The Minister of Finance of the Republic of Cyprus held a press conference dedicated to launching the Action Plan to attract companies to conduct activities and expand in Cyprus. The above Action plan is a significant improvement in promoting Cyprus as an international business centre.

A beneficial owner is a person (group of persons) who is the actual controlling owner of a legal entity. In this article, we will consider essential points regarding registers of beneficiaries and the regulation on this issue.

Cyprus is considered the "Pearl of the Mediterranean". There are quite a few reasons for moving to Cyprus. If you want to improve the quality of your life or get away from the hectic modern life, you should consider moving to the island.

To make things easier for taxpayers, the Cabinet of Ministers of Cyprus has extended the filing tax returns deadline for a month. Recently, Finance Minister Konstantinos Petrides announced this decision.

The transformation of the sector inevitably requires appropriate funding, and ship financing has become critical for the shipbuilding sector and shipping companies worldwide. The financing aspect of shipping includes the corporate financial management of shipping companies to refinance existing debts and the financing of new shipbuilding.

Cyprus has seen rapid growth in the number of startups. This increase is due to tax incentives and favourable conditions for intellectual property and innovative companies offered by Cyprus, making it a pleasant country for the development of startups.

In a new action plan adopted in October 2021, the Cypriot government announced a course to attract foreign investment, businesses and expats. In addition, the authorities' representatives announced several innovations, which concerned mainly immigration law.

The Cyprus Assessment and Collection Law, as amended in 2002, introduced a regime with a provisional income tax system. Corporate tax in Cyprus is levied at a rate of 12.5% and can be paid through the JCC Smart platform. Based on the current period's results, companies that do not expect taxable profits do not submit a tax calculation.

AGENDA: Scheme, Benefits & Criteria, The Process, Next Steps

AGENDA: Cyprus Work Permit, Singapore Employment Pass, Cyprus Citizenship; scheme for naturalisation by exception of investors.

AGENDA: Part I: Definition, types and certainties of a trust, Part II: Analysis of the Cyprus International, Trusts - Conclusion

AGENDA: The Scheme & the Benefits, The Criteria & the process, Documentation required, How Eltoma can assist

Agenda: Requirements for the Registration Certificate Application, Where to apply: the immigration buildings & office contacts, The full application procedure, What documentation and information do you need to bring?, When do you need to apply for your yellow slip?, Rights for family members and other dependents, When your family are citizens in a EU or EEA member state, Employed and self-employed applicants, Retired and non-working applicants, Validity Period of Registration Certificates, Using an agent.

AGENDA: Tax Residency – general application, Cyprus Tax Residency rules, General Rule VS “60 Day” Rule, Procedure to obtain Cyprus Tax Residency under “60 Day” Rule, Main tax guidelines for Cyprus Tax residents

AGENDA: Eltoma Corporate Services in Cyprus, Companies in Cyprus, Company incorporation, Company maintenance, Tax treatment, Key benefits

AGENDA: The Cyprus registrar of companies, The types of Cyprus companies, The KYC rule, Nominee service, Company incorporation procedure, Company maintenance and financials, The methods of dissolving a Cyprus company

AGENDA: Personal income tax, Special contribution, Corporate tax, Back to back loans, Annual levy, Special defense contribution tax, Capital gains tax, Immovable property tax

The provision of Payment Services in Cyprus is regulated by The Payment Services and Access to Payment Systems Laws of 2018 and 2019, which transposed into national law regarding the provisions of the Payment Services Directive in the Cyprus market. With the license, an EMI in Cyprus may offer its services freely within the entire EU market.

Cyprus Company Law provides for a member led voluntary winding up of a company. In order for this to occur the company must be solvent. The voluntary winding up of a Cyprus company is formalised in Article 261 – 292 of the Cyprus Companies Law.

Cyprus is a favourable jurisdiction for creating international trusts which are governed by the 1992 International Trusts Law which regulates the establishment and administration of International Trusts. The International Trust Law compliments the Trustee Law which is based on the English Trustee Act 1925.

UCITS is a pan-European Fund product which when established in one EU country can be sold cross boarder within the EU under a harmonised legislative framework without any requirement for additional authorisation. UCITS is the result of the evolution of mutual fund legislation to ensure better investor protection.

No withholding tax applies on interest and royalties when paid from a Russian Company to a Cypriot company. This was ratified on the Protocol and signed by Russia and Cyprus during 2012 and implemented in 2013.

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission has recently released information to all Cyprus Investment Firms, Management Companies and Administrative Service Providers regarding fraudulent tax evasion, and also a proposal on the prevention of use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing.

