Non-EU buyers need Council of Ministers permission — routinely granted for one home. Transfer costs fell again in 2026 when stamp duty was abolished. And one rule has no exceptions: don't buy property in the occupied north.
Last verified: July 8, 2026expats can buy — with permission. The Immovable Property Acquisition (Aliens) Law (Cap. 109) requires non-EU nationals to apply for approval, filed through the District Office. For a home it is routinely granted; in practice approval is limited to one residence (or a home plus small commercial premises) and land up to roughly 4,014 m². Sources differ on the exact current practice limits — treat "one home, routinely approved" as the planning assumption and confirm specifics with a lawyer before you offer.
| Cost | Rate (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer fees | 3% to €85,000 · 5% €85,001–170,000 · 8% above | Reduced 50% for resales not subject to VAT; no transfer fees where VAT applies |
| Stamp duty | €0 | Abolished January 1, 2026 — ignore guides still quoting 0.15%/0.2% |
| VAT on new builds | 19% — or 5% for a primary residence | Post-June 2023 rules: 5% on the first 130 m² up to €350,000, if the property is ≤190 m² and ≤€475,000 total |
| Legal fees | ~1%+ (market practice) | Indicative, negotiable |
| Annual property tax | €0 national | IPT abolished 2017; only small municipal charges |
2025 set a record: €6.5 billion in property transactions, up 8% year on year (Department of Lands and Surveys data). Residential prices rose fastest in Limassol (+9.9% y/y in Q4 2025), with Larnaca and Paphos behind. Indicative asking prices per m² for city apartments: Limassol centre ~€4,500, Paphos ~€3,700, Larnaca ~€3,400, Nicosia ~€2,700 — portal-derived figures, labelled indicative because Cyprus has no official asking-price index. CYSTAT counted 6,089 residential building-permit approvals in 2025, up 29.4% — supply is responding, slowly.
Rent before you buy. Indicative 2026 monthly rents for a one-bedroom: Limassol centre €1,150–1,350, Larnaca €750–1,100, Paphos €400–700 — the cheapest of the coastal cities. These are portal-derived market figures (no official rent index exists in Cyprus); full city-by-city detail is in Cost of Living and Where to Live.
Apartments +10.8%, houses +3.0% (Central Bank RPPI Q1 2026) — district-by-district indices plus new-build price levels, honestly labelled.
Read the guide →The Cap. 109 permission, title-deed checks, and the timeline from offer to keys.
The 130 m²/€350,000 formula with real examples — and when 19% applies after all.
What's standard, what's negotiable, and the clauses to read twice.
Buying or renting from 6,000 km away is where expensive mistakes happen. We'll introduce you to a property specialist in Cyprus we've vetted ourselves — no paid listings.