High-risk payment gateway and merchant accounts in Cyprus

A social casino that players use for free, with no purchase and no prize, falls outside Cyprus's Betting Law. The law defines a game of chance as one decided at least partly by luck and played for money or anything of economic value, whether or not the player can win, so paid coin packs and paid sweepstakes entries risk being treated as online casino games.

The Betting Law of 2019, L.37(I)/2019, definitions (National Betting Authority, PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

A supplement lawfully sold in another EU state may be distributed in Cyprus once the business responsible, established in Cyprus, notifies it to the Medical and Public Health Services, free, with a Greek label. Products not sold elsewhere in the EU, or with vitamins and minerals outside the regulations' annexes, need a distribution license, at €50 per product, valid five years.

Business in Cyprus: food supplements distribution(opens in a new tab)Sector page

No sector license applies, only Cyprus's Consumer Protection Law. Buyers have 14 days to withdraw from a distance contract, and digital content supplied at once loses that right only with the buyer's prior express consent and acknowledgment. Since June 19, 2026 an online sale must offer a function labeled "click here to withdraw", a "confirm withdrawal" step and an acknowledgment on a durable medium.

Consumer Protection (Amendment) Law 2026, L.30(I)/2026 (PDF, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

No sector license applies. Cyprus's Consumer Protection Law of 2021 gathers in one statute the 14-day right to withdraw from distance contracts, the online withdrawal function required since June 19, 2026, and the ban on misleading and aggressive commercial practices, with a list of practices unfair in all circumstances. The Consumer Protection Service can fine up to 5% of turnover.

Consumer Protection Law of 2021, L.112(I)/2021 (CyLaw, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Cyprus's Consumer Protection Law lists among practices unfair in all circumstances the creation, operation or promotion of a pyramid scheme in which consumers expect to profit more from bringing in other consumers than from selling or using products. A network that pays distributors on genuine product sales to end customers stays lawful under general consumer law.

Consumer Protection Law of 2021, L.112(I)/2021, Annex I (PDF, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

No Cypriot ban on selling adult content to adults online was found. The Publication of Obscene Matters Law of 1963 makes it an offense, punishable by up to two years in prison, to publish material tending to deprave and corrupt those likely to see it. In March 2026 the European Commission preliminarily found four large adult platforms in breach of the Digital Services Act for lacking real age verification.

Publication of Obscene Matters Law of 1963 (CyLaw, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

No Cypriot law specific to dating services was found. Paid memberships follow the Consumer Protection Law of 2021: price and billing information before the order, 14 days to withdraw, and since June 19, 2026 an online withdrawal function with a confirmation step. Platforms hosting user profiles also follow the EU Digital Services Act.

Consumer Protection Law of 2021, L.112(I)/2021 (CyLaw, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Cyprus's Timeshare Law of 2011 gives buyers of timeshares, long-term holiday products and resale or exchange services 14 calendar days to withdraw without giving reasons, and bars the trader from accepting any advance payment, guarantee, reservation of money or acknowledgment of debt before that period ends. The contract is drawn up in the language of the consumer's member state.

Timeshare and long-term holiday products law of 2011, 34(I)/2011 (CyLaw, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

No Cypriot law capping the resale price of event tickets was found. EU consumer law, which Cyprus applies, treats reselling tickets to consumers that the trader bought with automated tools to get around purchase limits as unfair in all circumstances, and leisure services booked for a specific date carry no 14-day withdrawal right.

Consumer Protection (Amendment) Law 2022, L.166(I)/2022, Annex I (PDF, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Low-value parcels imported into Cyprus from outside the EU lost their duty exemption on July 1, 2026 and now pay a temporary €3 customs duty per item category, and a €2 Union handling fee applies from November 1, 2026. Responsibility for duties and product compliance sits with the platforms, sellers and carriers involved, and VAT follows the EU One Stop Shop rules.

European Commission: EU customs reform(opens in a new tab)Sector page

No sector license applies. Subscriptions sold online in Cyprus follow the Consumer Protection Law of 2021: pre-contract information on the total price, 14 days to withdraw, and since June 19, 2026 a withdrawal function labeled "click here to withdraw", available throughout the withdrawal period, with a confirmation step and an acknowledgment of receipt on a durable medium.

