Cyprus Dual Citizenship: What Cyprus Allows, Which Countries Force a Choice, Military Service and Passport Rules

Cyprus allows dual citizenship in its own law: the Civil Registry Law (141(I)/2002) has no article that ends Cypriot citizenship because you hold another one, and the descent and marriage routes set no condition to give up a passport. The only related rule is a proviso in Article 111(1) that lets the Council of Ministers reject a naturalisation application unless the applicant renounces other citizenship, in a particular case or category of cases; no official page says how it is used. What happens to your first passport depends on the country that issued it: of 13 countries checked on official pages, nine let you keep your citizenship when you become Cypriot (the UK, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA, Canada and Australia), Austria and the Netherlands end it unless an exception applies, India ends it, and South Africa changed its rule after a May 2025 court ruling. Male citizens are liable for National Guard service from 1 January of the year they turn 18, with a full term of 14 months and shorter terms or exemptions for some groups, and an adult Cypriot passport costs €70 for 10 years (sources read on 9 November 2026).

Does Cyprus allow dual citizenship? What the Civil Registry Law says

The rules sit in the citizenship chapter of the Civil Registry Law of 2002 (Law 141(I)/2002, Articles 108 to 115), read on CyLaw's consolidated text with amendments up to 224(I)/2025. Each way of becoming a citizen has its own article, and only one of them mentions renunciation.

The eligibility rules, fees and day counts for each route are in our guides to citizenship by descent, citizenship by marriage and naturalisation by residence, and they are not repeated here. The proviso is a discretionary power of the Council in particular cases. I found no official page that states whether the Council applies it generally or to a category of nationalities, so an applicant on the residence route should ask the Civil Registry and Migration Department in writing before filing. The closed investor route is covered in citizenship after the investor programme closed.

Cypriot dual citizenship from the Cypriot side: other nationalities, EU rights and the second passport

Cypriot citizenship ends in two ways under the law. Article 112 lets an adult citizen of full capacity who also holds a foreign nationality renounce Cypriot citizenship by a declaration. Article 113 lets the Council of Ministers deprive citizens by registration and naturalised persons of citizenship on listed grounds. Both are set out below, and the law gives acquiring another nationality no such effect. A Cypriot who becomes a citizen of another country therefore keeps Cypriot citizenship as far as Cyprus is concerned, and the destination country's own rules decide the rest: the pages read for Germany, Ireland and Sweden say that those countries do not make new citizens give up their earlier citizenship.

Cypriot citizenship carries citizenship of the European Union. Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union says every person holding the nationality of a Member State is a citizen of the Union, that Union citizenship is additional to national citizenship, and that Union citizens may move and reside freely in the Member States and vote and stand in European Parliament and municipal elections in their state of residence. For a UK, US or Indian national this is the main practical gain of a Cypriot passport. Citizenship does not by itself fix your tax residence; the tests are in tax residency in Cyprus and Cyprus tax for individuals.

Which countries end your citizenship when you become Cypriot: 13 countries checked

Each row below comes from an official page of the country concerned, read on 9 November 2026. The question asked is the same for each: what happens to a citizen who voluntarily acquires Cypriot citizenship.

Three rows need more than a line. The Dutch exception for a partner's nationality appears to fit the marriage route in Article 110(2): a Dutch citizen married to a Cypriot who registers as a citizen on that route is within the IND exception, and a Dutch citizen who naturalises by residence is within it only if born in Cyprus and living there or if 5 consecutive years of childhood were spent in Cyprus. Austria asks for the retention application before the foreign citizenship is acquired, and its portal lists three grounds for approval: services to the Republic, the welfare of a minor, and a particularly weighty private or family reason. For India, the Ministry of External Affairs states that the Overseas Citizenship of India scheme is not dual citizenship and gives no political rights, so a person who becomes Cypriot and loses Indian citizenship can ask for an OCI registration if eligible, and the Indian passport is gone.

South Africa is a case where official sources conflict. The court decision came in May 2025 and SAnews quotes the Home Affairs Minister as saying South African law allows dual citizenship, yet an official High Commission page still tells applicants to obtain permission before acquiring a foreign citizenship, and I could not open the Home Affairs notice itself. A South African national should ask Home Affairs in writing before filing in Cyprus. Countries not in the table were left out because I could not confirm their rule on an official page; check yours on the website of its interior ministry or embassy before you apply.

