Construction Permit Checks in Cyprus: Buyer Guide
Short answer: A construction permit check in Cyprus means verifying before signing whether the unit you will buy matches a valid construction permit obtained from the municipality and an approved architectural project. Your lawyer should confirm the permit date, number, parcel, and the approved number of floors and apartments with the municipality. Once the building is completed, the title deed process cannot proceed without a completion certificate.
This article is for buyers who are considering paying a deposit for a project that is under construction or has just been released for sale in Northern Cyprus (TRNC). We explain which documents you should request, what to check in these documents, why differences between the approved project and the sales brochure matter, and how the completion certificate relates to the title deed. Contract clauses are covered in our related article, what should be included in an off-plan property contract.
Which documents make up a construction permit in Cyprus?
In practice, when people refer to the “permit”, they do not mean a single piece of paper, but a set of documents that complete one another: the zoning status of the land, planning permission if required, the construction permit issued by the municipality, and the approved projects linked to that permit. Once the building is completed, the completion certificate is added to these.
| Document | Who usually issues it? | What does it tell the buyer? |
|---|---|---|
| Land title deed (koçan) and zoning status | Land Registry Office, municipality / planning authority | Who owns the land, and how much and what type of construction can be built on it |
| Planning permission | Town Planning Department (depending on the region and the scale of the project) | The project’s compliance with the regional plan |
| Environmental assessment | Relevant environmental department (for large and coastal projects) | Whether the project has been approved from an environmental perspective |
| Construction permit | Relevant municipality | That construction can legally begin; the permit date and number |
| Approved architectural, structural and installation projects | Prepared by engineers and architects registered with the relevant professional chamber, with municipal approval | Number of blocks, floors and apartments, areas, parking and communal areas |
| Completion certificate | Relevant municipality | That the building has been completed in accordance with the approved project; a prerequisite for condominium ownership and title deed |
Which authority issues which document may vary depending on the project’s location (inside or outside municipal boundaries, coastal strip, special planning zone) and its size. As of October 2026, confirm the applicable procedure with your lawyer and the relevant municipality. The names used for documents may also differ in practice: the closest TRNC equivalent to the “iskân” concept in Turkey is the completion certificate.
How is a construction permit checked?
A construction permit is checked by comparing the information on the copy obtained from the sales office with municipal records through your independent lawyer. Even if the document shown by the seller is genuine, it may be old, revised, or belong to another block.
- Request copies in writing. The construction permit, the approved site plan, and the approved plan of the floor you are buying on. An answer such as “the permit is under application” means the document does not yet exist.
- Match the identification details. The parcel and sheet number in the permit must be the same as the details in the land title deed (koçan) and the sales contract.
- Compare the numbers. Are the numbers of blocks, floors and apartments in the approved project the same as in the sales list? If the number of units sold is higher than the approved number, this is a serious warning sign.
- Find your own unit. Make sure the apartment you will buy appears on the approved plan with the same number, in the same location and with a similar area.
- Ask about the date and validity. When was the permit obtained, is there a validity period, has it been renewed? This question is important for projects that remained on hold for a long time and then restarted.
- Ask about revisions. If changes were made to the project after approval, find out whether the revised project has also been approved.
- Have it confirmed at the municipality. Your lawyer should verify the existence and scope of the permit with the zoning or technical affairs department of the relevant municipality.
These checks are carried out together with land and mortgage searches and are generally completed within a few days to two weeks. Assessing the contractor’s track record and company structure is a separate matter; we explain this in our article on choosing a reliable construction company in Cyprus.
Why can the approved project and the sales brochure differ?
The sales brochure is a marketing document, while the approved project is a legal document; a difference between the two can directly affect whether the building can obtain a completion certificate and, therefore, whether the title deed can be issued on time.
The most common differences seen in practice are:
- Unapproved additional floor or roof level: If a unit sold as a “penthouse” in the brochure does not exist in the approved project, that unit’s title deed carries serious risk and may delay the completion certificate for the entire building.
- Enclosed balcony or extended area: Areas shown as larger in the sale but appearing as open balconies in the approved project.
- Pool, gym, parking: Whether the amenities in the brochure appear on the approved site plan.
- Apartment subdivision: An area shown as a single 3+1 in the approved project being sold as two 1+1 units.
Consider this example: a block approved as 5 floors and 40 apartments is marketed for sale as 6 floors and 46 apartments. The buyers of the extra 6 apartments carry the greatest risk, but because the completion certificate is issued for the building as a whole, the title deeds of the other 40 buyers may also be delayed. Whatever the price you pay, for example, on a £150.000 apartment you would have paid approximately £52.500 within a few weeks after signing through the deposit and 35% down payment. Before paying this amount, a document check that takes a few days is the cheapest insurance a buyer can obtain.
To compare the measurements on the approved plan with the sales brochure, you need to read the plan correctly; we explain this in our article on reading floor plans and gross/net square metres. You can see where the permit check fits within the purchase process in our guide to buying an off-plan property in Cyprus.
