A pair of bills tabled in the Cypriot Parliament on 6 March 2026 aim to tighten the rules on real-estate acquisitions by non-EU nationals, limiting individuals to a single residential unit and banning the purchase of agricultural or forest land. Companies wishing to buy property would need majority EU or Cypriot ownership.(news.cyprus-property-buyers.com)
Business groups including the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Association of Large Investment Projects warn that the measures could chill foreign capital just as the construction sector absorbs a post-pandemic pipeline of hotel and mixed-use projects. They argue that international investors provide up to 25 percent of construction-sector employment and that adding new bureaucratic layers risks delaying closings and financing drawdowns.
For foreign buyers trying to navigate these potential changes, VisaHQ can help demystify the process. Through its Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the company offers step-by-step support for securing visas, residency permits, and other documentation often required when purchasing property, helping investors stay compliant and avoid costly delays as regulations evolve.
![Draft Law Limiting Property Purchases by Non-EU Nationals Sparks Investor Concern]()
Law firms are also sceptical, flagging potential constitutional issues around property rights and proportionality. The Bar Association suggests that a two-property cap and carve-outs for commercial real estate would achieve transparency goals without deterring large-scale developments that underpin Cyprus’s attractiveness to expatriate executives and digital-nomad entrepreneurs.
For global mobility planners, the draft legislation could complicate long-term assignment packages that include home purchases, particularly for senior managers from Asia, the Middle East and North America who are not EU citizens. Employers may need to pivot to rental allowances or corporate-held property structures if the bills pass in their current form.
Parliament’s Interior Committee will open public hearings next week, and observers expect robust debate. If enacted unchanged, the restrictions would take effect six months after publication, giving existing buyers a grace period but imposing new approval thresholds on deals signed after that date.
Business groups including the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Association of Large Investment Projects warn that the measures could chill foreign capital just as the construction sector absorbs a post-pandemic pipeline of hotel and mixed-use projects. They argue that international investors provide up to 25 percent of construction-sector employment and that adding new bureaucratic layers risks delaying closings and financing drawdowns.
For foreign buyers trying to navigate these potential changes, VisaHQ can help demystify the process. Through its Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/), the company offers step-by-step support for securing visas, residency permits, and other documentation often required when purchasing property, helping investors stay compliant and avoid costly delays as regulations evolve.
Law firms are also sceptical, flagging potential constitutional issues around property rights and proportionality. The Bar Association suggests that a two-property cap and carve-outs for commercial real estate would achieve transparency goals without deterring large-scale developments that underpin Cyprus’s attractiveness to expatriate executives and digital-nomad entrepreneurs.
For global mobility planners, the draft legislation could complicate long-term assignment packages that include home purchases, particularly for senior managers from Asia, the Middle East and North America who are not EU citizens. Employers may need to pivot to rental allowances or corporate-held property structures if the bills pass in their current form.
Parliament’s Interior Committee will open public hearings next week, and observers expect robust debate. If enacted unchanged, the restrictions would take effect six months after publication, giving existing buyers a grace period but imposing new approval thresholds on deals signed after that date.
