# Redomicile to Cyprus Checker: move your company's seat without winding it up

> Can your company move its registered seat to Cyprus without being wound up? Check 26 home jurisdictions, the Cap. 113 continuation and EU cross-border conversion routes, Registrar fees, the six-month deadline, tax on arrival and the alternatives. Reviewed by ICPAC and ICAEW chartered accountants in Nicosia.

Publisher: Aqualis Ltd, Nicosia, CY. Members of ICPAC and ICAEW.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14. Figures marked "Confirm" await adviser sign-off.
Canonical URL: https://redomiciletocyprus.com/

## Short answer

A foreign company can move its registered seat to Cyprus without being wound up if the law of its home country lets it leave. It must be solvent, not in liquidation, and hold registered rather than bearer shares. Under sections 354A to 354W of the Companies Law, Cap. 113, the Registrar issues a temporary certificate of continuation for a €120 fee. The company then has six months, extendable by three, to prove it was struck off at home and obtain the permanent certificate for €20. Companies from other EU states use cross-border conversion instead. A UK company cannot redomicile and needs an alternative.

## Cyprus redomiciliation rules, 2026

- **Legal basis for moving in**: Companies Law, Cap. 113, sections 354A to 354W, inserted by Law 124(I)/2006. The company continues as the same legal person (In law)
- **Home law must allow it**: The law of the country of incorporation must permit the company to continue abroad, and its constitution must allow it or be amended first (In law)
- **Solvency**: A director swears an affidavit that the company is solvent. Practitioners describe a twelve-month look-ahead on solvency (Confirm)
- **Not in liquidation**: No dissolution, liquidation, receivership or similar proceedings, here or at home. A Cyprus lawyer files the application (In law)
- **Shares and name**: Bearer shares are not recognised. The name must end in Limited or Ltd and be approved by the Registrar first (In law)
- **Documents**: Revised memorandum, good standing certificate, solvency affidavit, resolution, proof the home authority was informed. Apostilled, with Greek translations (In law)
- **Temporary certificate fee**: €120 on form ME1, plus €100 for the accelerated procedure and €160 where a translation file is lodged (In law)
- **Effect of the temporary certificate**: From its date the company is treated as incorporated in Cyprus, provisionally registered, with all powers and obligations of a Cyprus company (In law)
- **Deadline for the permanent certificate**: Six months from the temporary certificate to file proof of deregistration abroad, extendable by three months for reasonable cause (In law)
- **Permanent certificate fee**: €20 on form ME4, plus €20 for the accelerated procedure (In law)
- **Typical timeline**: Two to six months end to end. Temporary certificate about four to eight weeks after filing. No official processing time is published (Confirm)
- **EU cross-border conversion**: Law 26(I)/2024, in force 15 March 2024, transposing Directive 2019/2121. Court-issued pre-conversion certificate, creditors have three months to apply to court (In law)
- **EU companies and the old route**: Commentators say continuation now serves non-EU moves and conversion serves intra-EU moves. Whether the Registrar still accepts EU companies by continuation is unconfirmed (Confirm)
- **Tax residence after the move**: From 1 January 2026 a company incorporated in Cyprus, including one that moved its registered office here, is resident unless a tax treaty says otherwise (In law)
- **Tax value of assets on arrival**: Fair value when a company becomes Cyprus resident. The 2026 reform extended this from EU arrivals to arrivals from outside the EU (Confirm)
- **Leaving Cyprus**: Special resolution, notice in two daily newspapers filed within 14 days, three-month creditor window, tax clearance. Exit tax at 15% on unrealised gains, with five-year deferral within the EU (Confirm)

## How to redomicile a company to Cyprus

1. **Check and prepare.** Confirm the home law allows the move, approve the Cyprus name, redraft the constitution for Cap. 113 and collect apostilled documents with Greek translations.
2. **File for the temporary certificate.** A Cyprus lawyer files form ME1 with the Registrar, with a €120 fee. Regulated companies attach consent from the Cyprus authority.
3. **Deregister abroad.** Send the temporary certificate to the home registry, which strikes the company off as continued abroad and issues a certificate of discontinuance.
4. **Permanent certificate and tax.** File form ME4 with the proof of deregistration for €20 and receive the permanent certificate. Register with the Tax Department and re-paper bank accounts.

