On Thursday 5 December, Cypriot Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced a significant reduction in the processing time for building permits.
Small projects will now be able to obtain the necessary documents in just 40 days instead of the previous 10 months.
Under the new system, permits will be issued automatically if the regional local government organisations (EOA) do not review the application within 20 days. The process is divided into two stages: the first 20 days are for the planning stage, and the remaining 20 days are for the issuance of the building permit. It has been decided that the responsibility for complying with all the requirements will rest entirely with the planners. At the same time, violations on their part will be severely punished. 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 5,000 applications for residential building permits are currently being processed. Licences are issued within two days, provided that the applications are correctly filled in by the designers.
The Minister said the fast-track process will initially apply to Category A developments, which include low-risk projects with a maximum of two residential units. The innovation will be extended to Category B developments by March 2025, covering projects with up to 12 residential units or buildings with 20 flats, four storeys and a basement.
The new process includes a checklist system where private planners confirm the completeness and accuracy of the application data. For Category B projects, the review will take 40 working days for a planning permit and a further 40 working days for a building permit.
Essentially, through this initiative we are reducing the time it takes to obtain all the necessary permits,' Ioannou said.
The minister stressed that the new licensing system is more comprehensive and will help to reduce the number of infringements through self-regulation, whereby developers take responsibility for ensuring compliance.