Buyer's due diligence checklist for Cyprus
Buyer's due diligence checklistΈλεγχος ακινήτου πριν από την αγορά
The documents and checks a buyer in Cyprus should get before signing the contract of sale: title and seller, Land Registry search, existing mortgages, planning and building permits, separate title deed, energy certificate, taxes and local charges, and the permit for buyers from outside the EU.
Use it from the first viewing until the contract of sale is signed and deposited. Your own advocate runs the searches, so instruct a lawyer who acts only for you, not the seller's or the developer's lawyer. Ask for each item before you pay any money beyond a refundable reservation fee.
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.
Key facts
- Applies to
- Areas under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus
- Search certificate in the contract
- Dated no more than 5 working days from signature (Law 81(I)/2011, s. 4(1A)).
- Search certificate fee
- €15 for one district with encumbrances and prohibitions, €30 for all districts (DLS Portal).
- Contract deposit
- Within 6 months of signature at the District Land Office, fee €50 (s. 3(1)(c); DLS Portal).
- Energy performance certificate
- Valid 10 years. The seller shows it and hands it to the buyer (Energy Service).
- Transfer fees
- 3%, 5% and 8% bands, then reduced by 50% (1.5%, 2.5%, 4%). No fee when VAT is charged, with a VAT certificate (DLS Portal).
- Clearances for the transfer
- Tax clearance form N313, and paid-up certificates for municipal, sewerage and water charges (DLS Portal).
- Buyers from outside the EU and EEA
- Council of Ministers permit under Cap. 109, s. 3, needed before the buyer acquires the property.
- Stamp duty
- Abolished for documents signed from 1 January 2026 (Law 239(I)/2025).
The checklist
Seller, title and ownership
Copy of the title deed, or a certificate of registrationΤίτλος ιδιοκτησίας / Πιστοποιητικό Εγγραφής
Identity of every sellerΔελτίο ταυτότητας
For a company seller or buyer: certificates of incorporation, directors and shareholdersΠιστοποιητικά εταιρείας
When you buy a share of a co-owned property, the other co-owners' written waiverΈντυπο Ν254Α
Current leases, and whether the Rent Control Law appliesΕνοικιαστήριο έγγραφο, θέσμιος ενοικιαστής
Land Registry search and existing charges
Search certificate with encumbrances and prohibitions, dated close to signatureΠιστοποιητικό Έρευνας με εμπράγματα βάρη και απαγορεύσεις
Form A from the mortgage lender, when the property or the land under it is mortgagedΈγγραφη Δήλωση, Τύπος Α
Search for sale contracts already deposited on the propertyΚατατεθειμένες συμβάσεις πώλησης
Planning, building and title
Planning permit and building permit, with the approved drawingsΠολεοδομική Άδεια, Άδεια Οικοδομής
Compare the drawings with the building and note any extra rooms, verandas or pools.
Certificate of final approvalΠιστοποιητικό Τελικής Έγκρισης
It confirms that the building matches the permits. Ask your lawyer whether it was issued and, if not, what is missing.
Whether the unit has its own separate title deed, and if not, whyΧωριστός τίτλος ιδιοκτησίας
Site plan and planning zone of the plotΚτηματικό σχέδιο, πολεοδομική ζώνη
Energy and condition
Energy performance certificateΠιστοποιητικό Ενεργειακής Απόδοσης (ΠΕΑ)
Survey by a civil engineer or a building surveyorΈλεγχος από πολιτικό μηχανικό
A survey finds damp, cracks and unauthorised changes before you commit.
Taxes, fees and local charges
Seller's tax clearance for the transferΠιστοποιητικό Διευθέτησης Φορολογιών, έντυπο Ν313
The transfer needs it. It covers the seller's capital gains tax.
Paid-up certificates for municipal or community charges, sewerage and waterΠιστοποιητικά εξόφλησης δημοτικών τελών, τελών αποχέτευσης και υδατοπρομήθειας
VAT position of the sale, and how the seller assessed itΦΠΑ
With VAT, no transfer fee is due, if the VAT Department certificate is given.
Reduced-rate VAT certificate for a first homeΠιστοποιητικό μειωμένου συντελεστή 5%
For a primary residence, apply to the Tax Department for the 5% rate.
Estimate of the transfer feesΤέλη μεταβίβασης
The buyer pays them at the transfer. The DLS Portal has a calculator.
Buyer status and intermediaries
Council of Ministers permit, if any buyer is not an EU or EEA citizenΆδεια Υπουργικού Συμβουλίου, ΚΕΦ. 109
A contract gives you no right to acquire until the permit is granted (Cap. 109, s. 3).
Estate agent's registration and licence numberΑριθμός εγγραφής κτηματομεσίτη
For a flat or a unit in a complex, a statement of common expenses from the Management CommitteeΒεβαίωση Διαχειριστικής Επιτροπής για κοινόχρηστα
It shows unpaid common expenses and planned works that the owners may have to fund.
Formalities
A due diligence list is a checklist by nature. It is not a form the parties sign.
- You do not sign this checklist.
- The search certificate becomes part of the contract of sale. The seller must attach one dated no more than 5 working days from signature.
- Apply online through the DLS Portal or at a District Land Office.
- Ask the seller for a recent certificate.
- Planning zone maps are free on the DLS Portal.
- The seller's tax and local authority clearance certificates are needed only at the transfer. Ask early whether any debt exists.
Common mistakes
- Relying on the seller's or the developer's lawyer. Instruct your own advocate.
- Buying a new-build unit without a separate title deed and without checking the mortgage on the land. Ask for Form A from the lender before you pay.
- Reading only the title deed. The search certificate shows mortgages, prohibitions, memos and deposited sale contracts that the title deed does not.
- Buying an older let home without asking whether the Rent Control Law applies. A statutory tenant keeps the right to stay after you buy.
- Assuming the seller's local charges are paid. The transfer needs paid-up certificates for municipal, sewerage and water charges. A debt can delay it.
Legal basis
- Sale of Immovable Property (Specific Performance) Law of 2011, Law 81(I)/2011, as amended by Law 132(I)/2023, ss. 3, 3A, 4 and 5
- Acquisition of Immovable Property (Aliens) Law, Cap. 109, s. 3
- Rent Control Law of 1983, Law 23/1983, s. 2 (homes in controlled areas completed by 31 December 1999) and s. 11 (recovery of possession)