Do You Need a License to Rent Your Property Short-Term in Cyprus?

If you rent your Cyprus property to holidaymakers, even occasionally, you are legally required to register it with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism before you advertise it or take a single booking. This applies to villas, houses, and apartments let on a self-catering basis, which is exactly what an Airbnb or Booking.com listing is.

This isn't a grey area, and as of 2025 it stopped being lightly enforced. The government has been actively cracking down on unregistered listings, and the penalties are real. The good news: registering is straightforward, and once you're in the system you can rent with complete peace of mind.

Under the law governing tourist accommodation in Cyprus, every self-catering rental must:

• Be registered with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism before being advertised or rented.
• Carry a registration number, issued once your application is approved.
• Display that number in every listing, advert, and promotion. Airbnb and Booking.com both have a field for it, and the platforms increasingly require it.

Registration confirms your property meets the basic standards expected of tourist accommodation. The number is tied to the specific property, not to you as a person, so each property you let needs its own.

This is where it gets serious. Operating a short-term rental without registration is a criminal offence in Cyprus. If convicted, you face:

• A fine of up to 5,000 EUR, or up to one year in prison.
• A further fine of up to 200 EUR per day if the violation continues after conviction.
• Administrative penalties of up to 20,000 EUR for persistent offenders.

Through 2025 and into 2026, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism stepped up enforcement, cross-checking platform listings against the registry. An unregistered listing is simply not a risk worth taking, especially when getting registered is so straightforward.

Registration and tax are two separate things, and both matter. A few essentials (this is general information, not tax advice, so confirm the specifics for your situation with a Cyprus accountant):

• Rental income is taxable. Income from your rental is declared and taxed in Cyprus.
• VAT differs by rental type. Long-term residential letting is exempt from VAT. Short-term holiday accommodation is treated differently and can fall under a reduced 9 percent VAT rate when supplied like hotel-style accommodation.
• There is a VAT registration threshold. Once your rental turnover passes 15,600 EUR in a year, VAT registration comes into play.

The gap between long-term and short-term tax treatment is one reason owners weigh the two models carefully. We compare them head to head in Airbnb vs long-term rental in Cyprus.

Registration is handled through the Deputy Ministry of Tourism's online registry. In broad terms, you submit the property details and supporting documents, the application is reviewed, and you receive your registration certificate and number. You then add that number to your listings.

The paperwork is manageable, but it's the kind of admin that sits on the to-do list for months if you're busy or based overseas. That delay is itself a risk, because you cannot legally advertise until the number has been issued.

Compliance is part of what we handle for every property we manage. We sort the registration, make sure your number is displayed correctly across every platform, and keep you on the right side of the rules as they change. You get the income without the legal exposure or the admin.

If you're renting now without a registration number, or you're not certain yours is set up correctly, it's worth a quick conversation before your next booking. (For more on what changes when you're based abroad, see renting out your Cyprus property from abroad.)