Short-Term Rental Licence in Cyprus: Registration, Costs and Obligations

If you want to let an apartment or villa in Paphos through Airbnb or Booking.com, there is one step you cannot skip: registering the property with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism. Many owners first hear about it when the platform asks for a registration number, or when a neighbour mentions an inspection. The process itself is manageable once you know what is expected.

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as an Airbnb licence in Cyprus. What people mean is the entry in the register of self-catering accommodation, introduced by Law 9(I)/2020. Without that entry, a property may not be let short term to guests, whichever platform you use.

We manage several properties in Paphos ourselves and walk owners through this registration regularly. This article sums up what you need to know. It reflects the position in September 2026. Requirements do change from time to time, so please check the current rules before you file.

Who has to register in Cyprus?

In Cyprus, every self-catering property let short term to guests must be entered in the register kept by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism. Self-catering accommodation means villas, apartments and individual rooms where guests look after themselves. Hotels and traditional holiday complexes with a reception desk fall under different rules.

So this applies to you if you

• let a flat in Kato Paphos or Universal to holidaymakers by the week,
• hand a villa in Peyia or Tala over to changing guests through the summer,
• offer a spare room in your own home on Airbnb.

It does not cover conventional long-term letting under a tenancy agreement running for months or years. If you host long-stay winter guests from Northern Europe and switch to weekly lets in summer, you still need the entry, because the summer business is clearly short-term rental.

Where and how does the registration work?

The competent authority is the Deputy Ministry of Tourism. You submit the application with the supporting documents, the ministry reviews it and then issues a registration number for the property. The number is tied to the accommodation, not to you as a person. If you let two apartments, you need two entries.

What it costs and how long it lasts:

• The registration fee is 222 €.
• The entry is valid for three years, after which you renew.

Spread over the term, that is a little over 6 € a month. The fee is not the obstacle. The real effort lies in collecting the paperwork, especially if you are not on the island.

Which documents do you typically need?

The exact list can change, and depending on the property the ministry may ask for more or less. Typically it comes down to these items:

• Proof that the building was lawfully constructed and approved for use, meaning the building or occupancy permit or an equivalent certificate. If it is not available, a sworn declaration may be accepted instead.
• Public liability insurance for the property covering injury or damage to guests.
• Confirmation that the property meets safety standards. In practice this is about things like fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and sound electrics.
• Proof of ownership or the purchase contract, plus your ID details.

The most common stumbling block for owners abroad is the permit. It is often sitting with a lawyer in Cyprus or in a folder back home, and nobody remembers which. The second is insurance: a buildings policy is not the same as liability cover for guests. Both are best sorted out before the application goes in.

The registration number in your listing is mandatory

Once you have the number, it must appear in every listing. Airbnb and Booking.com have dedicated fields for it in the listing settings, and it also belongs on your own website or on smaller portals. If you only update half of your listings, you are formally just as non-compliant as someone with no entry at all.

For guests, the number is also a quiet signal of trust. Anyone who has looked into Cyprus knows that a registered property has been checked.

What happens if you are not registered?

Breaches of the registration requirement can be fined up to 5,000 €. That is the official range. In practice the side effects often matter more: a listing without a number can be challenged by the platform, and after a claim an insurer will quickly ask whether the letting was permitted in the first place.

An unregistered flat with a full calendar and dozens of reviews is not a strong position to argue from either. The platforms are public, and the ministry knows that.

Living abroad? Here is how it works in practice

Registration does not require you to be in Cyprus yourself. Two routes have proven reliable:

1. You give power of attorney to someone on the island. That can be a lawyer or a family member living in Paphos.
2. You appoint a manager who looks after the property anyway. The management agreement then also covers filing the application on your behalf.

With us it looks like this: we go through the documents you already have, chase the missing ones, arrange the insurance, check the property against the safety requirements, submit the application and enter the number in every listing. Then we note the expiry date so the three-year renewal is not forgotten. For dealings with the authorities in Greek we work with local partners.

If you already have a listing, we take it over as co-host together with its reviews. Registration is usually the first item on the list.

Common mistakes when registering

After a few years in Paphos we keep seeing the same patterns:

• Listing first, registering later. The order has to be the other way round.
• The number is on Airbnb but not on Booking.com. Every listing counts.
• The three years run out and nobody notices. A calendar reminder is enough.
• The pool or an extension was added later without a permit. It surfaces now at the latest and has to be resolved.
• Registration and tax get mixed up. The ministry entry does not replace a tax return, and properly taxed income does not get you into the register either.

We deliberately leave tax questions aside here. They depend on where you are resident and on your personal situation, and they belong with a tax adviser.

In short

• In Cyprus, every self-catering property let short term must be registered with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism (Law 9(I)/2020).
• The fee is 222 €, and the entry is valid for three years.
• Typical documents: building or occupancy permit, liability insurance, proof of safety standards.
• The registration number must appear in every listing, or fines of up to 5,000 € apply.
• From abroad, it works by power of attorney or through a local manager.

All details as of September 2026, without guarantee and not legal advice. If you would like your apartment or villa in Paphos registered and then let without the hassle, drop us a short note about what you have. We will tell you honestly what is missing and how long it takes. You will find more articles on the blog.