Alina and Jonathan Schöck
CyprusMail.com
By Johanna Pauls

Cyprus has long been considered a safe haven for international companies. The country benefits from one of the lowest corporate tax rates in Europe, which was only recently raised to 15 percent.

In recent years, this comparatively low tax rate has increasingly prompted digital content creators from all over the world to relocate their homes and places of business to the island. However, their income is much more difficult to verify than the balance sheets of traditional companies.

But what exactly makes Cyprus so attractive for influencers?

"In Germany, I paid half of my money in taxes, and it was completely normal. Now I live in Cyprus and pay 12.5 percent corporate tax and 2.5 percent on corporate profits," says content creator Rico Go in a YouTube video from 2022 – even before the new 15 percent tax rate was introduced in January.

Rico Go apparently runs its own company on the island and at the same time produces attention-grabbing content for its approximately 145,000 YouTube subscribers. He is part of a whole subgenre of influencers that has developed around Cyprus: digital content creators who specifically promote the country as a sunny low-tax location.

In its content, Rico Go also actively advertises the company "tax.one", which is active with the slogan "Escape high taxes. Protect your wealth. Gain freedom." occurs. The company provides tax, wealth and relocation advice for Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates. An initial consultation can be booked from as little as 200 euros.

On the website you can see a photo that shows him together with a colleague in front of a presentation slide with the headline "I hate paying taxes just like you". Neither Rico Go nor tax.one responded to a request for comment from the Cyprus Mail.

Two other German influencers, Alina and Jonathan Schöck, with over 600,000 YouTube subscribers, also started offering relocation services shortly after their own move to Cyprus in 2022.

Together with David Aufinger, Jonathan Schöck runs the platform "Cyprus Lifestyle". A free initial consultation and a digital video course about Cyprus as a business location are offered at a price of 330 euros.

"Our video course and our exclusive community will ensure that you get off to a successful start in Cyprus," it says on the website.

In an interview with the Cyprus Mail, Aufinger explains the business model:

"We do not offer legal or tax advice, but act as an interface between emigrants and local authorities as well as legal and tax partners such as lawyers, tax advisors and notaries."

As one of the main reasons for Cyprus' attractiveness, the website cites the so-called 60-day rule, which makes the country particularly interesting for digital nomads and internationally active entrepreneurs.

This regulation, which was introduced in 2002 and last amended in 2017, states that a person is considered a tax resident in Cyprus if he or she stays in the country for at least 60 days a year, does not spend more than 183 days in any other state, does business in Cyprus and does not establish any other tax residency there.

"Cypriot law has not yet dealt with the activities of influencers. There are neither specific legal regulations nor relevant case law," explains Achilleas Emilianides, a professor of law and dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Nicosia.

Emilianides, who regularly provides legal assessments for the media, contributed to a study by the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) in 2024 that examines national regulations for influencers within the EU.

"As a result, general legal regulations that would be theoretically applicable are often ignored in practice and the activity of influencers remains de facto unregulated," says Emilianides.
This is problematic because it weakens consumer and general protection."

But what is considered an influencer anyway?

Apart from the lack of regulation, the fundamental question arises as to who is legally classified as an influencer. A legal definition does not yet exist in Cyprus. However, a guide from the Cyprus Advertising Regulation Organisation (CARO) provides guidance.

According to this, influencers can be considered providers of audiovisual media services under certain conditions, provided that their activity meets the criteria of the Cyprus Radio and Television Act.

A look at the website of German influencer Romina Palm, who has over 1.3 million Instagram followers, shows that the Cyprus Radio and Television Authority (CRTA) is named as the responsible supervisory authority for her company.

Palm registered her company in Cyprus and has been living on the island intermittently since 2025 – together with her daughter and fiancé Christian Wolf. He is a fitness influencer himself and markets dietary supplements via his Instagram account with 1.5 million followers.

A video from July 2025 titled "We are home" shows the couple in front of a pool with a sea view. Despite living in Cyprus, they regularly travel between Cyprus, South Africa and Germany.

Romina Palm's management told the Cyprus Mail that she was not currently available for comment.

The couple is representative of many content creators who have settled in Cyprus in recent years. In addition to lifestyle influencers, the country now has the highest proportion of female OnlyFans creators in the world – predominantly of non-Cypriot origin.

These influencers, whether from lifestyle, finance, or erotica, are part of a growing community with diverse digital revenue streams, from advertising to online courses to paid consultations.

In view of the lifestyles on display in public, the question arises as to whether Cyprus has sufficient control and enforcement capacities.

In October 2025, the Cyprus Tax Authority uncovered around 300 individuals and companies, including several foreign residents, who had earned income through OnlyFans and other online platforms without declaring it.

"The tax authority is taking all necessary measures, within the limits of available resources, to collect relevant information and take appropriate steps in the event of violations of tax laws," the Ministry of Finance told the Cyprus Mail.

However, the ministry could not give concrete figures on the number of registered influencers in Cyprus, as they are not assigned to their own tax category.

Since spring 2025, Cyprus has been stepping up its action against undeclared revenues and misleading advertising. Tax and consumer protection authorities are increasingly using digital analysis tools and data from social networks.

Cyprus is not an isolated case: As of 2024, only two European countries had introduced a legal definition of the term "influencer".

Nevertheless, progress is being made. In March 2024, CARO and the Commerce Department's Consumer Protection Service signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to better educate consumers about the commercial intentions behind influencer content.

"Basically, it's positive when influencers come to Cyprus because it's a growing economic activity," says Emilianides.
 "However, this is only positive if there is clear supervision, obligations are known and taxes are paid properly."

He warns that Cyprus could otherwise become attractive for the wrong reasons.

"If Cyprus is perceived as a tax haven in which influencers operate due to a lack of regulation and control, that would be a negative development."

Editor's Opinion:
Are entrepreneurs, influencers and digital creators a problem for Cyprus?
At least that's how it comes across in the article.

The debate about influencers and digital entrepreneurs in Cyprus is currently very heated. This is less about individual actors than about the fundamental question of how Cyprus as a business location deals with modern, location-independent business models.

Cyprus is not an industrial location, but lives from services, tourism and international capital. Entrepreneurs, influencers and digital creators fit exactly into this economic model. They start businesses, rent or buy real estate, consume locally and pay taxes. Economically, they are therefore not a marginal phenomenon, but a real factor.

The difference to classic entrepreneurs lies primarily in public perception. While an international consulting firm is hardly noticeable, influencers are more in focus due to their reach and lifestyle. This generates attention – and criticism.

The real problem, however, is not their presence, but the lack of clear regulation so far. Unclear definitions and gray areas have led to uncertainty, not systematic misconduct.

In international competition, Cyprus is in direct competition with locations such as Dubai, Malta or Portugal. Over-regulation or blanket suspicions would weaken this competition.

Conclusion:
Entrepreneurs, influencers and digital creators are not a problem for Cyprus, but an opportunity. It is crucial that the state creates clear, fair and transparent framework conditions – without gambling away the locational advantage.

Source: CyprusMail.com with kind permission for editorial use
Author: Johanna Pauls