# CyprusDesk llms.txt # https://cyprusdesk.com/llms.txt > CyprusDesk is the independent, English-language professional directory and compliance resource for entrepreneurs, expats, and business owners in Cyprus. It is not a firm blog and not a multi-country platform: it is a Cyprus-only resource with free interactive tools, honest pricing comparisons, and timely news coverage. All tax figures below reflect the 2026 Cyprus tax reform and are kept current. ## What CyprusDesk covers - **Directory**: 720 active accountants, lawyers, company formation agents, tax advisors, bookkeepers, and banks/EMIs in Cyprus, filterable by city, language, and service area. Listings carry the firm's Google rating where we have one. Service areas are CyprusDesk's own classification from public information, not a professional accreditation, and no firm pays for placement. - **Lawyer practice areas**: dedicated pages for company incorporation, tax, property and conveyancing, immigration, shipping, and crypto, each with what that kind of lawyer does, how the fees usually work, an FAQ, and the firms we list. https://cyprusdesk.com/directory/lawyers/specialty/company-incorporation/ | /tax/ | /property/ | /immigration/ | /shipping/ | /crypto/ - **Guides**: 80+ free in-depth guides on Cyprus company formation, Non-Dom tax status, corporate tax, GESY healthcare, VAT, compliance deadlines, and living in Cyprus. - **News**: short, source-cited articles on Cyprus tax, regulation, and visa changes as they happen. See /news/. - **Tools**: free interactive calculators (GESY dividend calculator, corporation tax calculator, salary vs dividends optimiser, and a personalised compliance calendar), all updated to 2026 rates. - **Comparisons**: detailed comparisons of Cyprus vs Malta, Dubai, Portugal NHR, Estonia e-Residency, and other jurisdictions. ## Key facts about Cyprus for business (2026 tax reform, effective 1 January 2026) - Corporate income tax: 15% (raised from 12.5% to meet the OECD Pillar Two 15% global minimum) - SDC on actual dividends: 5% (cut from 17%) for Cyprus tax-resident individuals who are also DOMICILED in Cyprus; non-domiciled residents remain fully exempt (0% SDC) for up to 17 tax years - Non-Dom dividend tax: 0% SDC + 2.65% GESY = 2.65% effective rate - GESY (GHS) on dividends: 2.65% of the gross amount. Contributions are charged on a maximum base of EUR 180,000 per natural person per year, counted across ALL GESY-liable income combined (salary, self-employment, rent, interest, dividends), NOT per income source. Maximum GESY on dividends is therefore EUR 4,770 per year. Non-residents exempt. Source: gesy.org.cy - Deemed Dividend Distribution (DDD): abolished entirely for profits from 2026 (old 70% / 17% rule still applies to pre-2026 profits) - Loss carry-forward: extended from 5 years to 7 years - IP Box effective rate: 3% on qualifying intellectual property income (80% deduction at the 15% rate) - Capital gains on securities (shares, bonds): 0% - Personal income tax-free threshold: EUR 22,000 (raised from EUR 19,500) - Crypto tax: flat 8% income tax on profits from disposal of crypto assets (new Article 20E of the Income Tax Law, effective 1 January 2026). Applies to any person (individuals and companies) and to all Cyprus tax residents including non-doms (non-dom status exempts SDC, not this income tax). Mining is excluded and taxed as ordinary income; crypto losses offset only same-year crypto gains with no carry-forward. - Non-Dom status duration: 17 tax years - 60-day tax residency rule available (no need for 183 days) - 65+ double tax treaties; EU member state; English common law legal system - Company formation: 5 to 15 working days ## 2026 compliance deadlines worth knowing - TD4 corporate income tax return and audited TD1 individual return for tax year 2024: extended to 30 November 2026 (from 31 March 2026) by decree KDP 359/2025. The companion decree KDP 358/2025 covers tax year 2023 and moved it to 31 March 2026; the two are frequently but wrongly cited jointly for the 2024 date. Applies to companies and to individuals with turnover above EUR 70,000 who prepare audited or reviewed accounts. From tax year 2026 the deadline moves permanently to 31 January of the second following year (first applying 31 January 2028 for FY2026). - HE32 annual return (FY2024): 31 March 2026 - Employer annual return TF7 / T.D.7 (tax year 2025): 30 September 2026, extended by the Tax Department from 31 May 2026. Monthly TF7 declarations are