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Κύπρος / Cyprus·Destination guide · Southern Europe

Cyprus

34.7071° N · Southern Europe · EU, not Schengen

Cyprus runs short stays through the Deputy Ministry register — number first, then the guest record.

Self-service villas, houses and apartments may only be advertised or let once registered in the Register of Self-Service Accommodations kept by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, with the registration number shown on every listing and related transaction. Hotels and classified tourist establishments follow the parallel operating-licence track under Law 34(I)/2019. Guest identity still has to be captured before remote access unlocks — and Cyprus is an EU Member State that is not yet inside the Schengen Area.

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NextStay relevance · Cyprus

5 / 5

Essential

Law 34(I)/2019 as amended by Law 9(I)/2020 requires every self-service villa, house or apartment on the Deputy Ministry of Tourism Register (special label + registration number on listings) before advertising — plus guest identity capture and municipal overnight fees where levied.

At a glance · Cyprus

  • STR register

    Deputy Ministry number

  • Licence

    3-year renewal

  • Aliens notice

    ≤ 48 hours

  • Schengen

    EU — not yet

Who this is for

What hosts and hotels actually need to know

This guide covers the Republic of Cyprus only — not the areas not under the effective control of the Republic. Two tracks sit side by side: hotels and tourist establishments need an operating licence from the Deputy Ministry of Tourism under Law 34(I)/2019; short-stay villas, houses and apartments need registration in the Self-Service Accommodations Register under Part IIIA (inserted by Law 9(I)/2020), with a special label and registration number displayed on advertising. Separately, Aliens and Immigration Regulations 1972 reg. 37 requires anyone providing accommodation to an alien to notify the registration officer within 48 hours — with a proviso that those Regulations do not apply to a hotel manager operating under the Hotels and Tourist Establishments Law. The Personal Data Protection Commissioner has confirmed hotels must record guest particulars and may verify identity documents, but must not retain passport or ID copies. Self check-in works when required guest data is captured before access — registration is a separate prerequisite.

Front desk or digital, licensed hotels and tourist establishments run on the operating-licence track — guest records at check-in, identity verification without passport copies, and municipal overnight fees where the δήμος levies them.

  • 01Hold a valid operating licence under Law 34(I)/2019 (hotel or tourist establishment) from the Deputy Ministry of Tourism
  • 02Record guest particulars required by the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation framework (name, address, nationality, occupation, arrival and departure) and refuse accommodation if basic identification data is not provided
  • 03Verify identity documents by presentation — do not retain passport or ID-card copies (Personal Data Protection Commissioner / GDPR)
  • 04Confirm and remit any municipal overnight-stay fee under the Municipalities Law where your δήμος applies it

Chapter · Registry

Self-Service Accommodations Register

Law 9(I)/2020 inserted Part IIIA into Law 34(I)/2019. A villa, house or apartment let as self-service accommodation may only be advertised or rented when it is on the Register of Self-Service Accommodations and holds a valid registration licence.

Statute

“Ο ιδιοκτήτης και/ή ο δικαιούχος χρήστης, ο επιχειρηματίας … δύναται να διαφημίζει και/ή να εκμισθώνει και/ή να ενοικιάζει αυτοεξυπηρετούμενο κατάλυμα, νοουμένου ότι αυτό είναι εγγεγραμμένο στο Μητρώο Αυτοεξυπηρετούμενων Καταλυμάτων και έχει λάβει αριθμό μητρώου, ο οποίος αναγράφεται στη διαφήμιση και/ή στην προώθηση του αυτοεξυπηρετούμενου καταλύματος, καθώς και σε όλες τις σχετικές συναλλαγές.”
Law 9(I)/2020 — art. 16A(2) (amending Law 34(I)/2019) [02]
  1. 01

    Register before you advertise

    Article 16A makes registration in the Deputy Ministry of Tourism Register of Self-Service Accommodations a precondition to letting or advertising. On registration the Deputy Ministry issues a special label (ειδικό σήμα) and registration number that must appear on listings, promotions and related transactions. After the transitional period, online platforms are prohibited from advertising units without a registration number.

