Focus on the essentials in your first week: buy a SIM card, arrange temporary accommodation, start flat hunting, contact a bank and book a migration appointment.
Days 1–2: connectivity and basics
- Buy a local SIM card — prepaid ones are sold on a passport straight away, from €10 for 50 GB. You also need a Cypriot SIM because emergency alerts are only delivered to them.
- Take temporary accommodation for 1–2 weeks: Airbnb or Booking. Don't rent a permanent flat without seeing it in person.
- Download the apps you'll need: Bolt, Wolt, your bank, the buses, an app showing the nearest shelters.
- Get some cash and check that your card works: terminals almost everywhere accept Visa and Mastercard.
Days 2–5: housing
- Watch Bazaraki and neighbourhood chats and be ready to view a flat on the day it is posted — good options go in 0.5–3 days.
- At the viewing check: an energy rating of B or better, not the ground floor, parking, windows on two sides.
- Agree the agent's fee before the viewing.
- Sign a contract for at least 12 months and have it certified by the mukhtar — you need it for the residence permit.
- Photograph everything when you move in — that is your argument when the deposit comes back.
Days 5–7: utilities and the bank
- Transfer the electricity into your name: a €350 deposit for a non-EU tenant, plus a €15 transfer fee.
- Transfer the water at the district organisation: a deposit of around €250.
- Order internet — check whether there is fibre at the address; installation takes 3–10 days.
- Open a bank account: passport, proof of address, an employer's letter or proof of the source of funds.
- Book a migration appointment early: availability is limited, especially in Limassol.
What else you'll want straight away
- A dehumidifier — if you arrived in autumn, buy one before November.
- Adapters for British type G sockets.
- A rental car or car sharing instead of taxis: taxis in Cyprus are expensive.
- Join the community: half your answers turn up there faster than online.