Cyprus Property Law Amendments

Updated: January 15, 2026

In late 2023, Cyprus enacted Law N. 132(I)/2023, amending the Sale of Property Law (Specific Performance) of 2011 to provide additional protection for real estate buyers. The amendment ensures that property transfers proceed once the buyer has fulfilled all contractual obligations.

________________________________________

ℹ️ Land Registry Search Certificate Requirement

Under the new Section 4(a)(1A), sellers must include a Land Registry search certificate as an integral part of the sale contract. Key points:

The certificate must be issued no more than five working days before the contract signing (or up to five days after)
It must be signed by both parties and attached to the contract
This official certificate, issued by the Cyprus Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS), provides information about property burdens, such as mortgages

The law came into force on 12 December 2023 and applies to contracts signed after that date.

________________________________________

🗳️ New Procedure for Submitting Contracts at the Land Registry

For properties subject to a mortgage, both the seller and the lender must provide documents to enable registration of the contract.

🔸 Type A Declaration

This declaration, provided by the seller and lender, confirms that:

Once the buyer or seller has repaid 95% of the mortgage to a specific bank account, the lender will issue a Type B receipt confirming the release of the property from the mortgage
If the mortgage is not removed despite payment, the seller and lender guarantee that upon presentation of the Type B receipt to the DLS, the title deed will be transferred to the buyer

🔸 Alternative: Type C Declaration

If the buyer chooses, the contract can be submitted without a Type A declaration using a Type C statement. In this case, the buyer waives the protection provided by Type A (not recommended).

Contracts signed before 12 December 2023 may still rely on the old specific performance procedure, where buyers can pay any pending mortgage and apply for enforcement against the seller.

________________________________________

🧑‍⚖️ Recent Court Ruling

On 20 June 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled that the DLS Director’s authority to delete mortgages was unconstitutional. As a result:

Applications from buyers without title deeds are temporarily frozen
The government is consulting with banks and stakeholders on new legislation

Despite this, sellers must still include the five-day search certificate in contracts, and buyers should submit contracts to the DLS under the old procedure to apply for specific performance.

________________________________________

📄 Administrative Fines

The Director of the Land Registry may impose fines for non-compliance:

€10,000 for failing to include the search certificate in the contract
€100,000 for failing to release a mortgaged property

More details are available on the DLS website.