Guide to moving in Cyprus

There is nothing like moving to a new apartment or house. It is a greatly anticipated event and you can look forward to meet your new neighbours, find the nearest shopping options and explore the new neighbourhood. At least that is what you would prefer to spend your time doing.

Instead you will often find yourself driving around like a madman to update info with all your existing service providers and multiple public departments. On top of that we all know that when you are moving, it always ends up in a mess and you can’t find your document. This guide will help you remember everything, so you can prepare beforehand, find the relevant documents and be able to focus on moving in and enjoying your new home.

When you move from one apartment or house to a new apartment or house in Cyprus you will need to notify your service providers and the public authorities of your change of address. Due to the general lack of IT infrastructure in the public sector in Cyprus, notifying the public authorities of your change of address means visiting multiple different departments and addresses.

But fear not, you will find them all listed on this page. We hope it will help you move into your new place with as few challenges as possible. Here is the checklist – Click the relevant service and authority and go straight to the information.

Checklist when you move to a new home in Cyprus

Public departments & authorities

• Connect and disconnect electricity
• Connect and disconnect water supply
• Trash collection
• Immigration

Private providers to contact

• Bank
• Insurance
• Internet provider
• Phone provider
• Job

Public departments and authorities to contact

Unfortunately there is no single point of contact with the public departments and authorities, which will enable you to make all the changes necessary when you move to a new address in Cyprus. Some of the official departments and authorities will be regional based, while others will be from you local municipality.

Connect and disconnect electricity

When you move to a new address in Cyprus you will have the following business with the  with the Electricity Authority of Cyprus:

1. Disconnect your old account registered at your previous address (if you have a previous address in Cyprus)
2. Connect a new account registered with your new address

If you are moving from one address in Cyprus to another it might require a bit of pre-planning on your behalf. You will have to inform the electricity department of what date you want them to cut the electricity from your old address and when you want them to open it at the new address.

This will probably not be the same date, as you will most likely need a few days to move all your things to the new address and clean your old place. So give yourself a few days of flexibility in both ends.

What papers to bring to the electricity authority

You will need to visit one of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus’ regional offices. Find your local regional EAC office is and its opening hours, click here.

You will need to fill out a form in Greek. But if you are not able to read Greek, the customer service agents will be able to help you filling the form. When you go to the electricity authority to disconnect your old account and connect a new account you should bring the following:

• Previous rental contract with address or your last electricity bill
• A copy of your new rental contract, title deed or purchase contract with address
• Picture ID (Drivers license, passport or identity card)
• Cash or debit/credit card to settle your existing bill + make a deposit for your new connection

Please note that it is only necessary to disconnect the old account if that account is in your name. If it is in your now previous landlords’, you will only have to connect a new account with the electricity authority. Unless that is handled by your new landlord, in which case there is no need to visit the electricity authority at all.

Connecting and disconnecting water supply with the Water Authority

Even though the water supply in Cyprus is managed by the Water Development Department, there is a local water authority in every municipality. The local water authority, board or department sets water rates and handles all connections and disconnections to the public water supply.

What you need to bring to connect the water supply

To connect your water metre you will need to visit your local municipality office and bring the following:

• Passport or ID card
• Proof of address
• A previous water bill (if possible)
• Contract of sale (only for new build properties)

Rubbish collection fees

There is a yearly fee in place for collecting rubbish and garbage. This is handled by the local municipality or council. You will just need to pay them a visit with proof of your new address and this should be plenty.

The fees vary across the country, but if you are a pensioner you might get a discount if you ask.

Immigration office

When you are moving to a new address in Cyprus as a non Cypriot national, you will need to update the details on your Registration Certificate for EU Nationals or yellow paper. Simply visit your local immigration office to update your details.

You can find the address of your local immigration office on the map underneath.

What do you need to bring

• Your existing yellow paper (Registration certificate for EU nationals) or similar if you are not a EU national
• Proof of your new address
• Passport
• Passport pictures (x2 pr. person)

* Note: This section is about updating the data for your Registration Certificate for EU Nationals or Yellow paper and is only relevant if you are already residing in Cyprus. If you are moving to Cyprus, you will need to apply for a yellow slip, which you can read much more about here.

Private service providers

When you move to a new address you will also need to update your details with all of the private service suppliers you use such as internet providers, your bank and your insurance company. This is not only to make sure that you receive information from them, but also so you will remember to transfer all of the services that you are paying for.

Inform your bank(s)

Visit your local bank branch to update your new address. Remember that the bank will want to see proof of your new address such as rental contract or proof of purchase.

When visiting the bank to change your address we suggest that you bring a copy of the documents. It will speed up the process as the bank assistant won’t have to take a copy for themselves.

Update your insurance

If you have health insurance, car insurance, property insurance or any other type of insurance you should also remember to update your details with the company or companies that you are insured with. This is of course important as you definitely do not want to miss out on payments or policy changes just because you forgot to update your address.

Remember to bring proof of your new address (Rental contract or proof of purchase) and it will again be quicker if you bring a copy for your insurance company’s use.

Internet provider

For internet providers it is the same as with the above plus you definitely want to move your internet connection to your new home. However you could also consider whether there is a better option available for you in your new neighbourhood. You can check your options on our page about internet in Cyprus.

When you want to move your internet connection to your new place, remember that it will in some cases take a few days to have it moved. So set it up in time so you won’t be offline (gasp!!!) for a few days.

Visit (or call) your internet provider and inform them of the change. You will probably need to visit them with a copy of proof of your new address. Maybe they will even have to visit your new home.

Phone provider – If necessary

At the moment this is only relevant if you are on a subscription deal with your current phone provider. If you use a prepaid service there is no need to update your address at the moment.

If you have a subscription deal you should do the same as with any other service: Contact your provider and bring proof of your new address and a copy of it to their offices.

Read more about your options for phones in Cyprus.

Job

While you will definitely know how to get to work from your new home, the company you work at might want to keep your contact details updated. Make sure to ask whether it is necessary – After all you do not want to miss out on any surprise wine bottles from your boss as a Christmas bonus.

Furthermore your company’s policy might in some cases require you to keep your address updated.

If you don’t have a job, please have a look at our page about jobs in Cyprus.

And the rest…

To be honest, I have not been able to think of anything I have missed. If I have, I would have included it in the text. But if you think I can improve the guide by adding something more to it, please let me know. You can also write it in a comment underneath and I will look into it.