Moving to Cyprus for Work: The 2026 Guide

Cyprus hires people from all over the world, especially in hotels, restaurants, shipping, finance and tech. Many jobs are open to English speakers. What you need to do before you start depends mostly on one thing: whether you hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport.

First question: is your passport from the EU, EEA or Switzerland?

• Yes: you can come and work without a work permit. You register with the Migration Department within four months. See the guide for EU citizens.
• No: the employer has to get permission before you travel, and you need an entry permit before you arrive. See the guide to work permits for non-EU nationals.

If you have a special status, such as temporary protection or residence on another basis, different rules may apply. Check with the Migration Department.

Before you accept an offer

• Who is the employer? Look up the company and its website. A real employer will tell you its name.
• What is the pay, gross per month, and how many salaries a year?
• What are the hours and the days off?
• Is housing included, and if so, is anything taken from your pay for it?
• How do you apply? Through the company or a named person, never by paying someone.

Never pay to get a job. Licensed employment agencies in Cyprus are not allowed to charge workers any fee.

Pay in Cyprus

From 1 January 2026 the national minimum wage is €979 gross a month when you are hired and €1,088 after six months with the same employer, pro rata for part-time work. Hotel staff, domestic workers, agriculture and seafarers are covered by their own rules instead.

The average gross pay in the first quarter of 2026 was €2,601 a month, but a third of employees earned under €1,500 (CYSTAT). Ask for the gross figure and work out your net pay with our calculator.

Your first weeks, in order

1. 1.Sign the contract. Your employer registers you with Social Insurance within 7 days.
2. 2.EU citizens: apply for the Registration Certificate (MEU1). Non-EU: the employer's permit process, then the Aliens Register and biometrics.
3. 3.Get a Tax Identification Code through the Tax Department's Tax For All portal.
4. 4.Enrol with GeSY, the national health system, and choose a personal doctor. GeSY needs your Migration or Social Insurance registration first.
5. 5.Open a bank account. Anyone legally resident in the EU has the right to a basic payment account.

This order is our suggestion, not an official checklist. Each office can ask for its own documents.

Where to live

Limassol is the most expensive town to rent in, Larnaca and Paphos the cheapest of the big four. See rents by town, and look at jobs that include housing.

Jobs with housing →

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Jobs without Greek →