Renewal temp residency

Short answer is that you have to transfer 24k EUR into an account which is at a Cyprus located Bank.

Every year you wish to renew the  temporary visitor permit.

Long answer is...

When you renew, you must show proof of earnings that you have sufficient means from sources located outside Cyprus. In effect, they want to make sure that you are not working here.

Those earnings can be pension, rental income, dividends, interest on savings from sources outside the country.

To the best of my knowledge, showing that you have a big bag of cash under your mattress or in the bank / investment account from which you send yourself 24k per year to live on here is not considered "income"

I got hit with that letter last year when I didn't include the foreign income proof (dividend payments in foreign investment accounts.).

I emailed that proof to them and they gave me the renewal.

I also did not transfer 24k into the BoC account (only transferred 5k during the year and then another 10k when I got the letter just to keep thenm happy.)

The Limassol office did not say anything about the proof of foreign income not being included with the application, but Nicosia did.

Limassol did note that I had not transferred the full amount "required" during the year, but submitted it to Nicosia and I got my renewal receipt.

This year when I submitted my renewal application, I included the proof of foreign earnings, but had only transferred ~23k EUR into the BoC account over the previous 12 months and Limassol made more noise about that, but submitted the application anyway with a note that I would transfer the remaining 6k (24k+5k for spouse) "in the future".

We will see if I get a nastygram from Nicosia in the next couple of months.

But, they seem to be getting quite strict with the rules of the "game"  so they can get more money into the local banks, and theoretically the eceonomy.

Now, having said that, the game changed last year when they made the permit valid for 1 year from the date of approval, not the date of application.

Since it takes a few months for Nicosia to get around to your application, you have that period to "play the game" and move excess funds out of the BoC account after the application has been submitted and you get the renewal receipt.

Then you move funds back into the account after approval (when you get issued your card) during the 12 month period before the next renewal to give them something to look at.

Which is what I did. I moved 6k into a foreign account which actually pays interest and then will move it back in when Nicosia sends me the letter to "prove sufficient funds". Or next year when I have to give the BoC a bag of dead money.

So, for immigration purposes, you need to have transferred 24k EUR into the BoC  account during the 12 months preceding the renewal application (and have a min. of 6k in that account on the day of application).

I believe they will also subtract any funds removed from the BoC account back to your foreign bank from the required amount. So, if you remove 20k from the BoC account during the 12 month period, you will need to transfer the 24k + the 20k removed.

But don't quote me on that.

What you do in the period between application submission and approval should theoretically not be subject to scrutiny unless they decide to get pissy and ask the hard hitting questions like "why?" and "WTF?"

Will let you know in a few months when I either get the letter, or my card.

I think they're are different rules depending on status. Worth double checking