Is Cyprus Restricting Non-EU Property Buyers? What's Proposed
Cyprus lawmakers and the government are working on tighter rules for property purchases by non-EU nationals, covering sensitive areas, agricultural land and foreign-controlled companies. As of September 2026, these are proposals under discussion, not law.
By RealDeal team · 4 min read · Published 18 Sept 2026 · Updated 8 Oct 2026
Contents
Status as of 18 September 2026: the measures described below are proposals under parliamentary discussion. They are not law, and the current rules on property purchases by non-EU nationals continue to apply.
On 3 September, government officials and members of the House interior committee revisited the question of restricting property and land purchases by non-EU nationals. A working draft bill contains several mechanisms to do this, and one MP claimed that foreign nationals account for half of all transactions. The committee discussed purchases by individuals; purchases by companies are due to be examined in October.
How we got here
- February 2026: Parliament said it intended to pass legislation by May. Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou proposed merging three legislative proposals and discussing them together with the government's own bill. Ideas included time limits between applications by foreigners and restrictions in certain urban zones or areas sensitive to national security. The minister linked the rise in purchases to developments in the Middle East and the Russia–Ukraine war.
- March 2026: Aristos Damianou, chairman of the House internal affairs committee, said the proposals would limit land purchases by foreigners to 1,100 m² and homes to 200–300 m².
- September 2026: the proposals had not been adopted, and the debate resumed after the summer.
What is on the table
| Area | Proposed measure |
|---|---|
| Sensitive zones | Ban on purchases next to the ceasefire line and near critical infrastructure; the government's draft also targets land near harbours, airports and military camps |
| Agricultural and forest land | Total ban on purchases by foreigners |
| Individual buyers | Non-EU citizens limited to a single home or apartment on a single plot |
| Companies | Redefine foreign-controlled companies by ultimate beneficial ownership; a cross-party proposal requires at least 51% of capital, voting rights or control to be held by EU/EEA citizens |
Sources: Cyprus Mail, La Maison Estates, Bytes Europe.
The focus on companies reflects a gap in the current framework: the safeguards that apply to non-EU individuals do not apply in the same way to foreign-owned companies registered in Cyprus or another EU state.
What the data show
- Official estimate: the auditor-general found that foreign nationals accounted for more than a quarter of property sales in 2024. That figure is likely an undercount, because Cypriot or EU companies controlled by non-EU owners are classified as domestic.
- Contracts in 2026: of 4,980 sale contracts with foreign buyers in January–July 2026, 3,293 involved non-EU citizens and 1,687 EU citizens.
- Share of the market: an analysis published by Cyprus Mail puts non-EU buyers at about 27% of deposited contracts and only around 10–12% of completed transfers, well below the "half" cited in the debate.
- Data gaps: there is no public plot-level data confirming a concentration of foreign purchases near airports, ports, military sites or the ceasefire line. Transparency over the ultimate owners of property held through companies is limited, and a 2025 audit report noted 9,746 active assignment agreements that the registry could not break down by nationality.
The rules today
Cyprus already distinguishes between EU and non-EU buyers. Non-EU nationals generally need permission from the authorities to acquire property, and limits can apply to the amount and type of property they buy.
What this means
- For non-EU buyers, transactions today follow the existing rules. The proposals are worth watching, especially for agricultural land, larger plots, second homes and purchases through companies.
- For developers and agents, there is policy uncertainty around non-EU demand, with company structures the area most likely to change.
- No vote date has been set. The company-ownership part of the debate is due in October.
This article is for information only and is not tax or legal advice. It reflects the status of the proposals on the date of publication.