According to official statistics published by the Department of Lands & Surveys (DLS), total of 1,761 property sale contracts were deposited at Land Registry during the month, up from 11,491 in March 2025.
The March total is just 142 short of the highest number of March sales (1,903) recorded in the best ever year for sales in 2007.
The DLS figures include residential properties (houses & apartments), commercial properties (offices, retail and warehouses) and land (fields & building plots.)
With the exception of Paphos, all districts recorded increased property sales:
Famagusta 88%, Limassol 49%, Nicosia 28%, Larnaca 7% and Paphos -3%.
Property sales year to date
In the first quarter of 2026, the total number of property sales contracts deposited at Land Registry offices reached 4.709; a 14% increase compared to the 4,147 deposited in the first two months of 2025, with all districts recording gains:
Famagusta 36%, Limassol 16%, Nicosia 14%, Paphos 11% and Larnaca 9%.
Property market outlook
Although US President Donald Trump and Iran have agreed a two-week ceasefire to allow for negotiations for a permanent peace agreement, the ceasefire is under threat as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues his attacks on Lebanon.
Iran said the Israeli strikes on Lebanon, which killed hundreds, violated the deal and made peace talks “unreasonable.” America and Israel insisted Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire, though mediator Pakistan says it was.
The situation remains extremely volatile, and we’ll have to wait to see how the Cyprus property market may be impacted if the ceasefire doesn’t hold and no peace agreement is reached.
Market segment overview
Domestic buyers continued to dominate the property sales in March.
- Cypriot buyers: 732 sales (58.4% of all transactions)
- EU citizens: 238 sales (13.5%)
- Non-EU citizens: 494 sales (28.1%)
The chart below shows the year-to-date position of each market segment dating back to 2008. Note that it wasn’t until 2018 that the Department of Land & Surveys produced separate figure for EU and Non-EU buyers. Before 2018, EU and non-EU sales were combined and reported as “Overseas Sales Contracts”.
Market segment analysis
Domestic sales
Cypriot buyers deposited 866 sales contracts in March 2026, compared with 817 in March 2025, recording a 16% increase.
With the exception of Paphos, all districts recorded increased property sales:
Famagusta 39%, Nicosia 30%, Larnaca 23%, Limassol 4% and Paphos -8%.
Domestic sales year to date
In the first quarter of 2026, the total number of property sales contracts deposited by Cypriots reached 2,665; an 8% increase compared to the 2,466 deposited in the first two months of 2025.
Once again, all districts recording gains with the exception of Paphos:
Famagusta 66%, Limassol 9%, Nicosia 13%, Larnaca no change and Paphos -13%.
EU property sales
EU citizens filed 238 property contracts in March, compared with 183 in March 2025, representing a 30% year-on-year increase, with all districts recording gains:
Limassol 73%, Famagusta 36%, Larnaca 18%, Nicosia 16% and Paphos 11%.
EU sales year to date
In the first three months of 2026, the total number of property sales contracts deposited by EU nationals (excluding Cypriots) reached 675; a 25% increase compared to the 538 deposited in the first three months of 2025.
With the exception of Famagusta, all districts recorded gains:
Paphos 35%, Limassol 30%, Larnaca 27%, Nicosia 24% and Famagusta -25%.
Non-EU property sales
Non-EU citizens deposited 494 sales documents in March 2026, compared with 424 in March 2025, marking a 17% increase, with all districts recording gains except for Paphos:
Famagusta 129%, Limassol 40%, Nicosia 38%, Larnaca 4% and Paphos -10%.
Non-EU sales year to date
In the first quarter of 2026, the total number of property sales contracts deposited by non-EU nationals reached 1,369; a 21% increase compared to the 1133 deposited in the first quarter of 2025, with all districts recording gains:
Famagusta 54%, Limassol 26%, Nicosia 18%, Larnaca 19% and Paphos 15%.
Overseas buyers continue to drive sales
The latest sales figures highlight the continuing importance of EU and non-EU buyers in the Cyprus property market, who together account for 43.4% of property sales so far this year.
In Paphos, EU and non-EU buyers together bought more than twice the number of properties than Cypriots.
Overall, the March results underline the resilience of the Cyprus property market, with strong demand from both domestic and overseas buyers supporting continued growth.
Anticipated legislation
Discussions are underway to regulate property purchases by non-EU nationals, including prohibiting them from acquiring agricultural or forest land, as well as a restricting them to buying just one residential property.
In addition, the legislation being discussed aims to close existing loopholes that have enabled multiple acquisitions through corporate structures, a practice that has drawn criticism amid concerns about affordability pressures in certain segments of the housing market.
