Title deed
The 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.
Updated 12 Oct 2026How it works
A title deed is the everyday name for the certificate of registration (Πιστοποιητικό Εγγραφής) that the Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS) issues for a registered property. It identifies the property, for example by district, town or village, plot and registration number, and names the registered owner or owners. Locally it is often called a "kochan".
A deed exists only once the property is registered. A flat, house or plot still under construction cannot have one yet: among other things, the DLS needs the supervising engineer's certificate that the works are complete and a certificate from the building authority. For a block of flats, the developer then applies for horizontal division, which creates a separate title deed for each unit.
A property can be transferred into the buyer's name only once a title deed exists. You become the legal owner when the District Land Office registers the transfer. Owners can order a copy of their deed on the DLS Portal for €10 per title deed.
Why it matters when you buy
Many homes, especially in new developments, are sold before a separate title deed has been issued. You then sign a sale contract and wait for the deed, and a developer's mortgage on the land can still block the transfer.
A copy of the deed also does not prove that no charges were registered later. The DLS advises asking the seller for a recent certificate of registration, and a search certificate shows the current mortgages, prohibitions and deposited contracts.