The conditions of entry to, and residence in, the territory of Cyprus, for a period exceeding 90 days, of third-country national researchers in public or private research organizations, which conduct research, are based on the current legislation, i.e. the European Directive (EU) 2016/801, which was transposed in national law, the Aliens and Immigration (Conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects) Law of 2019, L. 7(I)/2019.

The European Legislation has established conditions for the admission of third country national researchers that are common to all EU member states. Therefore the national legislation, which was based on the European one, determines, among other things, the general and specific conditions for the admission of researchers, the conditions for teaching by researchers, the type and the validity of their residence permit and the reasons for rejection, withdrawal or non-renewal of their permit, as well as their right to stay in the country after completing their research. Additionally, the legislation determines the conditions of entry and residence of their family members and the intra-EU mobility for researchers such as moving to another EU member state, different than the first one, to conduct part of their research. 

The competent Authority that approves research organizations is the Research and Innovation Foundation which was appointed by the Ministers Council.  

Any research organization that wishes to admit a third country national researcher following the procedure according to the relevant legislation, has to be approved first from the competent authority. Applications for approval by research organizations shall be made in accordance with the procedures set out in national law and be based on their statutory tasks or corporate purposes as appropriate and on evidence that they conduct research.

The approval granted to a research organization shall be for a minimum period of five years. In exceptional cases, the competent authority may grant approval for a shorter period.

The competent authority frequently publishes and updates the list of approved organizations. The competent authority may refuse to renew or decide to withdraw the approval where:

(a)  a research organization no longer complies with the provisions set out in the law or
(b)  the approval has been fraudulently acquired or
(c)  a research organization has signed a hosting agreement with a third-country national fraudulently or negligently.
 
Where an application for renewal has been refused or where the approval has been withdrawn, the Director of the Civil Registry and Migration Department cancels all the residence permits of the researchers of that organization.