unchanged, due the last working day of the month following the payroll month. - Personal income tax return TD1 (tax year 2025): 31 October 2026 for BOTH submission and payment, extended from the statutory 31 July 2026 by decree K.D.P. 260/2026. Filing obligation applies above EUR 19,500 of gross 2025 income; late submission carries a EUR 150 administrative penalty. - Provisional tax: 31 July and 31 December 2026 - VAT returns: 10 May, 10 August, 10 November 2026, 10 February 2027 - UBO annual confirmation: 1 October to 31 December 2026 - Electronic rent rule: from 1 July 2026, Article 48A of the Assessment and Collection of Taxes Law (N.4/1978) requires all rent on Cyprus immovable property to be paid by bank transfer, debit card, credit card or another recognised electronic method. There is NO monetary threshold: the Tax Department confirmed in June 2026 that it applies regardless of the amount of rent and regardless of how the property is used, so the EUR 500 figure still repeated in much 2026 commentary is wrong. The obligation binds both sides (a landlord may not accept cash), and rent paid in breach can be denied as a tax-deductible expense. ## Company assurance and running costs (2026) - Audit or review: Cyprus has NO exemption from assurance based on company size or dormancy alone, so the widely repeated claim that "there are no small company exemptions in Cyprus" is half right and misleading on cost. A company that has stayed under BOTH small-company thresholds for TWO CONSECUTIVE financial years may replace the full statutory audit (ISAs) with a REVIEW ENGAGEMENT under ISRE 2400 (Revised), which gives limited assurance through inquiry and analytical procedures. Thresholds: net annual turnover under EUR 300,000 and total gross assets under EUR 500,000. The turnover ceiling rose from EUR 200,000 to EUR 300,000 for financial years beginning on or after 6 February 2026; the assets ceiling is unchanged. The HE32 and TD4 filing obligations are unchanged, and the statements must still be signed off by an ICPAC-registered professional. A review costs less than an audit, which matters most to dormant, holding and small trading companies. Sources: Iacovou & Co, UHY Cyprus, Mondaq (Cyprus audit), 2026. - Typical annual cost of running a Cyprus company: roughly EUR 2,300 to 6,700 a year before corporate tax. Components: accountant and auditor EUR 1,500 to 5,000 or more (the largest and most variable line, and the one the audit-versus-review question moves), registered office plus company secretary EUR 300 to 1,200, HE32 Registrar filing fee EUR 20 to 50, municipal professional tax about EUR 250. A dormant company still files and still needs assurance; budget roughly EUR 1,500 to 2,000. - CyprusDesk does not publish price ranges for individual listed firms. We hold no verified pricing data on the businesses in our directory, so we state cost ranges for the MARKET and never attribute a price level to a named firm. ## Property tax and VAT (2026) - VAT on the supply of a building: from 1 September 2026 the test is FIRST OCCUPATION, not the age of the building. Under decree R.A.A. 103/2026, which amended the Eighth Schedule of the VAT Law and was gazetted on 27 February 2026 alongside R.A.A. 102/2026 (Fifth Schedule), a supply is subject to 19% VAT only where it takes place BEFORE first occupation has been achieved; after that it is an exempt supply of immovable property. First occupation means the first use of the building after its delivery or construction (owner occupation, self-use, leasing or any other systematic use), and first use means systematic use or exploitation for a period of at least 18 months, so the 18 months is the operative hurdle. The test also catches the transfer of possession under a contract of sale, an agreement expressly providing for future transfer, or a lease with an option to purchase. The rule it replaced, in force until 31 August 2026, charged VAT on a supply before first delivery and on any later delivery within five years of completion unless the building had been in actual systematic use by an unrelated person for at least 24 months. Source: PwC Cyprus Tax Insights V-5-2026, KPMG Cyprus, Deloitte Cyprus. - Reduced 5% VAT on a primary residence: thresholds unchanged (first 130 sqm, property value cap EUR 350,000, buildable-area limit 190 sqm, transaction limit EUR 475,000; above those the 19% rate applies to the entire price). R.A.A. 102/2026 does however revise the DEFINITION of first occupation