Nearly Half of Cyprus Planning Amnesty Applications Still Unprocessed a Year After Closure
One year after the Cyprus government’s planning amnesty scheme closed, nearly 48% of the 2,638 applications remain unprocessed by local authorities, leaving thousands of property owners in bureaucratic limbo. The amnesty, which ended on 23 June 2025, aimed to legalize unauthorized small-scale building additions and breaches to secure title deeds and fund social housing. Despite collecting processing fees, many local administrations have failed to advance approvals, delaying property transfers and business permits.
The Nicosia District Local Governance Organisation (EOA) is the only authority showing significant progress, having processed 62% of its applications and promising to clear the backlog by the end of 2026. Conversely, Limassol, Paphos, Famagusta, and Larnaca EOAs have cited understaffing, prioritization of new projects, and other operational challenges for the delays. These bottlenecks are also impeding the government’s social housing revenue, with over €4 million in compensation fees still uncollected due to slow processing.
In response, Famagusta EOA has proposed a new amnesty specifically targeting catering and entertainment venues with ongoing licensing issues, including measures to demolish unauthorized structures on state land and redirect compensation fees to local infrastructure projects in tourist areas.
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