Cyprus Company Formation Cost: What to Budget in 2026

What are the official fees?

The state charges EUR 175 to create a standard private company, and the online fee is the same. Those are the only numbers every founder pays at the same price. The fees that follow are small too.

Older price lists often add the annual levy or capital duty to a first-year budget. Remove both. The Registrar's own annual-fee page still shows the old rule. On 30 September 2026 it announced strike-off proceedings from December for companies with unpaid fees for 2012 to 2023. The step-by-step process behind these fees is in our guide to registering a company in Cyprus.

What do you pay professionals for?

Almost everything else. The law forces some of these lines on you, because only a lawyer practising in Cyprus can draft the memorandum and articles. That closes off a do-it-yourself route. Other lines are optional, or disappear once you have your own premises.

We have not printed a market price for these lines. Published prices cover different scopes, and we found no neutral source that compares like with like, so a range here would only give you false comfort. Use the table to make every quote you receive comparable. Sempor is not a law firm: your lawyer quotes and bills for legal work directly, and we quote in writing for the digital work only.

Worked example: official fees over five years

The illustrative company below is incorporated in January 2027. It proposes one name, changes a director once and files every annual return on time.

Two things stand out. The state takes EUR 275 across five years on these lines. Optional extras sit on top: EUR 100 to accelerate incorporation, EUR 20 per name to accelerate approval, EUR 160 for a file of translations, and EUR 120 or EUR 130 for the set of certificates a bank will usually ask for. And nothing further on these lines is due to the Registrar for the rest of 2027, which means a low first-year package can look complete simply because the recurring work has not started yet. Ask what year two costs before you compare year one.

What does it cost to pay yourself a salary?

About 15.4% on top of gross pay, or 23.4% if your company is not exempt from the Central Holiday Fund. Many founders forget this line because it never appears on a formation quote. These are the 2026 employer rates, applied to an illustrative EUR 40,000 salary.

The insurable ceiling is EUR 68,904 a year, although it does not apply to the social cohesion fund. General Healthcare System contributions are capped at EUR 180,000 of income.

Is a company worth it at low profit?

Often not for tax reasons alone. An individual pays no income tax on the first EUR 22,000 of chargeable income in 2026, while a company pays 15% from the first euro. On an illustrative EUR 20,000 of profit, the company owes EUR 3,000 before anything reaches you, and it still needs accounts examined by a licensed auditor: normally a full audit at first, with a lighter review possible once it has stayed within the size limits for two consecutive years. A sole trader owes no income tax on that same profit, although social insurance and healthcare contributions still apply.

A rule of thumb follows. Choose a company for limited liability, for credibility with partners and banks, or because you expect to grow past that level soon. If none of those applies, ask an accountant to compare it with trading alone before you pay for formation.

How do you check a cheap formation quote?

Ask these eight questions. A low price usually means something has moved to year two or fallen outside the scope.

1. Does the price include the EUR 175 in official fees?
2. Which lawyer signs form HE1, and is that person named on the quote?
3. Are the registered office and secretary included, and for how many months?
4. What is the written renewal price in year two?
5. Who files the beneficial owner details and the first annual return?
6. Are accounting and audit included, or priced separately?
7. Is any nominee involved? If so, what will you sign, and what does it cost to exit?
8. Can you take your company records with you if you change provider?

Treat a "formation with bank account" package with extra care. The bank makes that decision under its own compliance duties, so a provider can prepare you but cannot deliver the account. Our guide to opening a business bank account shows what the bank will want.

What should you budget for after formation?

Plan for the recurring list, then add the cost of being visible. The annual compliance calendar gives you every filing date to put against your accountant's quote. A company also needs a website and email before banks and customers will take it seriously, so compare that against what a website costs in Cyprus.

Your lawyer quotes for the legal work. For the launch, tell us about the company you plan to form through our company launch service.