Which insurance is compulsory in Cyprus, and which is not?

By law: third-party cover for every vehicle used on the road (Law 96(I)/2000) and employer’s liability for anyone who employs staff (Law 174/1989). Professional cover is needed by doctors and healthcare providers (a 2024 amendment, according to press reports) and by insurance intermediaries (EU law). Registering a short-term rental requires an insurance declaration. Home, dog and travel cover are not compulsory by law.

It is not compulsory by law. If you have a mortgage, the bank usually requires it as a loan condition, and you may choose an insurer with equivalent cover. After the 2025 wildfire the Insurance Association said it was considering a debate on making it compulsory, but there is no such law.

We found no compulsory dog insurance in Cyprus sources. The Dog Law (184(I)/2002) requires a licence from the municipality or community renewed every year, registration in the Central Dog Register, a microchip and a sign. We did not check special rules for dangerous breeds.

Employer’s liability insurance: Law 174/1989 says every employer must be insured against work accidents and occupational diseases, and failing to do so is a criminal offence. At the end of 2025 there were 66,711 registered employers and about 35,251 such policies (Politis, February 2026). The penalty as it stands today was not confirmed.

We found no general legal duty in our sources to hold public liability cover for a shop or café. If you have staff, employer’s liability is compulsory. Public liability may be required by the lease, a licence or a client; ask your municipality and read the lease.

By law, the compulsory part is third-party cover, which pays for other people’s injuries and damage. It does not cover damage to your own car, nor fire. If the car is on finance, the contract may require comprehensive cover.

No, the law does not require travel insurance for you to fly. For a Schengen visa, however, you need travel medical insurance of at least €30,000, including hospital care and repatriation. The European Health Insurance Card does not replace travel insurance and is not valid in the northern part of Cyprus.

We confirmed two cases: doctors and healthcare providers (a 2024 amendment; proof is shown to the Cyprus Medical Association, according to press reports) and insurance intermediaries (a minimum of €1,564,610 per claim from 9 October 2024). For lawyers, engineers, accountants or estate agents we did not confirm it. Ask your professional body.

Not under today’s law, as far as we could confirm. Compulsory insurance of jointly owned buildings is in a draft bill of the Department of Lands and Surveys (June 2022), which had not been passed by June 2026. See what your building’s rules say and ask the management committee whether there is cover for the common parts.

Registration with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism is compulsory, and the application includes a declaration of a policy covering all risks, fire and public liability (Law 9(I)/2020 as amended, as a lawyer described it in 2023). Platforms may not list a property without a registration number. Minimum amounts and any changes after 2023 were not confirmed; ask the Deputy Ministry.

For people with access to GESY, we found no general legal duty to hold private health insurance. Some residence permits for third-country nationals require private health insurance. GESY does not work as travel insurance abroad.

That depends on what you could afford to lose, and we do not recommend a product. The gaps people discover most often are their own car (third-party cover pays only others), the home (not compulsory; after the 2025 wildfire one house with €290,000 of damage received €190,000) and medical cover when travelling. Write down what each would cost you if it happened tomorrow, and start from there.

Yes. The duty in Law 96(I)/2000 concerns motor vehicles used on the road, so motorbikes and motor scooters too. Third-party cover pays others; your own injuries as the rider usually not.

We did not confirm today’s rules for e-scooters for this article. Ask the Road Transport Department or the Police what applies, and check whether any home or personal liability policy you have covers damage you cause on a scooter; many policies exclude motorised vehicles.

The offence in the law is using a vehicle without insurance. Whether a car that is not used must stay insured, and what that means for its road licence, ask the Road Transport Department. Do not drive it even a few metres on a road without cover.

We did not find a Cyprus rule on compulsory insurance for boats or jet skis for this article. Many marinas, harbours and hire firms require liability cover on their own terms. Ask the marina or the competent port authority, and read the terms of any policy.

Yes. The employer’s liability law concerns every employer, and employers of domestic workers are counted separately in the figures: at the end of 2025, 19,158 of 30,042 had cover (Politis, February 2026). This insurance protects you if the worker is injured at work; it is separate from her health cover.

In the text of the law itself on CyLaw, and with the ministry or department responsible for your subject. The Insurance Companies Control Service supervises insurers and you can report a misleading sale to it, but it does not decide private disputes. When someone tells you “it’s compulsory”, ask them in writing for the law or the contract term that says so.

The bank can require the property to be insured, but the borrower may choose an insurer with equivalent cover. Ask in writing exactly what cover and what amount it requires, and what is needed to assign the policy to the bank. Compare on the same terms, not only on price.

For third-party motor cover, Law 167(I)/2023 gave the Motor Insurers’ Fund a role when an insurer becomes insolvent, for victims’ claims. For damage to your own car or for home insurance, we found no guarantee fund. More in the article What if the insurer goes bust?.

No. According to House research (Politis, September 2026), car premiums are not set or approved by the supervisor, and bonus systems are at each company’s discretion. That is why two quotes for the same cover can differ a lot.

By law: third-party cover if you have a car, and employer’s liability if you employ anyone, including a domestic worker. Common gaps for newcomers are damage to their own car, the home and its contents (not compulsory) and medical cover when travelling. The European Health Insurance Card is not valid in the northern part of Cyprus.