Cyprus property glossary
The terms you meet in contracts, permits and the Land Registry, explained in plain English. With the Greek original, so you recognise them in your documents.
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Building densityΣυντελεστής Δόμησης · Building coefficient · Plot ratio · Floor area ratioThe maximum total floor area that may be built on a plot, as a percentage of the plot's area. At 90% density, a 500 m² plot allows up to 450 m² of floor area.Building permitΆδεια Οικοδομής · Building licence · Construction permitPermission under the Streets and Buildings Regulation Law (Cap. 96) to carry out building works. It follows the planning permit and, since July 2024, is issued by the district's EOA.
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Capital gains taxCGT · Tax on property sale gains · Φόρος Κεφαλαιουχικών Κερδών · ΦΚΚA 20% tax on the gain from selling property in Cyprus, paid by the seller. From 1 January 2026, lifetime exemptions are €30,000 in general and €150,000 for a main residence.Certificate of final approvalΠιστοποιητικό Τελικής Έγκρισης · Certificate of approval · Final approval certificateAn official certificate confirming that a completed building matches its building permit and approved plans. The DLS needs it before it issues separate title deeds.Certifying officerΠιστοποιών Υπάλληλος · Πιστοποιούντες ΥπάλληλοιA person appointed by the Minister of Interior to certify signatures and seals on documents, such as a power of attorney. They confirm who signed, not what the document says.Coverage ratioΠοσοστό Κάλυψης · Site coverage · Plot coverage · Building coverageThe maximum share of a plot that buildings may cover, measured by their footprint. At 50% coverage, buildings on a 600 m² plot may cover up to 300 m² of ground.
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Planning permitΠολεοδομική Άδεια · Planning permission · Town planning permitPermission under the Town and Country Planning Law (Law 90/1972) to develop land: to build, extend, change a use or divide a plot. It is needed before the building permit.Planning zoneΠολεοδομική ζώνη · Zoning · Land-use zoneAn area in a development plan with its own rules on permitted uses, building density, coverage, floors and height. A plot's zone decides what can be built on it.Power of attorneyΠληρεξούσιο · PoA · General power of attorney · Special power of attorneyA signed document that lets another person, the attorney, act in your name. In Cyprus the signature must be certified before the Land Registry, EAC and others accept it.
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Sale agreementContract of sale · Sale contract · Πωλητήριο έγγραφο · ΠωλητήριοThe written contract in which seller and buyer agree the property, price and terms. In Cyprus it is deposited with the DLS to protect the buyer until the title is transferred.Search certificateΠιστοποιητικό Έρευνας · Land Registry search · Property search certificate · Encumbrance certificateA DLS certificate showing a property's registered owner and any mortgages, prohibitions or other charges. Sellers must attach a recent one to every sale contract.Separate title deedΞεχωριστός τίτλος ιδιοκτησίας · Separate title · Individual title deed · KochanA title deed for one unit, such as a flat, or for one plot after land is divided. Until it is issued, a buyer cannot be registered as the owner of their own unit.Solemn declarationΥπεύθυνη Δήλωση · Declaration on own responsibility · Statutory declarationA signed written statement in which you confirm facts on your own responsibility. EAC, for example, accepts one when a new tenant cannot get the previous customer's consent.Special defence contributionSDC · Defence tax · Έκτακτη Εισφορά για την Άμυνα · ΕΕΑA Cyprus tax on certain income of residents, such as dividends and rent. On rent it was 3% on 75% of gross rent; it was abolished for rental income from 1 January 2026.Specific performanceΕιδική εκτέλεση · Specific Performance Law · Law 81(I)/2011A court order making the seller transfer the property to the buyer. In Cyprus, a buyer secures this right by depositing the sale contract with the DLS within six months.Stamp dutyStamp duties · Contract stamping · Τέλη χαρτοσήμου · ΧαρτόσημοA duty once charged on signed documents, including property sale contracts. Abolished from 1 January 2026; contracts signed up to 31 December 2025 still carry it.
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Title deedKochan · Τίτλος ιδιοκτησίας · Certificate of registration · Πιστοποιητικό ΕγγραφήςThe DLS certificate showing who is the registered owner of a plot, house or flat in Cyprus. Until it is transferred into your name, you are not the legal owner.Transfer feesLand Registry transfer fees · DLS fees · Property transfer tax · Τέλη μεταβίβασηςFees the buyer pays to the Department of Lands and Surveys to register a property in their name. Halved on most resales; not charged when the sale carried VAT.Trapped buyerΕγκλωβισμένος αγοραστής · Enclaved buyer · Trapped buyers lawA buyer who paid in full but cannot get the title deed, usually because the developer's mortgage is still on the land. Law 110(I)/2025 offers a route for older contracts.
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