Permit risk by project stage
Permit risk varies according to the stage at which the project is put on the market: sales before the permit is obtained carry the highest risk, while sales in a building with a completion certificate carry the lowest risk.
| Stage | Risk level | What should you request? |
|---|---|---|
| Permit under application, model-based sales | High | A full refund clause if the permit is not issued; linking payment to the permit |
| Permit obtained, construction not started | Medium-high | Copy of the permit and approved project; commitment on start date |
| Structural construction ongoing or completed | Medium | Compliance of the built work with the approved project; whether there have been revisions |
| Building completed, completion certificate pending | Medium-low | Document showing the completion application has been made; list of missing infrastructure |
| Completion certificate obtained | Low | Copy of the document; condominium ownership and title deed timetable |
Sales at the permit application stage are seen in the TRNC and do not, by themselves, indicate bad faith; the early entry price is often the counterpart to this risk. The important point is that the risk is correctly allocated in the contract: it must be clearly written that if the permit is not issued by a certain date, the amount you have paid will be refunded with interest.
Why is the completion certificate required for the title deed?
The completion certificate officially establishes that the building has been completed in accordance with the approved project and is a prerequisite for establishing condominium ownership and issuing a separate title deed for each apartment. If there is no certificate, the title deed transfer cannot be made even if your apartment is finished.
The most common reasons delaying the completion certificate are deviations from the approved project, incomplete road, sewerage and electricity infrastructure, and phases on the same parcel being completed at different times. Therefore, when you receive the key, ask the contractor in writing whether the completion certificate application has been made and what the estimated timetable is. For a home purchased off-plan, the period from contract to title deed should be planned with your lawyer by taking into account the latest version of the relevant rules and time limits published in the Official Gazette (TRNC Prime Ministry Printing Office). According to Decree No. 89/2026, because the title deed transfer must be completed within 1 year after the foreign buyer’s permit is published, a delay in the completion certificate may also put pressure on the permit timetable.
Questions to ask the seller and warning signs
A seller who gives clear, written and documented answers on the permit inspires confidence; verbal assurances, postponements and answers such as “everyone does it this way” are signs to watch carefully.
- Avoiding sharing a copy of the permit and approved plans.
- The sales list including more units than the approved project.
- Saying “the permit will be issued within a few weeks” and wanting to collect a large proportion of the payment before the permit.
- The contract containing only marketing expressions such as “A3 apartment” instead of the parcel number, block and independent unit number.
- Completion certificates and title deeds still not having been issued for projects previously delivered by the contractor.
The last point is the easiest to check: visit completed projects and ask the owners there whether they have received their title deeds. It is possible to see examples such as Salamis Park Villas, one of Akol Global’s completed projects, on site; as with any contractor, it is your natural right to ask us for a copy of the permit and approved project. On the construction and project development side, we recommend that you see these documents as a standard attachment to the contract file.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy a home from a project without a construction permit in Cyprus?
You can, but the risk is significantly higher. If the permit is not issued or is issued differently than expected, the project may change or may never start. In such a purchase, link the majority of the payment to the permit being issued and have it written into the contract that if the permit is not obtained by a certain date, the amount you have paid will be refunded with interest.
Can I check the construction permit myself?
You can request information from the municipality using the copy you receive from the seller, but in practice it is safer for your independent lawyer to carry out this check. The lawyer evaluates the permit together with the land title deed (koçan), mortgage records and sales contract. The fact that the permit information is correct on its own does not mean it matches the unit in the contract; ask your lawyer to carry out this matching as well.
Are the completion certificate and iskân the same thing?
They are similar in function. The document known in Turkey as a building use permit or iskân is generally referred to in the TRNC as the completion certificate. The document shows that the building has been completed in accordance with the approved project and is a prerequisite for condominium ownership and title deed transfer. Confirm the procedure with the relevant municipality and your lawyer.
What happens if I buy an apartment that is not in the approved project?
Obtaining a completion certificate and a separate title deed for that apartment becomes seriously more difficult; unless the project is revised and approved, the title deed may not be issued. It may also delay the completion process for the entire building. For this reason, verify before signing that the unit you will buy appears on the approved plan with the same number and location.
If the permit is revised later, are my rights affected?
If the revision changes the area or location of your unit or the communal areas, your rights may be affected. It is important that the approved project is included as an attachment to the contract and that it is written that no change affecting your unit can be made without your approval. If you are informed of a revision, request a copy of the new approved plan and ask your lawyer to compare it with your unit.
How long does a permit check take and is there a fee?
If the documents are ready, your lawyer can complete the permit and approved project check together with the land search within a few days to two weeks. This work is usually part of the lawyer’s general service for the purchase; as of October 2026, lawyer fees are approximately in the range of £1.000–2.500 + VAT. Request the scope in writing in the fee quotation.
To get information about the permit and project documents for Akol projects, contact us.
This article is for informational purposes only; it does not replace legal, tax or financial advice. Last updated: October 2026.