The following companies shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Auditors and Statutory Audits of Annual and Consolidated Accounts Law2009 submit their financial statements to an Auditor for auditing: every company required by this Law to prepare consolidated financial statements; every public limited-liability company; every private limited-liability company not being a small-sized company.

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission has recently released information to all Cyprus Investment Firms, Management Companies and Administrative Service Providers regarding fraudulent tax evasion, and also a proposal on the prevention of use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing.

During 2013 the Cyprus Banking sector faced its most challenging period to date. As a result of a sequence of events, see below information, several Cypriot banks were left with significant imbalances.

Some call it symbol, others name it as mark or logo but in reality, it is the way the public at large can identify and recognise a particular product and or service and has been considered by many people as the most valuable asset and as indicators of source.

Following the recent commotion created by the Swiss National Bank’s decision to discontinue the minimum exchange rate of 1.20 Swiss francs per euro with immediate effect, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) is endeavouring to instigate an assessment of how far Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs) have been affected.

A Cyprus company might decide to wind up as a result of various reasons and such procedures may be a challenging and lengthy task. The difficulties faced and time to complete is dependent upon many factors, including how well the company has been managed and administered throughout its existence, the method chosen for closing down and who performs such a processes.

Pursuant to Part III of Chapter 113 of Cyprus legislation, Mortgage Registration with the Cyprus Registrar emerges as compulsory by law. Certain formalities need to be followed regarding the filing of such registration as well as any amendment, concession and any other alteration which takes place following the formation of a Company in the Republic of Cyprus.

The amendments of the Assessment and Collection of Taxes Law 78/2014, made on the 20th of June, 2014 with regards to the Law 4/1978, is a clear demonstration of the Cyprus Government’s commitment to the reforms proposed by the Troika.

A Shareholders’ Agreement (SHA) is a confidential legal document distinct from all other statutory documents of a corporation, applicable in cases where there are more than two shareholders and it is essentially an agreement between all the Company Shareholders that covers how the business is going to operate.

Income, earned by a Cyprus tax resident individual, arising from the rental of immovable property which is situated in Cyprus is taxable both under the Cyprus Income Tax and the Special Contribution Tax legislation.

On July 1st 2015, the President of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiadis, has officially declared that the Cyprus taxation system needs rapid changes to increase the level of the country’s competitiveness. In order to achieve this goal, a number of amendments should be made to the tax law.

On the 7th of May, 2015 a new legislation was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus, that of Insolvency Consultants Law of 2015 (64(I)/2015 (the “Law”). This new legislation outlines the criteria for qualification, regulation and monitoring of persons that have the role of insolvency consultant.

On the 4th of August, 2015 Cyprus and Iran signed a Double Tax Treaty agreement during an official visit of the Iranian Finance Minister in Cyprus is hoped to strengthen and develop the economic relations and allow for the expansion of investment and business opportunities between Iran and Cyprus.

Intellectual Property (IP) is one of the most valuable assets of an organisation. Choosing the right location for the management of Intellectual Property is an imperative strategic business decision.

The aim of Corporate Governance is to facilitate efficient, entrepreneurial and practical management that can deliver the long-term success of the Company. Corporate governance is about what the Board of Directors of a Company does and how it sets the values of the Company.

The Cyprus Tax Department has released a notification to all Cyprus based Financial Institutions & Service Providers of the new guidance notes on the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information and other information relating to the Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

In an effort to improve the global reporting standard of local tax systems and combat tax avoidance, governments from various jurisdictions will bring the automatic exchange of information in tax matters for all countries up to the same standard. This is referred to as the Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

As a result of the 2006 amendment to the Companies’ Law Cap.113, foreign companies can be re-domiciled in Cyprus and companies registered in Cyprus can be re-domiciled abroad.

All Cyprus resident companies must return their income tax accounts in accordance with the Income Tax Law (Law No. 118(I) of 2002).

There are a number of methods of obtaining a Cyprus Passport, giving freedom of movement to the rest of Europe, as per the Schengen Agreement.

Immigrants wishing to live work or study in Cyprus are required to have either a valid work or residence permit. Fines may be imposed on anyone found to be employed in the country without valid and up-to-date paperwork. Citizens of any EU country can freely enter Cyprus with the correct passport/ID card.

When expanding your business overseas, not only do you have to comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and accounting standards, thought must also be given to the specific jurisdictions own rules and regulations.

