Cypriot nationality law
The Cypriot Nationality Laws dates back to 1967. It is mainly based on "jus sanguinis". Acquisition of Cypriot citizenship. There are several ways to become a Cypriot citizen (citizen of the Republic of Cyprus) : By marriage. The first, being married to a Cypriot national, requires one to be married for at least 3 years, and have completed 2 years of residency in Cyprus prior to the date of the application. In the case where the Cypriot national is living abroad, the applicant must either have been married to the Cypriot national for 3 years and submit an  accompanying letter explaining why citizenship is desired, or have been married to the Cypriot national for 5 years and have at least one child (in which case an accompanying letter is not required). The documents required are: By origins. To apply through this method, one must be over 18 years old, and naturally, have Cypriot origins, as long as one was born abroad after 16 August 1960, with one's father at the time of birth a Cypriot citizen. One can apply in this way if one is an individual born after 11 June 1999, whose mother was a Cypriot  citizen at the time of one's birth. The principle of equal treatment and the prohibition of any form of discrimination, direct or indirect, against any person on the ground of sex, are safeguarded in article 28 of the Cyprus Constitution, however as of 2021 Cyprus maintains this gender inequality in its nationality laws. Accompanying the application must be: By investment. Naturalisation is referred to as the process for which a non-citizen of a country, in this case Cyprus, may become a citizen of that country. The process may be done via a statute or an application to the  relevant authorities. In March 2014, the Cyprus Council of Ministers revised the "Scheme for Naturalisation of Investors in Cyprus by Exception" as part of the government's attempts to attract foreign investors to the country. One of these attempts included a program that granted applicants the right to live, work and study in Cyprus and in the European Union. On 13 September 2016, the Council of Ministers approved a new program of financial criteria for investors wishing to obtain citizenship of Cyprus, the Cyprus Investment Programme. Applicants applying for Cypriot citizenship through this citizenship-by-investment option must actively invest  in the Cyprus economy, by primarily purchasing real estate at a minimum value of m which must be held for at least 5 years, thereafter the property may be sold however they must maintain a property of at least indefinitely. Citizenship by investment includes the main applicant and his or her spouse and unmarried dependents aged 28 and under. The main applicant's parents can also be added for an additional investment of According to recent amendments also the applicants on approval need to make donations of total of 150.000 euros. The recent amendments also make a condition that the  applicants holds a valid Schengen visa. Following amendments to procedures in 2019, citizenship is now only approved after 6 months rather than 3 months as before. Cyprus suspended its citizenship for investment program from 1 November 2020. The scheme provided passports that guarantee visa-free travel in the European Union for a minimum investment of Є2 million. By birth. According to the Republic of Cyprus Citizenship Law of 1967, anyone born on or after 16 August 1960, and with at least one parent being a Cypriot citizen, automatically acquires Cypriot citizenship. Those who were born between 16 August 1960 and  1999 to a Cypriot mother abroad however, do not automatically become citizens of Cyprus, but they may register after they turn 21 years old. Dual citizenship. Cyprus allows its citizens to hold foreign citizenship in addition to their Cypriot citizenship. Some countries, however, do not permit multiple citizenship e.g. adults who acquired Cypriot and Japanese citizenship by birth must declare, to the latter's Ministry of Justice, before turning 22, which citizenship they want to keep. Citizenship of the Commonwealth of Nations. Cypriot citizens are also Commonwealth citizens as well. Citizenship of the European Union. Because Cyprus forms part of  the European Union, Cypriot citizens are also citizens of the European Union under European Union law and thus enjoy rights of free movement and have the right to vote in elections for the European Parliament. When in a non-EU country where there is no Cypriot embassy, Cypriot citizens have the right to get consular protection from the embassy of any other EU country present in that country. Cypriot citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty. Travel  freedom of Cypriot citizens. Cypriot citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 173 countries and territories, ranking the Cypriot passport 16th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index. In 2017, the Cypriot nationality was ranked twenty-fourth in the Nationality Index (QNI). This index differs from the Visa Restrictions Index, which focuses on external factors including travel freedom. The QNI considers, in addition to travel freedom, on internal factors such as peace & stability, economic strength, and human development as well.