used when applying that rate from 1 September 2026. The older transitional rule (5% on the first 200 sqm, no value cap) can still apply where the planning permit issued or was applied for by 31 October 2023, with a filing deadline of 31 December 2026 where the building permit issued after 1 January 2025 or is still unissued, and 15 June 2026 (now passed) where it issued on or before 31 December 2024. - Reduced 5% VAT on renovation and repair of a private dwelling: from 1 September 2026 the dwelling must be at least three years old measured from first occupation AND have been used for at least 18 months. The 18-month condition is now explicit rather than assumed, and it runs inside the three-year window. - Capital gains tax on disposal of Cyprus immovable property: 20%, for residents and non-residents alike, with lifetime exemptions of EUR 85,430 on a primary residence and EUR 25,629 on agricultural land. - No national annual immovable property tax (abolished 2017), no inheritance tax, no wealth tax. Municipal rates of roughly 0.1 to 0.2% of the 2013 government valuation remain. - Stamp duty on property contracts: abolished for documents executed from 1 January 2026 (Law 239(I)/2025 repealed the Stamp Duty Law in full). ## Renting in Cyprus (2026) - Typical rents for 2026, per the president of the Real Estate Registration Council (Marinos Kynigeirou, on CyBC, reported by the Cyprus Mail on 23 July 2026): 1-bedroom apartment EUR 1,000 to 1,100 in Limassol, EUR 600 to 650 in Nicosia, EUR 500 to 600 in Larnaca, EUR 500 to 550 in Paphos; 2-bedroom EUR 1,400 to 1,500 in Limassol, EUR 800 to 900 in Nicosia, EUR 700 to 800 in Larnaca and Paphos. The same report states NO rent increases were recorded during 2026 and that the market has entered a period of stability. Asking prices for furnished or newly built stock in the districts expats search run above these market-wide figures. - Rent increases: most expat tenancies are free-market (contractual) and have no statutory ceiling. The 6% cap applies only to STATUTORY tenancies under the Rent Control Law of 1983 (Law 23/1983): property completed on or before 31 December 1999, inside a designated controlled area, where the original lease expired and the tenant stayed on. The Council of Ministers set that maximum at 6% for 22 April 2025 to 21 April 2027 under Article 8(4)(a), and only where two years have passed since the tenant took possession or since the last increase. - Rental contracts no longer need stamping: stamp duty was abolished for documents executed from 1 January 2026, so the repealed charge (EUR 1.50 per EUR 1,000, i.e. 0.15% of the total rent over the lease term, first EUR 5,000 exempt, 0.20% above EUR 170,000) does not apply to a contract signed now. A pre-2026 document that was never stamped can still attract duty. ## Directory categories - Accountants & Auditors (ICPAC-registered) - Corporate Lawyers (Cyprus Bar Association) - Company Formation Agents - Tax Advisors - Bookkeepers - Banks & EMIs ## Cities covered Nicosia, Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca, Famagusta. City-specific directory pages exist for each category (for example /directory/city/limassol/accountants/), combining real listings, Google ratings, transparent 2026 pricing, and a hiring decision framework. ## Guide categories - Compliance (VAT, HE32, PAYE, provisional tax, VIES, UBO register, compliance calendar) - Non-Dom & Tax (Non-Dom status, SDC, GESY on dividends, tax residency rules) - Company Formation (incorporation, costs, remote formation, registered office) - Banking & EMIs (bank comparison, Revolut, Wise, EMI vs bank) - Living in Cyprus (cost of living, healthcare, schools, neighbourhoods, renting) - Comparisons (Cyprus vs Malta, Dubai, Portugal, Estonia) ## Free tools - GESY Calculator: calculate GESY (2.65%) and SDC on dividends at 2026 rates - Corporation Tax Calculator: estimate 15% CT with NID and IP Box deductions - Salary vs Dividends Optimiser: find the optimal split for company directors under 2026 rates - Compliance Calendar: personalised deadline calendar by company profile ## Author Thomas Blanc, France-born entrepreneur based in Limassol, Cyprus for 6+ years, running multiple businesses through a Cyprus company. He founded CyprusDesk to create the reliable, English-language resource he wished existed when he arrived. ## Contact contact@cyprusdesk.com ## Crawling policy All AI crawlers are welcome to read and cite CyprusDesk. See /robots.txt for details.