Overseas companies may register a branch in Cyprus, according to the Companies Law, Chapter 113, regulated by section 347. A branch will not essentially consider as being a new legal entity in Cyprus.

The Finance Committee in Cyprus discussed the long-awaited and somewhat revolutionary new competition law that allows foreign individuals to have the possibility of obtaining Cyprus tax resident status while on the island only for 60 days in any calendar year.

The EC (European Commission) has published its draft legislation compelling financial service providers or intermediaries to disclose any international tax planning schemes they have encouraged, enabled or assisted in any way.

A Creditor may apply to court for the issuance of a liquidation order against a company that does not comply with a demand notice to pay any outstanding debts. The notice of demand is served to the registered office of the company, who then has 21 days to pay the fine.

This year, the Republic of Cyprus ratified The Hague Conventions’ definition of the legislation applicable to trusts and furthering the regulations surrounding their recognition. Cyprus common law now recognises trusts as a unique legal institution under equity.

Regardless of an individuals’ status of tax residency or domicile, an expat relocating to Cyprus from overseas qualifies for one of 2 income tax reductions on revenue generated from legitimate employment.

The Cyprus banking sector is struggling with the overwhelming level of NPLs, no matter the efforts exerted by the main banks in Cyprus by following conventional banking models to balance their profit/loss reports, NPLs remain to be the proverbial hole in the bucket. More radical and revolutionary approaches and actions should be considered by banks and lenders in Cyprus.

In a bid to rebuild the dwindling economy in Cyprus shortly after the financial crisis four years ago, the government launched a passport-by-investment program to temp wealthy foreigners with citizenship in exchange for an investment of no less than €2 million into the Cyprus economy.

As per new legislation, every company incorporated in Hong Kong will be required to keep and maintain a register of all persons who have significant control of the company. The record must be updated as required and kept at the registered company address, even if there are no persons of significant control.

An individual is not regarded as a shadow Director solely because the Company Directors act on the advice given by that individual in a professional capacity. There are various exceptions and whether or not a person is a shadow director is a question of fact and dependent upon all the relevant circumstances.

A Cyprus Company Director may be found liable by the Inland Revenue or Customs & Excise with regarding tax related issues. As per the legislation, the Inland Revenue or Customs & Excise may personally prosecute the Company Directors who are involved in any taxation offence(s) or related financial matters.

There are two types of Variable Capital Companies in Cyprus; UCITS and AIFS. Read on to find out more about Alternative Investment Funds.

There are two types of VCCs in Cyprus; UCITS which we will discuss in the following article, and AIFS. A UCITS shall take the legal form of a limited liability company, its name shall include the reference: “Variable Capital Investment Company”, and it shall be in compliance with the provisions/requirements of the Law 78(I)/2012.

Cyprus Minister of Finance Mr Harris Georgiades released a statement condemning critics of the Cyprus passport by investment programme that has seen raise over €4 billion since the launch of the scheme in 2013 which was implemented to attract foreign investment to mitigate damage in light of the banking crisis.

This article details a beginners guide to capital statements; what to include in them, what the figures mean and how to understand and interpret them; avoiding common pitfalls many individuals experience along the way with filing their own.

Cyprus is likely to have repercussions as a result of Jean-Claude Juncker ’s favouring of a relaxation in EU regulation formation and monitoring schemes, reinforced by qualified majorities on matters including the additional synchronisation of blanket taxation rates across Europe.

This article will examine the role of a Director and his duties and liability insurance and D&O insurance liability accordingly with reference to the relevant case law.

At the request of a Cyprus company’s Shareholder, where it is proven that a more comprehensive investigation is required regarding a company’s activities, the court can issue a declaration of investigation by an inspector appointed by the Cyprus Council of Ministers.

Berlin-based non-governmental organisation Transparency International are putting pressure on the European Commission to create plans to allow for reporting and full disclosure of all passport schemes of member states that allow foreign investors to acquire either EU citizenship or residence permit.

The so-called golden visa scheme has been a major reason behind the economy's return to growth, economists say. At first, the investment scheme required an overall investment in Cyprus of €5m, some of which had to be in property.

Malta and Cyprus undeniably have the most favourable citizenship by investment programmes in Europe. This article will compare the passport programmes on offer by Cyprus and Malta, as well as the differences in the tax regulations for both countries.

Cyprus is a European country that is attracting the most interest from critics of the scheme due to Cyprus being the jurisdiction granting the highest number of passports. Opponents of the scheme are also alluding to the prospect of using potentially recycled or laundered funds to keep Europe a float.

