Cypriot expatriates from more than 50 countries gathered in Nicosia today as Foreign Minister Dr Constantinos Kombos officially opened the World Conference of Cyprus Diaspora 2026. In his keynote the minister unveiled a three-pillar mobility strategy aimed at making it easier for highly-skilled Cypriots and their children to “circulate, not just visit” the island. First, the government will launch a ‘CyDiaspora Pass’ – a digital identity card linked to the Civil Registry that will allow eligible overseas Cypriots to bypass in-person biometrics when renewing passports or applying for family residence permits. The pilot, to be tested through consulates in London, Melbourne and New York by December, promises to cut application turnaround from six weeks to five working days. Second, a tax break modelled on Portugal’s non-habitual resident regime will grant a 50 % income-tax exemption for five years to professionals who relocate to Cyprus after at least 10 years abroad. Employers in ICT and shipping will be able to sponsor fast-track work permits for accompanying non-EU spouses. Finally, the popular Summer Internship Scheme, which flew in 320 diaspora students last year, will double its capacity and introduce a travel stipend pegged to average airfare prices. Conference delegates welcomed the announcements, though some queried whether immigration offices have the capacity to handle a surge in applications given staff shortages. The Deputy Ministry for Migration said it would redeploy trained officers to a new “diaspora one-stop shop” inside Larnaca airport during the August peak. Mobility advisers say companies should map the tax and permit incentives against existing head-office transfer policies to identify staff who could benefit from a ‘return assignment’ structure.