## Free tools on this page

- **Cyprus redomiciliation country checker**: Checks whether a company registered in one of 26 home jurisdictions can move its registered seat to Cyprus without being wound up, by continuation under Cap. 113 sections 354A to 354W or by EU cross-border conversion. Returns a verdict, the route, steps, documents and an estimated timeline, or the alternatives where the move is not allowed.
- **Cyprus redomiciliation timeline and document generator**: Builds a dated plan for moving a company to Cyprus by continuation or EU cross-border conversion, covering document preparation, the temporary and permanent certificates, the six-month deregistration deadline, deregistration abroad, tax registration and bank updates, with a printable document checklist.
- **Redomicile or new Cyprus company comparison**: Scores whether redomiciling an existing company to Cyprus or setting up a new Cyprus company and transferring the business is the better route, based on contracts, licences, bank accounts, assets with built-in gains, tender history and tax losses, and compares editable cost ranges for each route.

## Questions and answers

### Can I move my company to Cyprus without closing it down?

Yes, if the law of the country where it is registered lets it leave. The company continues as the same legal person under Cyprus law, keeping its contracts, assets and history. It must be solvent and not in liquidation. From another EU state the move is a cross-border conversion instead.

### Which countries allow a company to redomicile to Cyprus?

Most offshore centres, including the BVI, Cayman, Seychelles, Marshall Islands, Bermuda and Belize, the Crown dependencies, Gibraltar, Switzerland, ADGM and the DIFC. EU companies use cross-border conversion. The UK, Hong Kong and Singapore do not allow companies to leave. The gazetteer on this page lists 26 jurisdictions.

### Can a UK limited company redomicile to Cyprus?

No. UK company law has no route out, and the government's 2026 proposals only cover companies moving into the UK. The alternatives are a new Cyprus company that takes over the business, or a share exchange into a Cyprus holding company. Each has UK tax consequences that need advice.

### How long does redomiciliation to Cyprus take?

Usually two to six months by continuation. Preparing apostilled documents takes three to five weeks, the temporary certificate four to eight weeks after filing, and the rest depends on how fast the home registry strikes the company off. EU conversions take longer, about six to eight months, because of the three-month creditor window.

### What does it cost to redomicile a company to Cyprus?

The Registrar charges €120 for the temporary certificate and €20 for the permanent one, with optional acceleration fees and €160 for a translation file. Home registry fees, apostilles, translations and legal fees come on top. One Cyprus firm quotes €10,500 to €19,000 all in for an offshore company. That is a market range, not an Aqualis quote.

### What is a temporary certificate of continuation in Cyprus?

It is the Registrar's confirmation that the company is provisionally registered as continuing in Cyprus. From its date the company is treated as a Cyprus company with all the powers and obligations that brings. It becomes permanent once the company proves it has left the home register.

### What happens if we miss the six-month deadline in Cyprus?

The Registrar can extend the period by three months where there is reasonable cause, so ask before the six months run out. We have not found official guidance on what happens after nine months, so treat the deadline as firm. A company that is on neither register, or on both for too long, is in a position nobody wants to defend.

### Do we keep our contracts, bank accounts and licences after moving to Cyprus?

Contracts and bank accounts stay with the company because it is the same legal person, though counterparties and banks need notice and updated documents. Licences are different. A home licence does not cover Cyprus, and a regulated company needs consent from the Cyprus authority before the move and a Cyprus authorisation before trading.

### Is a redomiciled company tax resident in Cyprus?

From 1 January 2026, yes. A company that transferred its registered office to Cyprus is treated as incorporated here and is resident by incorporation, unless a tax treaty gives residence to another country. If the board still meets abroad, the treaty tie-breaker may decide otherwise.

### Will Cyprus tax gains made before the company moved?

It should not. Cyprus takes the assets of a company that becomes resident at fair value, and the 2026 reform extended that rule to companies arriving from outside the EU. Gains on shares are generally exempt in Cyprus in any case. Keep a valuation at the date of the move.

### Can an EU company still use Cyprus redomiciliation instead of cross-border conversion?

Since 15 March 2024 moves between EU states follow the cross-border conversion rules in Law 26(I)/2024. Commentators describe the older continuation route as serving non-EU moves. Whether the Registrar would still accept an EU company by continuation is not settled, so plan on conversion.

### Can a Cyprus company move out of Cyprus later?

Yes. Sections 354J onwards allow it if the destination accepts it. The company passes a special resolution, publishes notice in two Cyprus daily newspapers, waits three months for creditor objections and obtains tax clearance. Cyprus exit tax at 15% can apply to unrealised gains on assets that leave the tax net.

### Do I need to travel to Cyprus to redomicile my company?

Usually not. The application is filed by a Cyprus lawyer. Directors sign resolutions and the solvency affidavit where they are, with an apostille. Opening or updating bank relationships may need a video call or a visit, depending on the bank.

### Can a company with bearer shares redomicile to Cyprus?

Not as it stands. Cyprus does not recognise bearer shares, so they must be converted into registered shares under the home law first, and the share register updated, before the Cyprus application is filed.

## Contact

Aqualis Ltd, https://www.aqualis.com.cy