    [02][03]
  2. 02

    Three-year licence and prescribed fee

    The Fifth Schedule to Law 9(I)/2020 provides that the first registration licence is valid for three years from issue and renews every three years on application (filed within three months before expiry) with payment of the prescribed renewal fee. The Deputy Ministry's official renewal form states the register fee as €222 per unit.

    [02][04]
  3. 03

    Solemn declaration — tax ID and insurance

    The application must include a solemn declaration confirming (i) registration with the Tax Department (tax identification number of the owner/manager and VAT where the VAT Law requires it), (ii) the unit's particulars and minimum technical specifications, and (iii) insurance covering all risks, fire and civil liability. Subletting is restricted under the Fifth Schedule's general principles.

    [02]
  4. 04

    Operating without registration is a criminal offence

    Law 34(I)/2019 art. 22 (as extended to self-service units by Law 9(I)/2020) makes operating or advertising without a registration licence an offence punishable on conviction by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to €5,000 or both, plus up to €200 for each day the violation continues after conviction. The Deputy Ministry may inspect units ex officio.

    [01][02][03]
  5. 05

    Hotels are a parallel track

    Classified hotels and tourist establishments obtain an operating licence under arts. 6 or 13 of Law 34(I)/2019 rather than a Part IIIA self-service registration. Confirm which track your property is on before building register-number-only workflows.

    [01]

Chapter · Identity

Guest records & Aliens Regulation 37

Cyprus separates immigration lodging notice from tourism licensing. Capture the guest particulars your track requires before access — and do not keep passport copies.

Statute

“Πας όστις παρέχει διαμονήν εις αλλοδαπόν δέον όπως εφοδιάζη τον λειτουργόν καταγραφής με το όνομα παντός τοιούτου προσώπου αλλοδαπού, ουχί αργότερον των τεσσαράκοντα οκτώ ωρών από του χρόνου καθ' ον ο τοιούτος αλλοδαπός έτυχε παροχής διαμονής υπό του τοιούτου προσώπου: Νοείται ότι ουδέν των εν τοις παρούσι Κανονισμοίς εφαρμόζεται επί Διευθυντού Ξενοδοχείου λειτουργούντος δυνάμει των διατάξεων του περί Ξενοδοχείων και Τουριστικών Καταλυμάτων Νόμου του 1969 και των δυνάμει τούτου Κανονισμών.”
Aliens and Immigration Regulations 1972, regulation 37 [05]
  1. 01

    Aliens Reg. 37 — 48-hour lodging notice

    Anyone who provides accommodation to an alien must supply the alien's name to the registration officer no later than 48 hours after accommodation is provided. A proviso states that those Regulations do not apply to a hotel manager operating under the Hotels and Tourist Establishments Law of 1969 and regulations thereunder. Confirm with the Civil Registry and Migration Department whether your self-service unit sits under that hotel proviso or still needs Reg. 37 notice.

    [05]
  2. 02

    Hotel guest particulars — record, do not photocopy

    The Personal Data Protection Commissioner has confirmed that hotels and tourist accommodations must keep guest records (including name, address, nationality, occupation, day of arrival and departure under the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Regulations of 1985 arts. 10 and 64 as cited by the Commissioner) and may require presentation of a passport for verification at check-in. Collecting and retaining copies or scans of passports or identity cards has no legal basis and breaches GDPR lawfulness and data-minimisation principles. Presentation and validation are enough.

    [10][07]
  3. 03

    Refuse accommodation without basic identification data

    The Commissioner has also recalled that hotels and tourist premises must refuse accommodation to any customer who does not provide basic identification data on check-in. Build that gate into remote arrival — booking confirmation alone is not a guest record.

    [07][10]

Chapter · Fees & tax

Municipal overnight fees and Tax Department duties

There is no single national tourist tax statute in force. Municipalities may levy overnight-stay fees under the Municipalities Law, and self-service operators must be registered with the Tax Department as part of the solemn declaration.

  1. 01

    Municipal overnight-stay fees — confirm locally

    Municipalities Law 111/1985 art. 85(2)(ια) and the Fifth Schedule empower municipalities to impose fees for overnight stays in hotels and related establishments, with statutory ceiling rates by class. Rates and whether a given δήμος or community council currently levies the fee vary — confirm with the local authority covering the property rather than assuming a national figure. Self-service guidance from the Deputy Ministry likewise points operators to local overnight fees where applicable.

