Getting licensed in Cyprus: register, exam, fees and duties

Cyprus has a real licence, with a degree requirement, a year of supervised practice, a written exam in Greek and a yearly renewal. It is the hardest route of the countries in this course, and also the one that gives the title the most weight. This lesson walks you through it.

Who needs the licence

The Real Estate Agents Law 71(I)/2010 (amended by laws 157(I)/2012 and 100(I)/2017) says that only a person entered in the Register of Estate Agents and holding a valid annual licence may act as an estate agent. The register and the licence are run by the Real Estate Agents Registration Council, a semi-governmental body under the Ministry of Interior.

If you work as an assistant, you are registered in the separate assistants’ register and act under your employer’s licence (lesson 2). You need your own licence only to run your own agency, or to be the licensed agent behind a company.

The qualifications

Article 11(1)(a) sets the conditions for a natural person:

1. Citizenship of Cyprus or another EU country (non-EU spouses and children of EU citizens living permanently in Cyprus can also qualify, under article 11(3)).
2. Not bankrupt and not under a legal incapacity.
3. No conviction for dishonesty or moral turpitude, unless rehabilitated.
4. Education: a recognised diploma or degree of at least three years in a related subject, or a postgraduate title of at least one academic year.
5. Practice: at least 12 months in Cyprus while registered as an assistant agent.
6. Knowledge of Cypriot property and planning law, proven in a written exam set by the Council.

A company or partnership can also be registered (article 11(1)(b)) if it was formed in Cyprus or another EU country, has its registered office or place of work in Cyprus and is not being wound up. Its registration runs alongside that of the natural person linked to it.

The exam

The Council last announced an exam for 6 November 2025 at the Pavilion in Nicosia, with online applications closing on 25 September 2025 and a €100 fee (Cyprus Mail, DOM LiVE). The exam was in Greek and closed book. We did not find a published date for a 2026 session, so check the Council’s site.

The 2025 exam covered seven laws:

Law	What it covers
Cap. 224	Immovable property: tenure, registration and valuation
Law 9/1965	Transfers and mortgages
Cap. 219	DLS fees and charges, including transfer fees
Law 81(I)/2011	Sale of immovable property (specific performance)
Cap. 96	Streets and buildings regulation
Law 90/1972	Town and country planning
Law 71(I)/2010	Estate agents

The exam fee is not refundable (article 13(2)).

How to register

The official Business in Cyprus page (updated July 2023) lists the documents:

• Photos and a copy of your ID card or passport.
• Your secondary school certificate and your degrees.
• A criminal record certificate and a non-bankruptcy certificate (originals shown before the licence is issued).
• A recent statement of earnings and contributions from Social Insurance (form Y.K.A. 2-002), as proof of your practice.
• The receipt for the application fee.

The Council decides within three months of a complete file. You can appeal a refusal to the Administrative Court within 75 days.

What it costs

Item	Amount
Exam (2025 session)	€100
Registration application	€100
Registration certificate	€350
Annual licence	€250
Agent ID card	€20
Yearly renewal	€250 licence plus €20 ID card

Add the insurance premium and the cost of your office.

The annual licence

Once registered, you ask for the annual licence and bring:

• Proof of professional indemnity insurance of €200,000 for the year. Article 19 says it must cover claims by buyers when an agent breaks the duty to inform them fully (article 21). A copy goes to the Council and the original or a true copy hangs in your office.
• Title deeds or a lease proving you have an office. Article 24 asks for a suitably furnished and equipped office.
• An employment certificate from Social Insurance for each employee.
• An inspection of the office by the Council’s inspector.

Timing rules. You must ask for the licence within six months of registration. Licences expire on 31 December each year (article 17). Renew within three months of expiry, or tell the Council in writing that you are stopping. After three consecutive years without renewal you are removed from the register. The registration certificate itself has no expiry date. We found no continuing training duty in the text.

Renewals are not always smooth: in November 2025 the agents’ association said about 90% of licences had been renewed after it stepped in with the Council.

Your numbers on everything

Article 23 says that every document and advert must carry the words “licensed real estate agent”, your registration number and your annual licence number. Article 24 adds your name, the title and the registration number on the front of your office. Article 26 makes a false or misleading title an offence.

Buyers can check you in the Council’s online directory, which listed more than 600 licensed and registered agents when we checked in October 2026.

Penalties

Breach	Penalty (Law 71(I)/2010)
Acting as an agent without registration or a valid licence	Up to 12 months in prison, a fine up to €3,500, or both (art. 33(3))
Any other breach of the law	Fine up to €2,000, plus up to €35 a day while it continues (art. 33(4))
Running an office in breach of article 25	Up to €3,500, then up to 12 months and €7,000 on a second conviction
Not disclosing the fee in the transfer declaration, or not paying the Council its share	Up to three months, €1,000, or both (art. 20(7))
Obstructing an inspector	Up to six months, €2,000, or both (art. 39)

A court can also order a practice or office closed (article 34). Company directors and officers can be personally liable. On top of the criminal side, the Council can impose disciplinary sanctions (article 29): a reprimand, a penalty of up to €2,000, a licence suspension of up to five years, or removal from the register.

Changes on the way

Two reforms are worth watching. The agents’ association has proposed changes to the law on the Council, the conditions for registration and renewal, a disciplinary council and inspections (November 2025). And a 2026 draft bill would move anti-money laundering supervision of estate agents from the Council to the Tax Department (Cyprus Property News, January 2026). Neither was confirmed as law when we checked.

Step by step

1. Find a job with a licensed agent and register as an assistant within 30 days (lesson 2).
2. Check your degree: three years in a related subject, or a relevant master’s.
3. Log 12 months of practice and keep your social insurance statements.
4. Study the seven laws, in Greek, and apply for the next exam.
5. Register with the Council and pay €100 plus €350.
6. Buy €200,000 of professional indemnity cover and set up an office.
7. Get your annual licence (€250 plus €20) within six months.
8. Put your numbers on every advert, card and document.
9. Diary every December for the renewal.

Rules and fees change, so check with the Council before you act. Practise with sales training.

This lesson is general information, not legal advice.