The accelerated project licensing program is very popular with Cypriot developers.
In the first two months of this year, 1,598 applications for building permits were submitted. At the same time, during the same period, the responsible authorities approved a total of 1,941 applications. In other words, the quality of processing has improved significantly.
Interestingly, the largest number of building applications were submitted by developers in Nicosia - 485. The capital is followed by Limassol - 437, Larnaca - 250, Paphos - 197 and the free neighborhoods of Nicosia - 80. A total of 9,568 applications for the construction of various categories of projects are currently pending. In particular, 3,459 cases are pending in Limassol, 2,284 in Nicosia, 1,518 in Larnaca, 1,594 in Paphos, and 713 in the free neighborhoods of Famagusta.
It is worth mentioning that the acceleration of the processing of applications was facilitated, among other things, by the hiring of new staff (105 people), which at this stage staffed the existing urban planning authorities.
Recall that the Program of accelerated issuance of architectural and construction licenses in Cyprus was launched on October 1, 2020.
According to the innovations, the time for which the processing of applications for such licenses was reduced from the existing 18 months to 10 days when applying online and up to 20 days - in writing. By the way, previously the procedure for processing applications and issuing planning or building licenses was quite complex and time-consuming, regardless of the size of the project.
The new policy addressed the issuance of permits (urban planning permit and building permit) for a maximum of two dwelling units on a registered or under construction lot. The goal was to serve citizens with efficient and simplified procedures while creating efficiencies of scale.