In March 2025, new regulations will come into force in Cyprus for the granting of planning and building permits for category B buildings.
This includes complexes with a maximum of 12 residential units (villas and townhouses) as well as houses with 20 apartments, four floors and a basement.
This was announced recently by the Cyprus Ministry of the Interior (MIA).
According to the innovation, applications for such permits will be accepted only electronically, through the Hippodamus portal. It will take 40 working days for planning permission and another 40 for building permits. However, if officials are unable to respond before the deadline, the system will automatically approve the application.
The responsibility for compliance has been placed entirely on the planners, who are required to complete applications, upload all relevant documents and pay a registration fee for review. At the same time, non-compliance on their part will be severely penalised. The quality of construction will be monitored by representatives of the Technical Chamber (ETEK) and the EOA through on-site inspections.
It is worth mentioning that interested parties have the possibility to benefit from an accelerated procedure by cancelling their current applications and re-submitting them through the Hippodamos portal. As a result, the total maximum waiting time for both authorisations under the new system will be 80 days, which is significantly shorter than the current process, which can take several months.
As a reminder, the Hippodamos website was launched as part of the digitalisation of public services and the reform of local government in Cyprus. The authority to review building applications was transferred from municipalities to five specially created regional development organisations in the free areas of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Famagusta. According to the MoI, the portal will simplify and speed up the approval process for developments.