cyprus rules
What the law asks of you as a dog owner in Cyprus - the short version, with links to the source.
A licence, renewed every year
Under the Dogs Law 184(I)/2002 nobody may keep a dog without an ownership licence from their municipality or community board. It runs for one year from the day it is issued and has to be renewed. The applicant must be at least 16, and brings the dog's health book and its registration and microchip certificate.
- Nicosia charges €20.50 a year for an ordinary dog and €170 for the restricted breeds below. Every municipality sets its own fee - check yours.
- Tell the municipality when the dog changes hands: the licence is transferred, not re-issued to whoever happens to hold the dog.
The microchip is the only legal ID
A chip is the only marking Cyprus recognises. Any registered vet can fit one and file the dog's and the owner's details; registration with the Veterinary Services itself is free. A puppy can be chipped from around eight weeks old, while the rabies vaccine cannot be given before twelve weeks.
- Notify the District Veterinary Services when the dog changes owner, and when it dies.
- Keep the phone number on the chip record current - it is the number a vet or a pound will ring.
In public: under control, on a lead
A dog must not roam. That means a fence that holds at home, a lead in public places and on the beaches where dogs are allowed at all, and picking up after them. A visible “Beware of the dog” sign has to be up wherever the dog is kept.
- Most organised beaches ban dogs outright in season, and a handful are dog-friendly. The rules are set beach by beach - check before you drive.
- Out hunting, no more than two dogs at a time.
Restricted breeds
Four breeds are treated as dangerous in law: the Pit Bull Terrier (and American Pit Bull), the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro. Keeping one means a much higher licence fee, a sterilisation certificate, liability insurance, and a muzzle and lead in public with a handler of at least 16.
If they go missing
Report the loss, and make sure the chip record still has your number on it. A stray that is picked up is held at the pound for 15 days before it may be put down, and the owner is billed for the catching and the keep - which is 15 days to find them.
Welfare is a criminal matter
Cruelty and neglect are prosecuted under the animal protection and welfare law, and a conviction carries a fine of up to €20,000, up to a year in prison, or both.
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. The law is amended, fines change, and every municipality adds rules of its own - check with your municipality or the Veterinary Services before you rely on any of it. Last checked 29 August 2026.