Loss of Cypriot citizenship: renouncing it and deprivation under Articles 112 and 113

Law 141(I)/2002 contains two provisions that end Cypriot citizenship, and I found no third. Renunciation is voluntary and needs another nationality; deprivation is a decision of the Council of Ministers and covers only citizens by registration and naturalised persons.

The procedure is the same for the contested grounds. The Council must tell the person in writing why, and of the right to go to the Independent Committee for the Examination of Deprivation of Nationality within 60 days. The committee has three members: a representative of the Legal Service as chair, the Accountant General and the Director General of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, or their representatives. It advises the Council, the Council decides, and the Minister issues the order and publishes a notice in the Official Gazette that gives only the name of the person affected.

Article 113(1) adds two provisos: where citizenship acquired under the investor provision is removed, nothing paid or invested is refunded, and family members who acquired citizenship as family members of a person naturalised under Article 111, 111A or 111B(2) can be deprived as well. How these powers were used is told in citizenship after the investor programme closed. The text of Article 113 begins with citizens by registration and naturalised persons; I found no deprivation power over a person who is a citizen at birth under Article 109. A person whose only citizenship is Cypriot cannot renounce under Article 112, which requires a foreign nationality.

Military service for male Cypriot citizens with dual citizenship

Every male citizen is liable. Article 18(1) of the National Guard Law 19(I)/2011, in the text as enacted on 25 February 2011, imposes military service on citizens from 1 January of the year in which they turn 18 to 31 December of the year in which they turn 50, and the National Guard's FAQ describes the same universal conscription, including persons of Cypriot descent who have not yet become citizens. The consolidated text was not read: the enacted law gave a full term of 24 months, and the National Guard now states 14 months, so the law has been amended.

The page for people naturalised after 26 is cut off in the text I read, so the 3-month term for them is not confirmed; the page does not state the total when the additional 2 months applies, and the natural reading is 3 + 2 = 5 months, which should be confirmed with the Conscription Directorate.

Exemptions under Article 23(1) of the Law matter most to dual nationals. They include a permanent resident abroad, on an application supported by a certificate of permanent residence from the Cypriot embassy, High Commission or consulate; a permanent resident abroad who completed at least 6 months of service, without buying it out, in the armed forces of a foreign country whose nationality the person also holds; a Cypriot and Greek national who lived with the family in Greece for at least 6 years and served there; and a person not of Cypriot origin who served in the country of origin before naturalisation. Other exemptions cover a father of three or more minor children, a widowed father of two, and the sole or eldest son or brother of a person killed or missing under the relief laws.

Three further points apply. First, a man who does not report on the due date and has no legal ground is an evader, and the National Guard states the penalty as prison of up to 3 years, a fine of up to €6,000, or both. Second, Cypriot citizens aged 16 to 26, including persons with a Cypriot parent who have not yet become citizens, must show an exit permit issued by the Ministry of Defence or a conscription office at ports and airports; men who served or were exempted show a Type B certificate. Third, Article 112 lets the Minister suspend a renunciation made to avoid service, so renouncing does not remove the liability. For Austrians, oesterreich.gv.at says that serving compulsory military service in a state whose nationality the person also holds does not cost Austrian citizenship.

A man who grew up in the UK can apply for the permanent residence certificate through the High Commission in London, which charges £9 and states 20 working days once the file is complete; the file needs proof of the UK stay such as a birth certificate, parents' salary records, proof of address and school progress reports. The same certificate is needed when a man who has completed service is called up as a reservist.

Cypriot passport for dual citizens: fees, validity and which passport to show at each border

The Ministry of Interior's passport page and the gov.cy service give the following figures. The applicant must attend in person for the photo, fingerprints and signature, and fingerprints are deleted within 48 hours of issue.

The second question for a dual national is which passport to show at the border of the other country. The rules differ and the airline can refuse boarding on the wrong one.

GOV.UK adds that a British citizen cannot get diplomatic help from the British government in the other country of which they are a national, which applies in Cyprus to a British-Cypriot dual national.

Worked example: a German national naturalising in Cyprus and keeping dual citizenship

Assumptions, all chosen for illustration: Markus was born on 14 May 1980 and holds German citizenship only; he registers as an EU resident in Cyprus on Friday 1 September 2026 and the Department counts residence from that day, which the Department has not confirmed (see the yellow slip guide and the naturalisation guide); he lives in Cyprus continuously, is away no more than 90 days in the final 12 months, and passes Greek B1. Seven years of residence plus the final 12 months make 8 years, so the earliest filing day is Friday 1 September 2034, when he is 54.

