The network covers Cyprus within the Southern Europe region. Payslips there are drawn up in EUR, and dealings with a local firm are conducted in Greek and Turkish.
The business centres where the network is looking for a correspondent as a priority are Nicosie, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos.
The country is a member of the European Union. An employee posted from another member state remains attached to the scheme of origin under the conditions set by the European coordination regulations, and the A1 certificate issued by the institution of the sending country is the proof of this. That document is called for during on-site inspections: it is applied for before departure, never afterwards.
The answer to this question changes everything: it determines to whom you may entrust your payslips locally, and what you must ask for before signing. It has been verified country by country with the local authorities.
In Cyprus, running payroll on behalf of third parties is a regulated activity. It is carried on under the title of Εγκεκριμένος Λογιστής / Certified Public Accountant — membre ICPAC titulaire d'un practising certificate, and a registration in force must be produced to you before any engagement.
Chypre encadre la profession par deux canaux : l'ICPAC délivre les practising certificates et tient le registre des cabinets, et il est l'autorité de supervision anti-blanchiment désignée pour les comptables, les conseils fiscaux et les prestataires de services administratifs. En pratique, un cabinet chypriote qui facture des travaux comptables ou de paie à des tiers doit être un cabinet membre de l'ICPAC ou, à défaut, être enregistré auprès de lui au titre de la supervision LCB-FT. L'audit légal exige en outre la licence d'auditeur.
Cyprus sits within the European Union and has adopted the euro. Its employment law combines a common law inheritance with the body of European directives. English is in everyday use in business and in contractual documentation, even though the official languages are Greek and Turkish.
A foreign employer needs to know that the Republic's authority does not extend across the whole island: an address in the northern part does not fall under the institutions described here, and a provider who overlooks the point is not reliable.
Deductions are centralised. Alongside tax withheld on wages, the employer remits contributions to the Social Insurance Services, to the social cohesion fund, to the redundancy fund and to the GESY national health system administered by the Health Insurance Organisation. A single clearance certificate normally covers the whole set.
Finally, the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) is both the professional body and the anti-money-laundering supervisor for the accountancy sector.
Employer registration with the social insurance services precedes hiring, and enrolment of the employee follows immediately.
Cyprus is also a very active company formation centre, with one practical consequence: the company that employs is not always the company that operates. The consistency between the employing entity, the actual place of work and the employee's tax residence is checked from the outset.
Two matters deserve particular attention before hiring. Recruiting a third-country national requires authorisation and sometimes sector-specific conditions; and a sectoral collective agreement, which in Cyprus has no general effect, binds the businesses that adhere to it.
Expected and setting out the essential terms of the relationship, the written contract may be drafted in English, as is common on the island. Simply ensure that the names of bodies and contributions are correct, since English-language templates imported from other jurisdictions frequently carry inapplicable wording.
Tax withheld at source, social contributions, the GESY contribution and, where relevant, sectoral funds arising from collective agreements all appear on the payslip. Filings are monthly and made electronically, on a calendar that does not shift with the payment date.
Termination, finally, follows a regime of notice and compensation tied to length of service, with the redundancy fund involved.
The network asks 8 documents of any firm wishing to represent it in Cyprus. The table gives, for each of them, the exact wording in use locally, the body that issues it and the period during which it remains admissible. These are the terms to use in an application to the local administration.
Of these 8 documents, 7 are required of every applicant and 5 have a limited period of validity, the shortest being 3 months.
| Local wording | Issuing body | Validity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Πιστοποιητικό Σύστασης (Certificate of Incorporation) accompagné du Πιστοποιητικό Διευθυντών και Γραμματέα, du Πιστοποιητικό Μετόχων et du Πιστοποιητικό Εγγεγραμμένου ΓραφείουCertificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Directors and Secretary, Certificate of Shareholders, Certificate of Registered Office Chypre ne délivre pas un extrait unique de type Kbis : il faut demander la série de quatre certificats. Le certificat de constitution est permanent, les trois autres sont datés — exiger des tirages de moins de trois mois, ou un « Certificate of Good Standing » qui atteste en plus que la société est à jour de ses dépôts. | Τμήμα Εφόρου Εταιρειών και Διανοητικής Ιδιοκτησίας — Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (Ministère de l'Énergie, du Commerce et de l'Industrie) | 3 months Required | Official website |
| Tax Identification Code (TIC / ΑΦΤ) et αριθμός εγγραφής ΦΠΑ (numéro de TVA CY)Tax Identification Code and VAT registration number Le TIC est attribué à toute société dès son immatriculation ; le numéro de TVA (CY + 8 chiffres + une lettre) n'est délivré qu'au-delà du seuil d'assujettissement et se contrôle dans VIES. | Τμήμα Φορολογίας — Tax Department (Ministère des Finances) | No expiry Required | Official website |
| Tax Clearance Certificate / Βεβαίωση φορολογικής ενημερότηταςTax clearance certificate Délivrée via le portail TAXISnet / Tax For All ; elle atteste l'absence de dettes d'impôt sur les sociétés, de TVA et de retenues à la source. Un cabinet chypriote sérieux la produit sans délai. | Τμήμα Φορολογίας — Tax Department | 3 months Required | Official website |
