Employ in Cyprus with ease.

Remote makes employment in Cyprus easy. With our localized contracts, easy invoice management, and best-in-class compliance, you can grow your global team with confidence.

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Facts & Stats

The Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti) is a Mediterranean island nation nestled just off the coasts of Israel, Turkey, and Egypt. The famed tourist hotspot is rich with history and natural beauty.

Beyond a storied cultural heritage that has been 12,000 years in the making, Cyprus is an advanced, high-income economy with an exceptionally high rating on the human development index. Free public education and low income inequality makes Cyprus an attractive market for skilled talent and multinational corporations.

  • Capital city

    Nicosia

  • Currency

    Euro
    (, EUR)

  • Languages spoken

    Greek, Turkish

  • Population size

    1,189,265 (est. 2018)

  • Ease of doing business

    Easy

  • Cost of living index

    $$$ (36 of 139 nations)

  • Payroll frequency

    Monthly

  • VAT - standard rate

    19%

  • GDP - real growth rate

    3.1 (2019)

Grow your team in Cyprus with Remote

Looking to employ workers in Cyprus? Companies hiring in Cyprus must either own a legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solutions provider, usually one that provides employer of record services.

Remote can employ your team in Cyprus on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your Cyprus team. You can also pay contractors now in Cyprus with Remote.

Risks of misclassification

Cyprus, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time workers differently and there are risks associated with misclassification.

If you're worried about whether to hire contractors or employees in Cyprus or anywhere else around the world, Remote can help. Our Solutions Consulting team are experts in preventing misclassification risks. Download our Contractor Compliance Checklist for a solid overview, then talk to our team about your specific situation.

Employing in Cyprus

Cypriot labor regulations are contained in several legislations that spell out provisions for employee protections and workers’ rights applicable to Cyprus’ workforce of 440,000.

Employees in Cyprus enjoy protections against discrimination based on age, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, and race.

Common questions that could come up during the hiring process include the minimum wage, overtime rates, and guaranteed paid time off. Remote can help you offer a complete, competitive, and compliant benefits package to your employees in Cyprus.

Minimum Wage

Cypriot labor regulations only specify minimum wage requirements for specific industries & worker classifications such as:

  • Manual, semi-skilled assistance: €870 ($1061.15) per month, rising to €924 ($1,127.01) after six months’ experience is acquired
  • Unskilled asylum seekers working in the agriculture industry: €425 ($518.38) per month, with food and board provided
  • Skilled workers in the agriculture industry: €767 ($935.52) per month

Cypriot minimum wage laws appear to cater to Cyprus’s agriculture economy and in the absence of any specified wage, employers and employees are free to negotiate independently.

Payroll Cycle

For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly installments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.

Onboarding Time

We can help you get a new employee started in Cyprus fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 5 working days.

Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.

For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.

Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.

Competitive benefits package in Cyprus

At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practicing “fair equity,” which means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive (and that will allow you to attract the best local talent).

Our benefits packages in Cyprus are tailored to fulfill the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Mental Health Support
  • Pension or 401(K)
  • Life and Disability Insurance

Calculate the cost to hire an employee
in Cyprus

Taxes in Cyprus

Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Cyprus.

  • Employer

    • 12.5% - Corporate tax rate

    • 8.3% - Social insurance

    • 2% - Social cohesion

    • 1.2% - Redundancy

    • 0.5% - Training & development

    • 2.9% - National health system

    • 8% - Holiday fund

  • Employee

    • 8.3% - Social insurance

    • 2.65% - National Health System

  • Income Tax

    • 0% - Up to €19,500

    • 20% - €19,500 to €28,000

    • 25% - €28,000 to €36,300

    • 30% - €36,300 to €60,000

    • 35% - Above €60,000

Types of leave

Paid time off

Employees are entitled to four weeks of paid leave after completing 48 weeks on the job every year. Within that bracket, employees who work 5 days a week are entitled to 20 days of leave annually, while employees who work 6 days weekly are entitled to 24 days of paid annual leave.

Public holidays

In addition to the paid leave entitlement, both part-time and full-time Cypriot workers are entitled to take the 13 public holidays off as, with full wages paid.

Sick leave

Starting the fourth day of an illness, sick employees can draw benefits from the Social Insurance Fund for up to 156 days.

Maternity leave

Female employees can take up to 18 weeks of paid leave for a single birth, 22 weeks for twins, and 26 weeks for triplets or more, with a maternity benefit paid by the government at a rate of 72% of the employee’s normal wages.

Paternity leave

Natural fathers can take 2 weeks of paid leave, anytime within their partner’s maternity leave window.

Each parent can take up to seven weeks of leave annually to care for their children aged below eight. After exercising the first two weeks, parental leave entitlement can be transferred between partners.

Employment termination

Termination process

Employee contracts can be terminated if a just cause is established, such as dishonesty, negligence, fraud, or any other work-related offenses.

Notice period

Like its severance obligations, notice periods in Cyprus depend on how long an employee has worked with the employer.

  • 26 – 51 weeks of employment: 1 weeks’ notice
  • 52 - 103 weeks of employment: 2 weeks’ notice
  • 104 - 155 weeks of employment: 4 weeks’ notice
  • 156 - 207 weeks of employment: 5 weeks’ notice
  • 208 - 259 weeks of employment: 6 weeks’ notice
  • 260 - 311 weeks of employment: 7 weeks’ notice
  • 312 weeks and above: 8 weeks’ notice

Severance pay

In Cyprus, severance pay entitlements are calculated based on an employee’s tenure with the employing organization, ranging across:

  • 2 weeks’ pay: employment for up to 4 years
  • 2.5 weeks’ pay: employment for 5 to 10 years
  • 3 weeks’ pay: employment for 11 to 15 years
  • 3.5 weeks’ pay: employment for 16 to 20 years
  • 4 weeks’ pay: employment for over 20 years

Probation periods

Probation periods can last anywhere from six months to two years, as long as both parties agree to it in the terms of the employment contract.

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