The British High Commissioner outlined the processes currently being followed within government to prepare for the Brexit negotiations in order to find an outcome for the UK nationals living abroad in Cyprus.

The European Commission proposed an ambitious and comprehensive package of measures to tackle non-performing loans (NPLs) in Europe, making the most out of the promising progress already made in reducing risks in the banking sector.

Representatives from the troika of Cyprus’ international lenders recently visited Cyprus for conducting their 4th post-scheme investigation following the islands recent withdrawal from the economic adjustment programme as agreed with the terms of the bailout.

Following Circulars No.2011/11 and No.2011/5, this article will explain what a “dormant company” is, its symptoms and consequent requirements. The following is an extract from PART 1.7 of the “Company Income Statement” form (EP 4), whereby a definition of a dormant company is considered to be a company that meets certain conditions.

Whilst remaining fully compliant with the OECD recommendations and EU regulations, Cyprus has addressed challenges to its tax structure through strong legislative updates

Notional Interest Deduction or NID is an estimated expenditure offered to all Cyprus-resident companies (including non-resident companies with a permanent establishment in Cyprus) against their taxable profit resulting from application of new equity introduced in their share capital.

The Cyprus Ministry of Finance has released a statement regarding the IMF (the International Monetary Fund) & the European Commission is recommending Bills regarding the islands longstanding issue with Non-Performing Loans.

Recently, the Cyprus Central Bank issued guidance to banks & credit institutions, advising them of the new mandatory refusal to take on new clients or to continue servicing existing accounts with so-called shell or letter-box companies.

An individual is considered to be tax resident in Cyprus by spending a total (consecutive or otherwise) of 183 days or more in any one calendar year in Cyprus. Anyone earning an income in Cyprus falls into two categories.

The Central Bank of Cyprus has released new guidance for all credit institutions on the island, refining the definition for shell companies and subsidiary entities; coming into effect from November 2018.

Cyprus employees who are considered to have tax resident status, pay tax on their global income. Employees not considered to be tax resident are only charged for specific types of income that are originating from Cyprus-based sources.

The Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission (CySEC) has revealed new details about its efforts to increase oversight of cryptocurrencies and related assets by integrating EU anti-money-laundering rules into Cyprus legislation.

Since the report on the collapse of the Cooperative Credit System was released recently, everyone seemed to have an opinion on the matter about who was to blame for the whole debacle. The report was fairly conclusive, giving a general overview of what the public enquiry discovered.

The Cyprus government, for the last few years have been harping tales of steady growth and booming tourism levels; referring to the relatively high rate of growth of real GDP can be attributed to a number of factors.

An analysis of the implications regarding some of the corporate structure elements in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) business companies and Cyprus companies, by explaining their key characteristics and evaluating how each jurisdiction is adhering to the increasingly strict compliance standards.

Financial analysts and organisations are beginning to welcome the idea that in specific cases, tax efficiency isn’t enough when structuring a business vehicle that will be automatically placed under investigation by certain countries that are becoming increasingly wary of any tax avoidance patterns or practices.

Recently, the Cyprus economy has seen relatively steady growth rates and booming tourism levels over the last few years. The relatively high increase of GDP can be attributed to a number of factors: declining official unemployment rates; surplus government funds and the raising of large financial deals in international markets.

According to a recent report published by the US State Department’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) unit, Cyprus continues to upgrade its established AML legal framework, while authorities successfully 26 individuals and entities for money laundering related offences in 2018.

Cyprus is an ideal place for holding company location. The following factors described in the article are important when deciding the location of a holding company.

Each licensed Administrative Service Provider (ASP) in Cyprus is registered under CySEC, and must comply with the preparation and submission of the required reports in order to be eligible for maintaining a valid license in Cyprus.

Applying for a residence permit (also known as the yellow slip) is a process which is to be completed by every EU citizen living and working in Cyprus. And once you have managed to obtain it, the permit does not expire and is valid indefinitely.

The tables detailing general expenses in Cyprus can help give you an idea as to how much it will cost you to live there. All figures have been converted into Euros and have been taken using the median from a set of data from 2019-2020 figures ranging from the most expensive to the least.

Cyprus has quickly gained a reputation as a reliable, legitimate offshore jurisdiction, and is universally accepted as the most beneficial tax system in the EU; making it the perfect location for incorporating a company of any type.

In order to apply for a work permit (also referred to as a working visa), the company must be eligible to apply for employing third country nationals. Eligible companies are considered where the majority of Shareholders are non-EU nationals; including Shareholders whose ultimate owners are foreign companies.