| Βεβαίωση μη οφειλής προς τις Υπηρεσίες Κοινωνικών Ασφαλίσεων (certificat de non-dette aux assurances sociales) — inclut la contribution GESYCertificate of no debt to the Social Insurance Services L'employeur chypriote cotise aux assurances sociales, au fonds de cohésion sociale, au fonds de licenciement et au système de santé GESY, le tout recouvré via le Social Insurance. Une seule attestation de non-dette couvre normalement l'ensemble ; vérifier qu'elle mentionne bien la période courante. | Υπηρεσίες Κοινωνικών Ασφαλίσεων — Social Insurance Services (Ministère du Travail) ; Οργανισμός Ασφάλισης Υγείας (HIO) pour le GESY | 3 months Required | Official website |
| Professional Indemnity Insurance — exigée par l'ICPAC pour les membres titulaires d'un practising certificateProfessional indemnity insurance certificate L'ICPAC subordonne le practising certificate de ses membres à la souscription d'une assurance de responsabilité civile professionnelle et en contrôle le maintien lors des visites de conformité. Pour un prestataire non membre, elle redevient une simple exigence contractuelle. | Assureur agréé sous le contrôle du Superintendent of Insurance ; contrôle par l'ICPAC | 12 months Required | Official website |
| ICPAC / ΣΕΛΚ — Practising Certificate et inscription au registre des membres ; pour l'audit légal, licence d'ελεγκτής au titre de la loi sur les auditeursICPAC practising certificate and membership registration L'ICPAC est l'autorité de supervision désignée pour les comptables et conseils fiscaux au titre de la loi anti-blanchiment : même un cabinet non membre exerçant l'activité comptable doit relever de sa supervision. Exiger le practising certificate en cours et vérifier le cabinet dans le registre public des membres et des firmes. | Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC / Σύνδεσμος Εγκεκριμένων Λογιστών Κύπρου) | 12 months Required | Official website |
| Δελτίο ταυτότητας ή διαβατήριο του διευθυντήIdentity card or passport of the director À rapprocher du Certificate of Directors and Secretary. Chypre utilisant largement les administrateurs nominee, demander aussi l'extrait du registre des bénéficiaires effectifs (UBO Register) tenu par le Registrar of Companies. | Τμήμα Αρχείου Πληθυσμού και Μετανάστευσης (Civil Registry and Migration Department) | No expiry Required | Official website |
| Γραφείο Επιτρόπου Προστασίας Δεδομένων Προσωπικού Χαρακτήρα — RGPD, pas d'enregistrement généralGDPR compliance and DPO notification Le RGPD s'applique directement : aucune déclaration de traitement à Chypre. Demander le registre des traitements et l'accord de sous-traitance de l'article 28. | Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection | No expiry Where applicable | Official website |
Cyprus issues no single company extract. Several certificates must be gathered from the registrar, covering respectively incorporation, directors, shareholders and registered office, or a Certificate of Good Standing requested, which summarises them and additionally confirms that annual filings are up to date.
ICPAC is no ordinary trade association: the institute issues practising certificates, maintains the register of firms and exercises anti-money-laundering supervision over accountants and tax advisers. It is the most discriminating register for assessing a Cypriot candidate, and the one we consult first.
Ownership structure calls for vigilance of its own. The jurisdiction hosts many companies whose directors are simply nominees, and an extract from the beneficial ownership register, reconciled with the identity of the person who will actually sign, is a check we never omit before recommending a firm on this market.
Chypre a la particularité de ne pas produire d'extrait unique : il faut réunir quatre certificats du Registrar, ou demander un Certificate of Good Standing qui les résume et atteste que les dépôts annuels sont à jour. Deuxième particularité : la place chypriote héberge beaucoup de structures à administrateurs nominee — demander systématiquement l'extrait du registre des bénéficiaires effectifs et rapprocher les noms de la personne qui signera. Troisième point : l'ICPAC cumule le rôle d'ordre professionnel et celui de superviseur anti-blanchiment, ce qui en fait le registre le plus discriminant pour vérifier un candidat.
The network opens 3 partner slots in Cyprus, not one more. No firm is listed there yet: all 3 slots therefore remain open to applications.
No listed partner in Cyprus has asked to appear in the public directory. The contact details of a firm are passed on to the client only when an assignment is awarded.
Filing an application does not amount to admission: every request is reviewed one by one. There is no minimum turnover requirement, and the partner selected invoices its fees directly.
Submit an application: we review your file, we check the documents required on the ground and we give you an answer, whether it is positive or not.
In Cyprus the benchmark is ICPAC membership with a practising certificate, and registration of the firm on the institute's register. Even a non-member firm carrying on accountancy work falls under its anti-money-laundering supervision, which makes verification unavoidable. We ask for the set of registrar certificates or the Certificate of Good Standing, an extract from the beneficial ownership register, the tax compliance certificate, the social insurance clearance certificate, and the professional indemnity cover the institute requires.
Describe your requirement. No firm is listed in Cyprus yet: we review the request, then entrust it to a local firm that the network identifies and vets, or to the partner of a neighbouring country covering this territory. Your contact details are passed on to the selected firm alone.
Request a provider in CyprusMobility is rarely arranged one country at a time. The neighbouring profiles follow the same outline.
These countries account for most of the requests received: each one has, in addition to its profile, six pages devoted to a single aspect of local payroll.
The information gathered on this page comes from the registers, administrations and bodies listed below, consulted when the reference base was compiled. It is given for guidance and does not replace the advice of a professional established in Cyprus.