Buying process

Buying usually takes six steps: reserve the property, have your lawyer check it, sign the sale contract, deposit the contract at the Land Registry, pay as agreed, and register the transfer. The checks cover the owner, mortgages and other charges (shown on a Land Registry search certificate), the title deed and the permits. The seller must attach a search certificate issued no more than five working days before signing. Deposit the signed contract within six months to get the protection of the Specific Performance Law. Non-EU buyers also need a permit (see Foreign buyers).

Plan for VAT or Land Registry transfer fees (never both on the same sale), your lawyer's fee and, with a mortgage, bank and mortgage-registration charges. A home sold before 18 months of systematic use, typically a new build, carries VAT: 19%, or 5% on a main residence within size and value limits. Other sales usually carry transfer fees of 3–8% by price band, currently cut by 50%. Stamp duty no longer applies to contracts signed from 1 January 2026. Exact rates and conditions are in the Taxes & VAT topic.

No law sets the amount: the deposit is negotiated and written into the contract, often after a reservation fee. Before paying anything, agree in writing who holds the money and when it is refunded. Protection comes from three things: the search certificate attached to the contract, which shows any mortgage; for a mortgaged property, Form A, signed by the seller and the lender, under which you pay into the seller's account named in the form and the lender must release the mortgage once the price is paid; and depositing the contract at the Land Registry within six months, which lets you claim specific performance.

Yes, if a bank approves you, but no more than 80% of the property's value for your main home and 70% for any other property. These caps come from the Central Bank of Cyprus, which also limits your total loan repayments to 80% of net disposable income (income minus expenses), or 65% for a loan in a currency other than your income. Banks can lend less, for example to non-residents. The rest of the price, plus purchase costs, comes from your own funds. Rates and bank requirements are in the Mortgages topic.

Not more than €10,000. A law passed in December 2024 bans cash payments above €10,000 for goods, services and real estate in Cyprus, so the price must be paid by bank transfer or another traceable method. Breaking the rule can bring a fine of up to 10% of the amount. Banks, lawyers and estate agents must also check who you are and where your money comes from under anti-money laundering rules, so keep records of every transfer.

You need a valid passport or EU identity card, a Cyprus Tax Identification Code (TIC) and proof of where your money comes from. Non-residents can register for a TIC online through the Tax Department's Tax For All portal, with the supporting documents it lists. Banks, lawyers and estate agents will ask for bank statements or other proof of funds under anti-money laundering rules, and a lender will also want proof of income. Non-EU buyers need a separate permit (see Foreign buyers). Ask for the full list early, before you reserve.

There is no fixed timeline. A resale home with its own title deed can be transferred as soon as the checks, financing and payment are done, while for a new build the title deed can come months or years after the keys. A few steps have legal deadlines: the seller's search certificate must be no more than five working days old at signing, and the contract should be deposited at the Land Registry within six months. A mortgage approval or, for a non-EU buyer, the purchase permit adds time.