Buying property in Cyprus as a foreigner: EU buyers go straight in. Everyone else needs a permit.

Can foreigners buy property in Cyprus?

Yes. Under Cap. 109, citizens of EU and EEA states are not "aliens" and need no permission. Anyone else needs prior permission from the Council of Ministers before acquiring property, and a registration made without it is void. Since Brexit, UK nationals are non-EU buyers and need that permission.

The permission requirement also covers leases longer than 33 years, share purchases that put a Cyprus company under foreign control, and trusts for a non-EU beneficiary. Inheritance is the one route that needs no permission.

Who counts as a foreigner, and what the permit covers: foreign property ownership in Cyprus, explained.

How does a non-EU buyer get permission to buy in Cyprus?

You apply to the District Administration of the district where the property sits, on form COMM 145. The Ministry of Interior says there is no fee and that applications take 2 to 3 weeks. Couples receive one joint permission and share its limit.

The Ministry lists the permission as covering either a plot of up to 4,000 m² for building your own home, or up to two units: two dwellings, or a dwelling plus a shop of up to 100 m², or a dwelling plus an office of up to 250 m². Other published guides describe the limit as one home or a plot of up to 4,014 m². No official page reconciling the two was found, so confirm the scope with your lawyer before you sign.

Is Cyprus changing the rules for non-EU buyers?

It is being debated, not decided. As of September 2026 four bills and a government working draft were before the House Interior Committee. Proposals include limiting non-EU buyers to one home of up to 200 m² and barring foreign purchases of farmland and land near critical infrastructure. None was in force.

In August 2025 the Interior Minister said the government intends to replace Cap. 109. Cyprus Mail reported in September 2026 that the committee had scheduled purchases by companies for October 2026. Until an amending law is passed and published, the permission rules on this page are the ones that apply. Check again before you sign.

How does buying property in Cyprus work, step by step?

Reservation and deposit, searches at the Department of Lands and Surveys, a written sale contract, deposit of that contract at the District Lands Office, the Council of Ministers permit for non-EU buyers, then the transfer at the District Lands Office. There is no civil-law notary step; buyers use a Cyprus lawyer.

1. Reservation and deposit.
2. Searches at the Department of Lands and Surveys: encumbrances, mortgages, planning.
3. Sale contract, with a property search certificate issued within five working days of signing, or an administrative fine applies.
4. Deposit the contract at the District Lands Office within six months of signing, to secure the right to specific performance.
5. Permit from the Council of Ministers, for non-EU buyers.
6. Transfer at the District Lands Office, with Form N.270, tax clearance Form N.313, and certificates that municipal, sewerage and water charges are paid.

The UK government advises using an independent, English-speaking lawyer. What the title deed is and why the deposit matters: the Cyprus title deed and the permit, explained.

What does it cost to buy property in Cyprus?

On a resale, the main cost is the Lands Office transfer fee: 3%, 5% and 8% by price band, cut by half across all bands. On a new build that carries VAT, there is no transfer fee, but VAT is 19%, or 5% on a qualifying primary residence. Stamp duty was abolished from 1 January 2026.

Legal fees are commonly quoted at around 1% to 1.5% of the price plus 19% VAT; that is a market norm, not a regulated fee. Registering a mortgage costs 1% of the amount advanced. The full table: Cyprus property buying costs.

What taxes does a foreign owner pay in Cyprus?

There is no annual national property tax; it was abolished from 1 January 2017. Local authorities charge their own fees. Rent from Cyprus property is taxable in Cyprus, including for non-residents. Capital gains tax is 20% on a gain from selling Cyprus property, after lifetime exemptions that rose on 1 January 2026.

The Special Defence Contribution on rent was abolished from 1 January 2026, so rent is now subject only to income tax and the GHS (GeSY) contribution. How the income tax bands apply to a non-resident landlord was not settled by an official source when this was written. The detail: Cyprus property tax for foreigners.

What about property in the northern part of Cyprus?

It sits outside the register kept by the Department of Lands and Surveys, and the legal position is different. The UK government's buyer guidance says ownership of many properties there is disputed by people displaced in 1974, and that buyers could face proceedings in the Republic's courts.

Section 303A of the Republic's Criminal Code makes it a felony, with up to seven years' imprisonment, to deal with intent to defraud in property belonging to another person, which includes selling, renting, advertising or agreeing to buy it without the registered owner's consent. In Apostolides v Orams (2009), the Court of Justice of the EU held a Republic of Cyprus judgment about land in the north enforceable in another member state. Take independent legal advice before any purchase there.

Header photo: Στέφανος Νικολάου, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.