    [06][03]
  2. 02

    Tax Department registration is part of Self-Service entry

    The Fifth Schedule solemn declaration requires Tax Department registration (TIN of the owner/manager, and VAT number where VAT registration is required under the Value Added Tax Law). Rental income is subject to income tax under the ordinary Tax Department rules — keep filings current alongside the tourism register.

    [02]
  3. 03

    No enacted national green overnight fee yet

    Policy discussion of a national overnight 'green' fee has appeared in the press, but as of this review there is no primary Republic of Cyprus statute putting a nationwide per-night tourist tax into force. Do not quote a national rate until the Official Gazette publishes one — rely on municipal fees and tax registration instead.

    [06]

Chapter · EU layer

EU law that sits underneath — carefully

Cyprus is an EU Member State bound by GDPR and the 2024 short-term rental data framework — but it is not part of the Schengen Area. Do not copy a Schengen Article 45 lodging checklist onto Cypriot properties.

  1. 01

    Not Schengen — Article 45 does not apply the same way

    The European Commission states that Cyprus participates in Schengen cooperation but that internal border controls have not yet been abolished by the Council — Cyprus remains outside the Schengen Area while inside the EU (alongside Ireland). Article 45(1)(b) of the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement — the lodging-provider guest-record purpose cited for Schengen states elsewhere in this dossier series — does not bind Cyprus as a Schengen implementing measure. Guest-record duties are domestic: Aliens Reg. 37 and the Hotels / Self-Service framework.

    [08][05][09]
  2. 02

    GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679)

    Guest identity and stay data collected for tourism and immigration purposes are personal data. Cyprus applies the GDPR fully (with Law 125(I)/2018). Collect what the legal basis requires, inform guests, secure storage, and respect retention and minimisation limits — including the bar on passport-copy retention.

    [10][07]
  3. 03

    Short-term rental data — Regulation (EU) 2024/1028

    From 20 May 2026, where Member States operate STR registration/data systems, platforms work through harmonised registration numbers and activity reporting. Cyprus already operates the Self-Service Accommodations Register with a displayable registration number in that same transparency direction. Parliamentary materials in 2025 address implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 into the Hotels and Tourist Accommodations Law — watch Official Gazette updates for the final transposition text.

    [11][12][02]

Remote arrival · Still the law

Self check-in under Cypriot rules

Remote arrival is common in Limassol apartments, Nicosia city stays and Paphos coastal stock. The operational gate is capturing guest particulars required for the hotel guest record or Aliens Reg. 37 notice before access is released — Self-Service registration is a separate prerequisite that must already be in place.

01

Document

02

E.turistas

03

Keys

  • Details before the key

    Build identity and stay-data capture into the check-in flow itself — name and particulars sufficient for the guest record (and Reg. 37 notice where it applies) are confirmed before door codes or lockbox instructions are released.

    [05][07]

  • Verify identity — do not store passport copies

    Ask guests to present a passport or ID for verification where required. Do not photocopy, scan or retain copies of those documents — the Commissioner's guidance and GDPR data-minimisation rules treat copy retention as unlawful for ordinary hotel check-in.

    [10][07]

  • Registration number is not optional for remote stock

    A polished self check-in flow does not substitute for Self-Service Register membership (or a hotel operating licence). Confirm the unit has a valid registration number or licence before automating remote arrival at scale.

    [02][01]

  • Municipal fees run on their own clock

    Where your δήμος levies an overnight-stay fee, collect and remit per the local schedule. Pre-arrival capture and fee remittance are sequential duties, not the same step.

    [06]

City layers

The Self-Service Register, Aliens Reg. 37 and GDPR rules are national (Republic of Cyprus). Limassol, Nicosia and Paphos still differ in seasonal peaks, arrival logistics and whether the local municipality currently levies overnight fees.

  • Aerial sunset over Limassol rooftops and coastline

    Limassol — coastal peaks & marina stock

    01

    High remote-arrival volume along the seafront and marina makes pre-arrival guest-data capture essential before late flight arrivals unlock access. Confirm Limassol Municipality overnight-fee practice and keep the Self-Service number visible on every listing.

