New Rules for non-Cypriot property buyers

[slwright]

Hello again Nigel,

Hope you had an enjoyable holiday. Did you travel far or were you just having a well earned rest from the bambuzle of questions? Anyway another question for you to welcome you back.

I received the article as quoted above and was wondering Nigel how worried we should be about this:

The problem is even worse for those who have bought holiday homes on the island and who have no intention of living here permanently. The new rules effectively prevent them from getting their Title Deeds

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Is this not the same as getting consent from the District Office and if so I thought this was being abolished in 2009 because of EU regulations anyway?

Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Sheila

[Nigel Howarth]

Hi Sheila,

We had a very good holiday thanks - but a lot of travelling!

There were some errors in the original article - I'll post a correction later today.

There are two processes - one for residents, & one for non-residents.

Before the change, residents went to the District Office & got a certificate from them on production of their Temporary Residents Certificate. The District Offices are no longer doing this - the residency process has changed.

Before they can own property, non-Cypriot residents need to complete the new residency process. This is similar to the process they went through before, but they now need to complete one of the MEU forms depending on their circumstances.

For non-residents - nothing's changed. They still require Council of Ministers permission to own property.

Regards,

[Interested]

Before the change, residents went to the District Office & got a certificate from them on production of their Temporary Residents Certificate. The District Offices are no longer doing this - the residency process has changed.

Before they can own property, non-Cypriot residents need to complete the new residency process. This is similar to the process they went through before, but they now need to complete one of the MEU forms depending on their circumstances

Hi Nigel,

Could you be more specific please as our title deeds are nearly ready and it would be helpful to know exactly what to do.

Thanks in anticipation.

[Nigel Howarth]

Hello Sheila,

Under the revised arrangements, it appears that non-Cypriots will only be issued with Title Deeds if:

* They have resided in Cyprus for a minimum of five years and

* Applied for permanent residency in Cyprus with the ‘Aliens Department’.

or

* They have applied for and received Council of Ministers approval to own property in Cyprus.

You'll find chapter & verse on the subject at Title Deed confusion for non-Cypriot property buyers

Regards

[avanapa]

When I first purchased my house I vaguely remember our lawyer saying she would apply to the Council of Ministers for permission. However, I can't recall ever hearing it mentioned again and certainly have not received anything in writing. As it is regarded as a formality, is it likely to be something that is kept by the lawyer or would it be normal for a copy to be sent to me personally.

[Nigel Howarth]

Hi Chris,

In my case, back in 1992, the letter was sent to my lawyer - and I believe it's the same today.

So have a word with your lawyer to see if they did make an application on your behalf.

Regards,