Middle-East war dents Cyprus air passenger numbers 15% in March
Cyprus kept outside EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System launching 10 April
UK bolsters Akrotiri with two Merlin Mk2 helicopters, raising civil-airspace safety questions
Latest News
Plug and Play launches Cyprus Innovation Centre to attract global start-up talent
Silicon Valley accelerator Plug and Play opened a Cyprus chapter on 8 April, promising to back 60 start-ups and generate 500 jobs. The hub is designed to lure foreign founders under Cyprus’ start-up and digital-nomad visa regimes, giving multinationals a visa-light innovation base outside Schengen.
Foreign seafarers spared social-cohesion levy as Cyprus tweaks shipping tax rules
Parliament has scrapped the 2 % Social Cohesion Fund levy for non-resident seafarers, effective back to 2010. The measure cuts crewing costs, strengthens Cyprus’ tonnage-tax system and simplifies payroll for global ship-management companies based in Limassol.
Cyprus drops ‘no-other-tax-residency’ condition in popular 60-Day Rule
A 1 January 2026 amendment removed the 60-Day Rule’s fifth test, which had forced applicants to prove they were *not* tax-resident elsewhere. Internationally mobile workers can now obtain Cypriot tax residency with just 60 days’ presence, even if another country also claims them. The simpler rules enhance Cyprus’s attractiveness for regional HQs and remote-first employers.
Non-Dom regime survives 2026 overhaul – 17 years (and beyond) of zero SDC still on offer
A 7 April briefing confirms Cyprus’s non-domicile rules survived the 2026 tax overhaul unchanged: qualifying foreign residents still pay 0 % SDC on dividends and interest for 17 years, with optional five-year extensions. New anti-avoidance and lump-sum payment mechanisms were added, keeping Cyprus competitive for high-net-worth migrants and expatriate executives.
Middle-East conflict knocks 15 % off Cypriot air-passenger volumes
Hermes Airports data show passenger numbers at Larnaca and Paphos fell 15 % in March as airlines cut Middle-East flights and tourists postpone trips amid the Iran conflict. The drop complicates business-travel planning, and authorities are scrambling to shore up alternative markets ahead of the summer season.
Live-fire NOTAM: Cyprus warns mariners and pilots of Russian naval drills 6–10 April
A JRCC NOTAM issued on 7 April warns air and sea traffic of Russian live-fire exercises southeast of Cyprus between 6 and 10 April, forcing airlines and shippers to route around the temporary danger zone and adding minor cost and complexity to regional movements.