    [02][06]
  • Pedestrian street in Nicosia's old town with cafés and a red scooter

    Nicosia — capital city stays

    02

    City apartments and business stays reward the same digital guest-record standard. Confirm Nicosia Municipality overnight-fee posture and remember that this dossier's rules apply only in areas under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus.

    [02][06][05]
  • Palm-lined harbour promenade in Paphos with yachts at the quay

    Paphos — harbour & west-coast seasonality

    03

    Harbour apartments and west-coast villas amplify seasonal Statement-style volume: registration number on listings, guest particulars before airport-timed arrivals, and local overnight fees confirmed with Paphos Municipality or the relevant community council.

    [02][06]

This is the law · Here is the reference

Sources & references

Primary statutes, EU instruments and competent authorities. Open the link when your property is at stake.

  1. [01]Local law
    Law 34(I)/2019 — Hotels and Tourist Accommodations

    Primary statute for hotel and tourist-establishment operating licences (arts. 6, 13) and offences/penalties (art. 22).

  2. [02]Local law
    Law 9(I)/2020 — Self-Service Accommodations (Part IIIA / art. 16A)

    Inserts the Register of Self-Service Accommodations, special label, three-year licence, solemn declaration (Tax Department + insurance), and platform display duties.

  3. [03]Authority
    Deputy Ministry of Tourism — Self-Service registration (gov.cy / tourism.gov.cy)

    Official channel and announcements: advertise/rent only with registration licence and number displayed; offence penalties restated.

  4. [04]Agency
    Deputy Ministry of Tourism — Self-Service renewal form (€222)

    Official form states the register fee as €222 per unit for the three-year period.

  5. [05]Local law
    Aliens and Immigration Regulations 1972 — regulation 37

    Persons providing accommodation to an alien must notify the registration officer within 48 hours; proviso excludes hotel managers under the Hotels Law 1969 and regulations.

  6. [06]Local law
    Municipalities Law 111/1985 — art. 85(2)(ια) / Fifth Schedule

    Statutory basis and ceiling schedule for municipal overnight-stay fees in hotels and related establishments.

  7. [07]Authority
    Commissioner for Personal Data Protection — Cyprus

    Supervisory authority for GDPR in Cyprus; published position that hotels must record guest particulars and verify IDs by presentation, but must not retain passport/ID copies.

  8. [08]EU law
    European Commission — Schengen area (Cyprus status)

    Confirms Cyprus participates in Schengen cooperation but internal border controls have not been abolished — Cyprus is not yet in the Schengen Area.

  9. [09]EU law
    Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement — Art. 45

    Cited for contrast only: Cyprus is outside Schengen, so Art. 45 does not apply as a Schengen lodging duty — Aliens Reg. 37 and Hotels / Self-Service rules are the domestic baseline.

  10. [10]EU law
    GDPR — Regulation (EU) 2016/679

    Personal-data rules for identity and stay-data processing — fully applicable in Cyprus as an EU Member State.

  11. [11]EU law
    Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 — short-term rental data

    EU framework for STR registration data and platform sharing (from 20 May 2026).

  12. [12]Agency
    European Commission — STR transparency rules

    Plain-language explanation of the May 2026 framework.

After the law · The product

Where NextStay fits

After the law is clear: we capture the guest particulars Cypriot hosts need for the guest record and any Aliens Reg. 37 notice before access unlocks — so remote-friendly arrivals do not skip Self-Service registration reality.

  • 01

    Details before the key

    Online check-in collects guest and stay particulars before door instructions unlock — so register-ready data exists when the guest arrives, without passport-copy retention.

  • 02

    Register-aware arrivals

    Hosts keep Self-Service registration (or hotel licence) status visible in the workspace: remote arrival automation assumes a valid number, not a blank listing.

  • 03

    Host visibility without desk chaos

    Hotels and individual hosts see who has completed check-in, who is blocked, and when access can release — including late Limassol and Paphos arrivals.

  • 04

    Destination guidance in the workspace

    This Cyprus dossier stays attached to the market — Self-Service number, Aliens Reg. 37, municipal fees and non-Schengen EU posture — not a generic EU footnote.

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Cities in Cyprus

NextStay provides operational tools and general regulatory information, not legal advice. Hosts remain responsible for confirming the rules that apply to their accommodation in Cyprus. Research last verified .