FAQ, page 2

To host tourists in your flat in Cyprus, you first need to add it to the register of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism. Registration costs €222 and lasts 3 years. Without it, Airbnb and Booking will not publish the listing, and letting without a number risks a fine of as much as €5,000. This article walks through how to register a flat step...

An owner of a flat in Cyprus can find a tenant for a year or longer, or host tourists on short stays. In the second case the flat must first be registered with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, otherwise booking platforms will not publish the listing. Rental income is taxed even for people who live abroad. This article explains how the two ways of...

Cyprus has had no inheritance tax since 2000. When a flat passes to heirs under the law, the Department of Lands and Surveys charges no transfer fee. But a foreign heir will still have to follow the Cypriot procedure: through the courts or the tax authorities, and then through the Department of Lands and Surveys. This article explains which taxes...

Before a flat in Cyprus is bought, a lawyer establishes who owns it, whether it is mortgaged and whether it was built with a permit. The key document for this is a search certificate from the Department of Lands and Surveys, which costs €15. Without it, you could buy a flat that has already been mortgaged to a bank or promised to another buyer...

A title deed is the key document for a property owner in Cyprus. Buyers of new builds often wait years for one: the developer can arrange title deeds only after the authorities have approved the whole building. Until the deed is issued, the buyer is protected by a contract registered with the Department of Lands and Surveys. This article explains...

If you sell a flat in Cyprus for more than you paid for it, you owe tax on the gain — 20%. For example, if the gain after all deductions comes to €50,000, the tax is €10,000. Foreigners who do not live in Cyprus pay this tax too. This article explains how the gain is calculated, which costs can be deducted, which part of the gain...

A deposit is the part of a flat's price that the buyer pays from their own money, while the bank lends the rest. A typical new-build flat in Nicosia costs €175,000; with an 80% loan from the bank, the deposit is €35,000. A foreigner who will not live in the flat permanently gets a smaller loan, so the deposit is larger. Below we...

A foreigner can take out a mortgage in Cyprus, but few banks will agree to it. Most Cypriot banks grant housing loans only to people who live on the island permanently. Bank of Cyprus and Alpha Bank say so directly in their terms. This article looks at which banks work with foreigners, how much they lend, at what rate and which documents are...

Buying a flat in Cyprus costs more than the price in the listing: on top of it, buyers pay taxes, government fees and a lawyer. For example, if a resale flat costs €250,000, you will need to pay around €9,600 more. A new build costs more on top, because VAT is added to its price. This article brings together all the costs: on purchase,...

At the end of July Forbes published its list of the best places to retire abroad — 96 locations across 24 countries — and Cyprus made the cut alongside Portugal, Spain and Italy. Among Cypriot destinations the magazine named Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca and the village of Pyrgos, praising the mild climate, the prevalence of English, low...