The arithmetic: €500 + €500 + 2 × €8.54 = €1,017.08 to the Department; adding the B1 exam gives €1,017.08 + €90 = €1,107.08; adding the passport gives €1,107.08 + €70 = €1,177.08, before translations, the knowledge exam fee and legal help. The result for his passports is that he holds a German passport and a Cypriot passport from about 2034 or later. Military service does not arise: he was born in 1980, so his liability under Article 18 ended on 31 December 2030, four years before the earliest filing day, on the assumption that the age limit in the enacted law still stands.

The same dates for other nationalities change the outcome. A Dutch citizen who naturalises by residence loses Dutch nationality automatically unless born in Cyprus and living there, so he ends with the Cypriot passport alone; the 13-year rule on living outside the Kingdom and the EU does not apply while he lives in Cyprus, since Cyprus is an EU state. An Austrian citizen needs an approved retention application before the certificate is granted, or he loses Austrian citizenship by law on acquiring Cypriot citizenship.

Worked example: a UK-born man registering Cypriot citizenship by descent

Assumptions: Daniel was born on 3 February 1996 in Manchester to a mother who is British and a father who was a Cypriot citizen at his birth, and he lives in the UK. He registers the birth on form M121 as an adult, as set out in our citizenship by descent guide. The Ministry of Interior's page states a €20 fee and a stamp of €8.54, so registration costs €20 + €8.54 = €28.54, and an adult passport at €70 brings the total to €98.54, before translations, certification and postage.

1. British side. Daniel keeps his British citizenship, because the UK allows dual citizenship. He enters the UK on his British passport, since a Cypriot passport cannot get an ETA, and he renews the British passport before each return date as the High Commission notice advises.
2. Military side while he lives in the UK. He is liable from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2046, which is 33 calendar years. He can apply for exemption as a permanent resident abroad with a certificate from the High Commission in London (£9, 20 working days when the file is complete).
3. Military side if he moves to Cyprus. Suppose he settles permanently on 1 September 2027, aged 31. He must enter the population register within 4 months, by 1 January 2028. The 3-month term applies if he enlists within 2 years of arrival, by 1 September 2029; after that date an additional 2 months applies, which is 5 months on the natural reading. Against the 14-month full term, enlisting on time saves 11 months.
4. Passport side. He holds two passports from the day the Cypriot one is issued, and the British passport is the one to show on entry to the UK.

Dual citizenship and buying a home in Cyprus

A home purchase has no part in any route in the table above. The investor provision, Article 111A(2), was deleted by the Civil Registry (Amendment) (No. 2) Law of 2025 and survives only for applications filed up to 30 October 2020, so the citizenship routes now run through parentage, marriage or years of residence. The costs and permits of a purchase are in our guide to Category F residence and the moving to Cyprus checklist.

Cyprus dual citizenship: questions people ask

Sources, all read on 9 November 2026. Cyprus: Civil Registry Law 141(I)/2002, consolidated text on CyLaw (Articles 60, 61, 108 to 115), Greek text; National Guard Law 19(I)/2011 as enacted, CyLaw PDF; Ministry of Interior pages on passports and form M121 (gov.cy/moi); gov.cy passport service; National Guard General Staff pages on reduced service, exemptions, exit permits and FAQ (gov.cy/army); High Commission of Cyprus in London, notice of 9 February 2026 and permanent residence certificate page; EUR-Lex, Article 20 TFEU. Other countries: GOV.UK dual citizenship; Irish Immigration Service Delivery; Federal Foreign Office and Federal Ministry of the Interior on the 2024 German nationality law; oesterreich.gv.at on loss of citizenship; IND on losing Dutch nationality (updated 18 August 2026); Act on Polish citizenship, consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 1611, and the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights page of 31 July 2023; Migrationsverket; Swiss FDFA dual citizenship page; US State Department and USAGov; IRCC; Australian Department of Home Affairs; Indian Citizenship Act 1955 and Ministry of External Affairs OCI page; SAnews of 7 May 2025 and a South African High Commission page. Conflicts and gaps: Home Affairs of South Africa could not be opened; the consolidated National Guard Law was not read; the 3-month term for men naturalised after 26 is cut off on the National Guard page; no official page states how the Article 111(1) proviso is applied. This guide is general information and not legal or immigration advice; a licensed adviser should confirm your own position. Cyprus VIP Estates assists investors in choosing new developments; legal and immigration advice comes from licensed professionals.