Articles
Straight answers about how Cyprus actually works
Plain explanations of the paperwork newcomers meet — what a form is for, who needs it, what it costs, where to apply and the mistakes that cost people weeks.
What will you actually take home in Cyprus?
Enter your gross monthly salary and see the whole payslip: income tax, social insurance, GESY and what reaches your account. 2026 figures.
Tax & Employment
The Cyprus 50% tax exemption: who really qualifies in 2026
Half your salary exempt from income tax for up to seventeen years. The condition almost every article still gets wrong is the fifteen years of prior absence — it was ten until 30 June 2023.
Data analytics services in Cyprus: dashboards and models
A dashboard tells you what happened. A model tells you what is likely to happen next. Which one you need — and the data work that comes before either.
The Cyprus IP Box: 3% tax on income from software and patents
An 80% deduction on qualifying IP profit puts the effective rate near 3%. Which assets qualify, why trademarks do not, and how the nexus rule limits it.
Self-employed in Cyprus: the minimum contribution rule
You do not pay social insurance on what you earn. You pay on a minimum set by your occupation — from €2,858 to €8,480 a year, whatever the business made.
The Cyprus tax residency certificate: what it proves and how to get it
Without it a foreign tax authority has no reason to apply the treaty. Which residency test you rely on, the form, and why it has to be done every year.
VAT and VIES in Cyprus: when you must register and what you file
Registration is compulsory at €15,600 of taxable turnover, and VIES is a separate monthly return with its own fines. The thresholds, forms and deadlines.
Registering a company in Cyprus: cost, timeline and what happens after
What the Registrar actually charges, why a lawyer must sign the incorporation, how long it really takes, and the annual filings that catch people in year two.
Opening a corporate bank account in Cyprus: why it takes so long
The bank account, not the registration, delays a Cyprus company. Real timelines, what banks actually ask for, why substance matters, where an EMI bridges.
Tax planning in Cyprus: what is actually available in 2026
The reliefs that survived the 2026 reform and the residency rules that changed: non-dom, IP Box, the employment exemptions and the 60-day rule.
Non-domicile status in Cyprus: what it saves a business owner
Non-dom means no Special Defence Contribution on dividends. Who qualifies, how long it lasts, and why it matters most when you pay yourself from your company.
I just started working in Cyprus. What do I need to do?
The registrations to sort out in your first weeks — tax number, social insurance, GESY and the IR59 — and which ones your employer handles for you.
I moved to Cyprus and I do not understand my payslip
Every line on a Cypriot payslip explained — social insurance, GESY, PAYE, provident fund and the 13th salary — with a worked example.
IR59 / TD59 Cyprus: what it is, who needs it and how to complete it
Your employer asked for an IR59 — now officially the TD59. What the form does, who submits one, how to complete it, and the mistakes that cost people money.
Government Services
Cyprus police clearance certificate: how to get one
Twenty euro, and one decision at the very start. If the certificate needs an apostille, or you hold an EU passport, the online route is closed to you and you must apply in person.
Cyprus has no notaries: what a certifying officer does
Ask for a notary here and you will be sent in circles. A certifying officer signs instead — and Russian documents are exempt from certification altogether.
Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Cyprus: who must, who may
An EU licence you may exchange if you wish. A recognised non-EU one you must exchange after six months — and your original goes back to the issuer.
Permanent residence in Cyprus: the routes and the costs
Five routes, different laws and very different prices — €300,000 invested, or five years of legal residence for €30. Including the one never decided.
TIN, TIC and SIN in Cyprus: which number is which
TIC and TIN are the same number under two names. Add the social insurance number and the ARC, and it is four numbers from four different authorities.
Gov.cy enrollment: how to register and what it is used for
One verified account for government services online. How enrolment works, the identity check that actually blocks people, and what the account unlocks.
Cyprus ID card and passport: the appointment, fees and timing
Booking the appointment, what to bring, and the fees. The Cypriot ID card is for citizens only; residents hold a different document. Plus the two-day passport.
Document translation in Cyprus: the PIO does not do it any more
The Press and Information Office stopped translating in 2019. Who certifies translations now, what one costs, and the order that saves you paying twice.
Apostille in Cyprus: where to get one and what it costs
Which documents need an apostille, where to submit them in Cyprus, how long it takes, and what to do if you are not in Nicosia.
Family, Children & Schools
How to get a Cyprus marriage certificate
€13.65, and one thing that catches people out: there is no central register to ask. The certificate comes from the municipality that married you, so the first question is where, not what.
Starting first grade in Cyprus: what your child actually needs
Lessons begin Monday 14 September 2026. The uniform rules, what the state gives free, what goes in the bag on day one, and what the year really costs.
Giving birth in Cyprus: GESY, private care and what the state pays you
What GESY covers, what going private costs instead, and the payments you are owed: 22 weeks of maternity allowance and a birth grant up to €2,738.02.
Civil union in Cyprus: partnership, marriage, documents and costs
Civil partnership and civil marriage are different procedures, offices and fees. What each needs, what a foreign national must produce, and the costs.
How to enrol a child in school in Cyprus: documents, dates, costs
Public school is free, including textbooks. Private is not. Registration dates, the exact document list, and what the first year really costs.
Cyprus birth certificate: how to get one, and the 15-day rule
A Cyprus birth certificate starts with registering the birth, and you have 15 days. Where to go, what to bring, the fees, and the Russian Embassy step after.
Everyday Life in Cyprus
How to open a bank account in Cyprus
Most guides tell you which documents to bring. Almost none mention that you have a legal right to a basic account, that the bank has ten working days to answer, and that a refusal can be reported.
Buying property in Cyprus: permission, fees and agents
A non-EU buyer needs District Administration permission — form COMM 145, no fee, two to three weeks. Plus the licence number every agent must show you.
How to enrol in GESY: registration and what it costs
Paying the contribution is not the same as being registered. The two steps that give you access, who qualifies, the co-payments and what GESY covers.
Life insurance in Cyprus that saves tax and builds a pension
Premiums are deductible up to 7% of the sum assured, and a savings policy pays out tax free. The limits, the 20% cap and the clawback if you cancel early.
Private insurance in Cyprus: what GESY does not cover
GESY is not private insurance and does not replace it. What life, health, motor and property cover do here, which premiums cut your tax, and same-day issue.
Know Your Rights
Moving to Cyprus from the UK: documents and residence
One date decides everything — 31 December 2020. Before it, you keep the rights you had and need not exchange your yellow slip. After it, you are a third-country national and none of this applies.
Tenant and landlord rights in Cyprus: what the law covers
Rent control only covers buildings completed by 31 December 1999 in a controlled area. Everything else is your contract. Notice, arrears, eviction and deposits.
Employing a domestic worker in Cyprus: rules, permits and costs
The entry permit comes before they travel, and you need at least €24,000 income to qualify. Criteria, fees, salary floor and your duties as employer.
Check your employer is actually paying your social insurance
Deducted is not the same as paid. Unpaid contributions can block your move to a new employer, and you will only find out when it is too late.
Employee rights in Cyprus: what your employer can and cannot do
Notice periods, annual leave, dismissal without notice and redundancy — the rules as the Ministry of Labour publishes them, with the deciding figures.
Residence permits in Cyprus: which status applies to you
Every residence status in Cyprus, from the MEU1 certificate to long-term residence: who each is for, the deadlines, and the rules people get caught by.