# Buying Property in Cyprus as a Non-EU Citizen: The Council of Ministers Permission Explained

> Non-EU citizens need a permit under Cap. 109 to register Cyprus property. Who needs it, Form COMM 145, ownership limits, timing and what it does not cover.

- Canonical: https://periodiko.com/cyprus-property-permission-non-eu/
- Updated: 2026-08-22

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> Written by the office of [Andria Valerkou Law](https://valerkoulaw.com) for Periodiko and legally reviewed by Andria Valerkou. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and processing practice change — confirm current requirements with the District Administration or a qualified Cyprus lawyer before you rely on them.

If you are a **non-EU citizen** — British, American, Israeli, Russian, Canadian or any other non-EU/EEA nationality — you can buy property in Cyprus, but registering it in your name requires a permit under the Immovable Property Acquisition (Aliens) Law, **Cap. 109**. Everyone still calls it "Council of Ministers permission", but the routine application is now handled by the **District Administration** of the district where the property sits, under delegated authority. In practice it is a formality: applications are almost always granted when the funds are legitimate and the property is within the permitted limits.

**EU and EEA citizens need no permission at all** and buy on the same footing as Cypriots.

## What are you allowed to buy as a non-EU citizen?

The permission regime caps what one non-EU person — and importantly, one **couple**, counted together — can acquire:

- **One apartment or house**, or
- **A building plot or land up to 4,000 m²** for building an owner-occupied home, or
- Up to **two units** in specific combinations: two dwellings, or a dwelling plus a shop up to 100 m², or a dwelling plus an office up to 250 m².

Anything beyond that — portfolios, multiple rentals, larger land — generally means structuring through a Cyprus company or other advice-dependent routes, which is its own legal topic.

## How do you apply, and what does it cost?

You apply on **Form COMM 145** to the District Administration office for the property's district — your lawyer normally files it alongside the purchase. The form covers who you are, the property, its intended use and how you are funding it, supported by:

- Passport copies (both spouses, if applicable) and marriage certificate
- The signed contract of sale
- Title deed copy and site/building plans
- Evidence of financial standing and source of funds

There is **no application fee** according to current Ministry guidance. Official indicative processing is **two to three weeks**, though buyers' guides commonly report several weeks to a few months in practice, especially for incomplete files — build slack into your plans.

## Does the permission delay your purchase?

No — and this is the part most buyers misunderstand. You can **sign the contract, pay, deposit the contract at the Land Registry and take possession** before the permit arrives. The permission is only needed at the final step: registering the title deed in your name at the District Land Office. Your contract deposit protects you in the meantime under the specific performance law.

Two cautions:

- The permit is **not** due diligence. It says nothing about the title being clean, the building being legal, or the seller being solvent — those checks are your lawyer's job.
- If you somehow completed a purchase without permission, the acquisition can be challenged; in practice buyers regularise by applying, but do not plan on it.

## What about residency — does buying property give you the right to live in Cyprus?

Owning property does not itself grant residence. It can, however, support a **permanent residence application** under the fast-track investment route (property of at least €300,000 + VAT from a developer, plus income requirements) or strengthen ordinary temporary-residence applications. Treat that as a separate application with its own rules, and get current advice — the criteria have been tightened repeatedly.


## Who prepared this guide?

This guide was prepared for Periodiko by the office of [Andria Valerkou Law](https://valerkoulaw.com), a Cyprus law firm based in Polis Chrysochous, Paphos, whose property practice covers transactions from due diligence to title transfer.

If you are a non-EU buyer and want the purchase handled end to end — including preparing and filing the Form COMM 145 permission application alongside the conveyancing — the office can act for you from abroad under power of attorney. You can arrange a consultation directly through the firm's website at [valerkoulaw.com/contact](https://valerkoulaw.com/contact) or by phone or WhatsApp on +357 99965006. Mention this Periodiko guide when you get in touch.