immigration Regulations for investors who buy property. According to the Department’s page for the Fourth Revision (in force from May 2023), the route for a house or apartment requires a first sale by a development company worth at least €300,000 plus VAT, official payment receipts of at least €300,000 excluding VAT, funds brought from abroad, and a title deed or sale contract filed with the Department of Lands and Surveys; selling without replacement leads to cancellation, residence must be taken up within a year, and the holder may not be absent for more than two years. The Republic’s route is a separate immigration permit issued under Cypriot law within the EU framework, and is covered on the page about the Cyprus residence permit.

Türkiye regulates the matter in Law 6458. Article 31(1)(b) allows a short-term permit for foreigners who own immovable property in Türkiye. Article 31(2) gives such permits for up to two years each time, and Art. 31(6), added in 2024, leaves the nature and value of the qualifying property to the Ministry. Article 31(1)(k) separately allows short-term permits of up to five years (Art. 31(5)) for citizens of the TRNC.

Thresholds compared: what each number applies to

Several figures circulate in guides to a residence permit in North Cyprus, and they are easy to confuse. The table lists each figure in the texts with its source, its currency and the single thing it controls.

The statement that no minimum property value applies is accurate for the question of who may apply on a title deed, because the five-year provision has no value floor. It is incomplete in three ways: it omits the £300,000 switch to ten years, it omits the one-third and Council of Ministers conditions that apply to contract-only applicants, and it gives a euro fee range that the regulation’s Turkish lira schedule replaced.

Decree-Law 89/2026 also limits what a foreigner may buy, which matters for the “total value” in the table. For apartments it allows up to three (six for nationals of states that recognise the TRNC and grant the same right to TRNC citizens), for a detached house a plot of up to 3,300 m², for land with a building permit up to 1,338 m² with one house, and for villas in a complex two two-storey villas (three for nationals of recognising states). Projects in zoned areas may be sold to foreigners to a maximum of 80%. The decree-law’s explanatory text refers to the 90-day validity of decree-laws under the Constitution; counting ninety days from 7 August 2026 reaches 5 November 2026. The page on whether foreigners can buy property in North Cyprus and the step-by-step purchase guide follow the buying side, and the Northern Cyprus country page lists the projects by town. The background on land categories is in the article on the legal status of land in Northern Cyprus, and listed prices by town are on the North Cyprus property prices page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a minimum property value for a residence permit in North Cyprus?

For a residence permit in North Cyprus based on a title deed, Art. 14(2)(b)(iv) of the Residence and Visa Regulation provides a five-year permit without an income condition when the total value is below £300,000, so there is no value floor for applying. The £300,000 line moves the term to ten years. For a contract-only applicant, a contract value below £300,000 brings an income condition of one minimum wage per month.

What is the difference between the short-term and the permanent residence permit?

The short-term residence permit in North Cyprus is issued under the regulation for terms that the text sets, including five or ten years for owners in the listed cases. The permanent permit is issued under Law 51/2015 after six consecutive years of permits (three from age sixty), requires a home worth at least EUR 125,000 and assured income, has no end date and is checked every two years.

What does the EUR 125,000 figure apply to?

It applies only to the definition of a “home” in Art. 5(2)(B) of Law 51/2015, the dwelling a permanent residence applicant must own. It does not set a purchase price for the short-term permit, and it differs from the £300,000 line in the regulation.

How long does the permit take?

For a residence permit in North Cyprus the texts give time limits rather than an average: the police forward the file within 10 days, the health report is due within 30 days of application, further checks are completed within 30 days, and the applicant has 30 days to pay and collect after a positive message. The applicant is treated as lawfully present for up to 60 days while the file is pending.

What does a residence permit in North Cyprus cost?

Under the First Schedule, a residence permit in North Cyprus of 6 to 12 months costs TL 4,000, 24 to 36 months TL 12,000 and 120 months TL 40,000. The purchase permit carries a service fee of half the gross monthly minimum wage, TL 35,446.50 on the figure of 1 July 2026, and the Land Registry fee is 4% on a foreigner’s first property under the schedule valid until 5 January 2027.

Can a spouse and children be included?

A spouse or partner and, on conditions, children can apply for a family residence permit alongside the owner’s residence permit in North Cyprus; the family permit runs for up to ten years but not beyond the sponsor’s permit. Where several shareholders of one deed each hold short-term permits, none of those permits can be the basis of a family permit.

Does a residence permit in North Cyprus give EU rights?

No. The European Commission states that EU legislation is suspended in the north under Protocol 10, and UK travel advice states that the Republic of Cyprus does not recognise residence permits issued in the north. A permit gives no EU residence, work or free-movement rights.

Can a permit holder work?

A residence permit in North Cyprus does not carry the right to work. Under Art. 23(1)(ğ) of the regulation, being found working while holding a residence permit is a ground for revocation, and work is governed by the separate Foreigners’ Work Permits Law.

When does a permit end or get cancelled?

Art. 23 of the regulation lists the grounds: conditions no longer met, false statements, use outside the permit’s purpose, an entry ban or deportation order, adverse police findings and working without a work permit. For the permanent permit, Art. 8 of Law 51/2015 adds loss of the home or assured income and lack of valid health insurance.

How is tax residency decided?

The TRNC Income Tax Law treats a person with a domicile in the TRNC who stays more than six months in a tax period as resident and taxes residents on worldwide income, while foreigners who are not resident are taxed only on income arising in the TRNC. The Republic of Cyprus uses a 183-day test in its own law.

Last checked: 28 October 2026. Sources: Residence and Visa Regulation (consolidated 5 October 2026); Permanent Residence Law 51/2015; Official Gazette No. 147 (Decree-Law 89/2026); Official Gazette No. 197 (Land Registry fees); Law 52/2008, consolidated; TRNC Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Interior, short-term residence permit page; Ministry of Interior, Property Unit; Immigration Department, residence information; Revenue and Tax Department, minimum wage notice; Income Tax Law 24/1982; Turkish Law 6458; Republic of Cyprus Migration Department, immigration permits for investors; Republic of Cyprus Income Tax Law 118(I)/2002; European Commission, Green Line Regulation; UK travel advice, regional risks; UK travel advice, entry requirements.