Short answer: as far as we can confirm, no, the Planning Amnesty Scheme closed to new applications on 23 June 2025. If you have unauthorised building work and were hoping to use it, you’ve likely missed the window, but you are not out of options. Here’s the current picture and what remains.
Status check: This is a fast-moving area, and amnesty schemes have a habit of returning. Always confirm the current position with the planning authority or on moi.gov.cy before acting. This article was last reviewed on the date shown at the foot of the page.
What the amnesty was
The Planning Amnesty Scheme for the Legalisation of Unauthorised Constructions in Approved Developments (Σχέδιο Πολεοδομικής Αμνηστίας) was approved by the Council of Ministers on 13 September 2024 and came into force on 23 September 2024, initially for six months.
Its purpose was narrow but valuable: to let owners legalise small-scale regulatory deviations in already-approved developments, the kind that don’t materially affect the character of the development or the neighbours’ amenity, so that Certificates of Approval could be issued and title deeds could finally follow. (Source: Εγχειρίδιο Πολεοδομικού Ελέγχου, 1st Rev. Jan. 2025, §12.2.)
It applied only to unauthorised works in buildings that had obtained planning permission and/or building permits up to the date of the relevant Cabinet decision not to wholesale illegal construction.
What happened to it
The scheme was extended once, to 23 June 2025. Separately, the deadline for submitting the follow-on building-permit application (for owners who had already secured permission through the scheme) was reportedly relaxed from 2–3 months to 6 months. (That deadline detail is web-sourced from ETEK and should be confirmed.)
As of this article’s review date, we have found no announcement of a further extension. So, for practical purposes, the amnesty should be treated as closed to new applications. If you’re reading an older page that says “apply now,” check its date this is one of the fastest-decaying facts in Cypriot planning.
Missed it? What you can still do
Closing of the amnesty does not mean you’re stuck. The underlying problem, unauthorised works blocking a Certificate of Approval and therefore your title deed has other routes:
- The transitional provision of the Streets & Buildings Law (Cap. 96, art. 10Δ). This allows the competent authority to issue a Certificate of Approval despite certain irregularities listed in the relevant Schedule, and that certificate legalises the works it refers to independently of whether a valid planning permit, building permit or division permit exists. For many owners of older, partly irregular buildings, this is now the primary path. (We explain it in no title deeds in Cyprus? how to fix it.)
- Regularising through a fresh application. Depending on what the deviations are, some work can be brought into compliance or approved through the normal permit process.
Which route fits depends entirely on the nature of the deviations and when the building was permitted. There is no one-size answer; it’s an assessment.
Why acting matters
Unauthorised works don’t just block your title deed. They can complicate a sale, a mortgage, an insurance claim, and they expose you to enforcement. The value of resolving them, amnesty or not, is that the property becomes fully lawful, sellable, and titled.
What to do now
- Get the deviations properly identified – an architect compares the as-built against the approved drawings.
- Establish the route – art. 10Δ, a fresh application, or (if a new scheme opens) whatever is then available.
- Act on it, so a clean Certificate of Approval and your title can follow.
We assess unauthorised works and title deed problems for owners across Larnaca and Cyprus, identify the realistic route to legalisation, and handle the permit and certificate process to get there. If you’ve been waiting on the amnesty or you’re stuck without a title, get a quote and we’ll tell you where you genuinely stand.
Authoritative sources
- Σχέδιο Πολεοδομικής Αμνηστίας – Department of Town Planning & Housing – moi.gov.cy
- Εγχειρίδιο Πολεοδομικού Ελέγχου (1st Rev., Jan. 2025), §12.2 – moi.gov.cy
- Cap. 96, art. 10Δ – transitional certificate provisions – cylaw.org.
- ΕΤΕΚ – Planning Amnesty updates – etek.org.cy
By Christos Christou Architecture Studio, CGP Christou LLC, registered in the ETEK Register of Consulting Companies (Μητρώο Εταιρειών Μελετών), Reg. No. C00226. Verify in the ETEK register. Christos Christou Architecture Studio, Larnaca. General information current at the date of publication, not legal advice. Scheme status changes confirm the current position before acting. Published 12 July 2026 · last reviewed 12 July 2026.
