Northern Cyprus Residence Permits for Property Owners: 10 Years from GBP 300,000 (2026)

Two regulations published in the TRNC Official Gazette on 2 and 5 October 2026 set new residence permit terms linked to property. Under the current text, a foreign owner with a title deed in their own name and property worth GBP 300,000 or more can receive a 10-year permit without an income requirement. Below that value the permit is 5 years. Contract holders are covered separately. Checked 23 October 2026.

Northern Cyprus has amended its residence permit rules twice within three days. The two instruments are titled “Ikamet Izinleri ve Vizeler (Degisiklik) Tuzugu” and amend the base Residence Permits and Visas regulation. Both are issued under Article 20 of the Aliens and Immigration Law (Cap. 105) and both entered into force on the day of publication. This article reports what the printed texts say and what they leave open.

What was published and when

The full Gazette issues are available on the State Printing Office website. Neither text prints an end date, and no transitional deadline for applications is given.

Residence permit terms by route

For the title-deed route the test is the total value of the immovable property owned by the applicant. For the contract route the test is the value stated in the sale contract stamped and approved by the Revenue and Tax Department. Values may be stated in another currency at the GBP equivalent.

How the income proof works

The income test applies only to contract holders whose contract value is below the threshold. The text accepts an apostilled document from the applicant’s home country, or a document from any bank in the TRNC or abroad, showing regular monthly income of one minimum wage. The alternative is a permit of up to 5 years on a bank document showing means of one minimum wage.

Family permit and children under 6

• Family Residence Permit: A.E.932 replaces article 13(2). The permit is granted for up to 10 years each time, unless a rule says otherwise.
• Children under 6: foreigners under 6 years of age are added as a new sub-item (iv) to the list in article 12(c). The content of that list was not reviewed for this article.
• Fines: under the transitional article, foreigners under 6 who were in the country on 2 October 2026 are exempt from fines accrued for the period they stayed without a permit.

Who is affected, who is not

• Affected: foreign owners with a title deed, buyers holding a sale contract while awaiting transfer, families applying for a family permit, and foreign children under 6.
• Not changed by these two texts: work, student, short-term and permanent residence categories.
• Not covered: tax residency, which is determined by separate rules.

What remains unconfirmed

Several points are not stated in the Gazette texts and are not confirmed elsewhere.

• Earlier rules. The earlier wording of the base regulation was not retrieved. The reference page of the Immigration Department is undated and is internally inconsistent: its Turkish text mentions three monthly minimum wages for title-deed holders, the English text one. It may simply not have been updated, so no before-and-after comparison is made here.
• Minimum wage. The amount in pounds is not given in the regulations.
• Currency conversion. The exchange rate and the date used to test the GBP 300,000 threshold are not specified.
• Measure of value. It is not stated whether “total value” means purchase price, a valuation or the declared contract value.
• Implementation. It was not checked whether the Immigration Department has issued an implementing circular. Waiting times and document practice are not covered by the texts.
• Media. No independent media coverage was found; the report rests on the Gazette texts.

Frequently asked questions

Does a purchase guarantee a residence permit?

No. The permit is decided by the Immigration Department, and other legal conditions, such as security checks and documents, still apply.

What is the threshold?

GBP 300,000 or the equivalent in another currency.

How long is the permit for a title-deed holder?

Ten years at or above the threshold, five years below it, in both cases without an income requirement.

What if there is no title deed yet?

The contract route applies: five years without income proof at GBP 300,000 or more, or with income proof of one minimum wage below that.

Is there an application deadline?

None is printed in either text.

Official sources

• Official Gazette No 193, 2 October 2026, regulation A.E.932 (basimevi.gov.ct.tr)
• Official Gazette No 194, 5 October 2026, regulation A.E.943 (basimevi.gov.ct.tr)
• Immigration Department, residence permit information (muhaceret.gov.ct.tr)
• Ministry of Interior (icisleri.gov.ct.tr)
• Legislation portal (mevzuat.gov.ct.tr)

Checked on 23 October 2026. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules can change; confirm the current requirements with the Immigration Department and a licensed lawyer in the TRNC before you buy or apply.