Cyprus has inched up the Henley & Partners Passport Index, securing 13th place worldwide with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 175 destinations, according to the 2026 edition released on 22 July. The island improves on last year’s 14th position and now sits just behind Monaco, overtaking Chile and Hong Kong. The ranking matters for internationally mobile professionals and multinational employers because it influences where staff can be deployed at short notice without cumbersome visa applications. A Cypriot passport now grants friction-less travel to 77 percent of the world’s recognised states and territories, easing regional project work and multi-country client visits. Henley attributes the rise to Cyprus’ ongoing negotiations to join the Schengen Area—targeted for late 2026—and to a string of new bilateral agreements concluded during Nicosia’s EU Council Presidency. Over the past 18 months, Cyprus signed working-holiday memoranda with Australia and renewed mobility pacts with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, all of which count towards the index score. Corporate mobility managers note that the passport’s growing strength helps position Cyprus as a talent hub. “Engineers we relocate to Limassol often travel onwards to Gulf project sites; the enlarged visa-free list saves weeks of lead time,” said Marina Andreou, regional HR director at a European construction firm. For high-net-worth newcomers pursuing Cyprus’ fast-track residency programme, the improving passport is an extra incentive, though advisers point out that naturalisation still demands seven years of residence. Companies should update global-mobility databases and brief employees on the expanded destinations now accessible without advance visas.
Source: Cyprus Business News
