An Audit Office report released on 16 February shows Cyprus granted 22,740 citizenships between 2020-2023 yet still sits on nearly 12,000 unresolved naturalisation files—some dating back to 2007. Of the backlog, 57 % relate to residency-based naturalisation and 19 % to marriage cases. The average processing time in the sampled cases was 37.7 months, well above the EU average.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
Auditors flagged multiple compliance breaches, including files where applicants had spent fewer than 20 days in Cyprus before applying and two Category E work permits that were wrongly issued to majority shareholders rather than employees. One individual allegedly obtained Cypriot IDs five times using different photographs. The report also criticises the Migration Department for verbally halting new Category F permanent-residence applications in 2019, creating a separate backlog of 3,000 files.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
![Cyprus audit reveals 11,891 pending citizenship files and decade-long processing delays]()
The findings arrive as Brussels presses member states to tighten controls on investor visas and ‘golden’ passports. Although Cyprus scrapped its citizenship-by-investment scheme in 2020, the audit suggests residual governance gaps continue to expose the island to reputational and money-laundering risks. The Auditor General called for an automated case-management system, stricter identity checks and a strategy to clear legacy files within two years.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
Navigating Cyprus’s evolving immigration landscape can feel overwhelming, but VisaHQ’s dedicated Cyprus team (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) tracks regulatory changes in real time and offers end-to-end assistance with residence permits, work authorisations and naturalisation filings. By helping applicants assemble compliant documentation, liaising with local authorities and monitoring application status, VisaHQ minimises avoidable delays and gives both individuals and employers clear visibility over each step of the process.
For employers, the backlog means longer waiting times when staff apply to naturalise and, in some cases, when they seek permanent residence or family-reunification permits linked to citizenship processing. Mobility teams should anticipate extended lead times, keep documentary evidence of continuous residence up to date and consider premium-track residence permits where available.
Auditors flagged multiple compliance breaches, including files where applicants had spent fewer than 20 days in Cyprus before applying and two Category E work permits that were wrongly issued to majority shareholders rather than employees. One individual allegedly obtained Cypriot IDs five times using different photographs. The report also criticises the Migration Department for verbally halting new Category F permanent-residence applications in 2019, creating a separate backlog of 3,000 files.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
The findings arrive as Brussels presses member states to tighten controls on investor visas and ‘golden’ passports. Although Cyprus scrapped its citizenship-by-investment scheme in 2020, the audit suggests residual governance gaps continue to expose the island to reputational and money-laundering risks. The Auditor General called for an automated case-management system, stricter identity checks and a strategy to clear legacy files within two years.(in-cyprus.philenews.com)
Navigating Cyprus’s evolving immigration landscape can feel overwhelming, but VisaHQ’s dedicated Cyprus team (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) tracks regulatory changes in real time and offers end-to-end assistance with residence permits, work authorisations and naturalisation filings. By helping applicants assemble compliant documentation, liaising with local authorities and monitoring application status, VisaHQ minimises avoidable delays and gives both individuals and employers clear visibility over each step of the process.
For employers, the backlog means longer waiting times when staff apply to naturalise and, in some cases, when they seek permanent residence or family-reunification permits linked to citizenship processing. Mobility teams should anticipate extended lead times, keep documentary evidence of continuous residence up to date and consider premium-track residence permits where available.
