Cyprus prepares restrictions on land purchases for non-EU citizens
In Cyprus, parliament and the government are working on legislative changes that could restrict the purchase of real estate by citizens of non-EU countries. The government’s proposed rules provide for a ban on such buyers purchasing land near military camps, as well as restrictions on agricultural land, Cyprus Mail reports.
Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said that the timing of bringing the amendments to a plenary vote depends on parliament. He also stated that restrictions on purchasing land or building within a certain distance of airports already apply to all buyers — Cypriots, EU citizens and citizens of other countries.
Share of foreign buyers
An Akel MP stated in parliament that foreigners allegedly account for half of all real estate transactions and purchase plots near sensitive sites, including the ceasefire line, military facilities, airports and ports. At the same time, Pavlos Loizou, CEO of real estate analytics company Ask Wire, called this generalization inaccurate.
According to his data, in 2025, 7,255 properties associated with foreigners were registered under sale agreements, out of a total of 18,114 such agreements. From January to August 2026, the figure was 5,562 out of 13,288. The estimated share of such agreements is about 42%, rather than 50%, while completed transfers of ownership to foreign buyers remain at approximately 20%.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
If only citizens of non-EU countries are considered, their share in agreements is estimated at about 27%, while their share in completed transfers of ownership is 10–12%. Loizou stressed that a sale agreement and a completed transfer of ownership are different registration events: the same property may appear in both categories.
Impact on prices and ownership control
Loizou pointed out that foreign demand intensifies price pressure in coastal areas, the new-build market and the market for development land. However, in his assessment, the available data do not support the claim that foreign buyers specifically caused Cyprus’s overall housing unaffordability. In particular, Paphos recorded the highest share of transactions associated with foreigners, but not the highest price growth; in Famagusta, with a share of about 46.5%, the housing price index barely changed.
The expert noted that local and foreign buyers often choose different market segments. Foreigners mainly buy completed or new high-priced apartments, large houses, major commercial assets and land for development. Local buyers are more active in the lower-price segment, the rural real estate market, plots for their own construction and agricultural land.
According to Loizou, there are no publicly available data at the level of individual plots that would confirm a concentration of a large number of purchases by foreigners near airports, ports, military facilities or the ceasefire line. He called limited transparency regarding the ultimate owners of real estate registered to Cypriot or European companies a separate problem. A September 2025 report by the audit service mentioned 9,746 active assignment agreements that the registry was unable to break down by the nationality of the parties.
