Stamp Duty in Cyprus
Stamp duty in Cyprus was a tax on legal documents, which has now been abolished under Law 239(I)/2025. Contracts signed on or after January 1, 2026, are exempt from this fee. The information below serves as a guide for legacy contracts executed before this date.
Key takeaways
- Stamp duty is abolished for all documents executed on or after January 1, 2026.
- For documents signed before December 31, 2025, the relevant legislation remains the Stamp Duty Law 19/1963.
- For legacy contracts, the 30-day payment window remains strictly enforced.
- Stamp duty was a tax on certain legal documents, for example, real estate contracts, including contracts to sell or rent real property.
What is Stamp duty?
Stamp duty in Cyprus was a tax levied on legal documents. The most common example is documents for the transfer of real estate. However, stamp duty was applied to many other documents, such as wills, civil marriages, letters of credit, and company documents.
General rule
The general rule is that, in Cyprus, stamp duty was placed on the following:
- Written documents relating to assets located in Cyprus, and
- Matters taking place in Cyprus.
Applicable Law
The applicable law for legacy contracts is the Stamp Duty Law (19/1963, the “law”). Unless otherwise specified, all legislation sections mentioned in this Guide refer to the law of 19/1963.
The law contains an Appendix showing the stamp duty rates, while there are sections specifying exceptions and formalities. The Ministry of Finance Tax Department has updated some of those formalities in 2020 (see below).
Payable stamp duty
For real estate transactions, the relevant rates were based on the value specified in each contract. Contracts to buy and sell real estate come under this general rule.
Legacy stamp duty rates (Contracts signed before 2026)
The rates are applied progressively to the parts of the value within each bracket and are as follows:
- For contracts up to €5,000, there is no stamp duty.
- For values from €5,001 to €170,000, it is 0.15%.
- For values over €170,000, stamp duty is €2 for each €1,000 or part thereof.
- The maximum stamp duty paid on any contract is €20,000.
- Contracts with no specified amount have a €35 stamp duty (with exceptions).
Example calculation
The total stamp duty for a sale of €250,000 is €407.50.
Here is the breakdown of the calculation:
- First €5,000: €0
- €5,001 to €170,000: This portion of the value is €165,000. At a rate of 0.15%, the duty is €247.50.
- Over €170,000: The remaining portion of the value is €80,000. At a rate of €2 for each €1,000, the duty is €160.00.
The sum of these amounts (€0 + €247.50 + €160.00) gives the total stamp duty of €407.50.
Contracts for rent pay stamp duty as contracts in general
The value is calculated according to these rules:
- In a contract to rent for a specified period, the value is the whole amount of the rent to be paid plus any premium (deposit).
- In a contract to rent for an unspecified period, the value is the amount of rent for a hundred years.
Specific cases and exemptions
For legacy documents (pre-2026), a proxy for a single act was €2, while for any other situation (with exceptions), it was €6.
There was no stamp duty on reorganisation schemes to rebuy property that had been alienated unless the debtor had acted dishonestly (Section 4B).
Proxies signed in 2026 or later are exempt.
Who is liable to pay stamp duty in Cyprus?
- For legacy contracts, the buyer or tenant is responsible for the payment. This obligation does not exist for new contracts signed from 2026 onwards.
- In insurance contracts, the payer is the person insured.
- In a contract to build a structure (building or other edifice) or a contract for technical construction or project (Greek: τεχνικό έργο), the payer is the contractor.
Read more about other property taxes in Cyprus.
When and how do I pay? Formalities and timelines
Note: This applies only to legacy contracts signed before Jan 1, 2026.
For these older contracts, stamp duty must be paid within 30 days of the signing date to avoid penalties.
Your lawyer or real estate agent will ordinarily carry out the relevant process for paying.
Paying depends on the type of document that needs to be stamped. This policy came into force on 29 June 2020 for documents with a fixed duty stamp amount and on 27 July 2020 for documents where the stamp duty amount depends on the contract value.
Documents with a fixed duty stamp amount
For example, a certified copy that is fixed at €2.
Attach the stamp to the document. Cancel the stamp with a double diagonal line on the stamp and draw your initials.
Documents where the amount of stamp duty depends on the value
The Tax Department provides a stamp duty calculator.
After using the calculator, what you must do depends on whether the value is more or less than €100.
Stamps up to €100
- Fill in the stamp calculation document and send it to the Tax Department.
- Buy the stamps from authorised representatives (the local offices of the Cyprus Bar Association and certain other authorised persons).
- Attach and cancel the stamps as per the instructions above.
Stamps over €100
- Print the calculation document and take it to the Tax Department for payment (0800 payment code).
- Give the relevant tax department official the payment receipt to stamp the document.
The bottom line
Stamp duty was traditionally a steady source of income for the Cyprus government. Following its abolition in 2026, real estate transactions have become more straightforward and efficient.
For new buyers, this change removes a layer of bureaucracy and associated costs. For those holding contracts signed before 2026, finalising the stamp duty payment remains a necessary step.