Consumer Protection (Amendment) Law 2026, L.30(I)/2026 (PDF, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Online betting on sports with players in Cyprus needs a Class B license from the National Betting Authority, offered through a .com.cy website; 13 operators hold one. The Betting Law of 2019 makes offering online casino games such as roulette, poker and slots a felony, as it does betting exchanges and spread bets. Players must be 18, credit is banned and internet providers block unlicensed sites.

The Betting Law of 2019, L.37(I)/2019 (National Betting Authority, PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Cyprus licenses only fixed-odds bets on real sporting events, through Class B bookmakers, and bans online games of chance decided even partly by luck. No National Betting Authority ruling covers fantasy contests, so each paid format is reviewed case by case, with the operator's counsel, against those two rules. Free contests and games of pure skill fall outside the Betting Law.

The Betting Law of 2019, L.37(I)/2019 (National Betting Authority, PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Dealing CFDs or rolling forex for retail clients needs MiFID authorization, as a Cyprus Investment Firm licensed by CySEC or an EU firm passporting in, and a CySEC license can itself be passported across the EEA. Since September 2019 CySEC has applied the ESMA measures permanently: leverage from 30:1 on major currencies to 2:1 on crypto, a 50% margin close-out, negative balance protection and no trading incentives.

CySEC: national measures restricting the sale of CFDs (September 2019, PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Crypto-asset services in or from Cyprus need authorization as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA, granted by CySEC and passportable across the EU, or a passport from another member state. Providers registered under Cyprus's national rules could continue until July 1, 2026; since then CySEC says crypto services are permitted only in accordance with MiCA.

CySEC: crypto-asset services only under MiCA (July 2026, PDF)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

No Cypriot license for credit repair or debt settlement as such was found. Managing and enforcing loans on behalf of a buyer of bank credit requires a credit servicer license from the Central Bank of Cyprus, and a credit purchaser that services its own loans must hold one too. Lending to consumers needs a bank or other authorization.

Central Bank of Cyprus: credit servicers and credit purchasers(opens in a new tab)Sector page

To practice as a doctor in Cyprus, one must be registered in the Cyprus Medical Register by the Cyprus Medical Council. Doctors established in another EU state may provide temporary services after a written declaration to the Council with proof of insurance and their home license, and knowledge of Greek is required to practice. No Cypriot telemedicine rulebook was found.

Business in Cyprus: doctor(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Every business that imports or distributes e-cigarettes in Cyprus registers with the Head of Health Services, and supplying them to anyone under 18 is an offense. The Smoking Control Regulations prohibit cross-border distance sales of e-cigarettes and refill containers to consumers in Cyprus, so only a seller established in Cyprus can sell to Cypriot consumers online.

Health Protection (Smoking Control) Regulations of 2017, Regulations 20 and 22 (PDF, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

A tourist and travel agency in Cyprus needs a license from the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, backed by a guarantee. Under the Package Travel Law of 2017, an organizer established in Cyprus must guarantee the refund of all payments travelers made, and repatriation where transport is included, through insurance or another approved arrangement; organizers outside the EU that target Cyprus must do the same.

Organized Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Law of 2017, 186(I)/2017 (CyLaw, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Carrying vehicles or other goods by road for hire or reward from Cyprus needs a road haulage operator license from the Road Transport Department, with a police good-repute certificate, a certificate of professional competence obtained by written examination, and minimum capital or reserves for each vehicle. A dealer simply selling vehicles abroad needs no sector license.

Business in Cyprus: road haulier(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Selling, offering for sale or holding alcoholic drinks for sale in Cyprus requires a retailer's or dealer's license for intoxicating liquors, issued by the municipality where the premises are, or otherwise by the District Officer. The age limit for the sale, supply, distribution and consumption of alcoholic beverages is 18, so age checks at order and delivery carry the compliance.

Business in Cyprus: alcoholic drinks trade(opens in a new tab)Sector page

Every business that imports or distributes tobacco, novel tobacco products or nicotine pouches in Cyprus registers with the Head of Health Services; supply to anyone under 18 is an offense, and tobacco for oral use such as snus is banned. Cross-border distance sales of tobacco products to consumers in Cyprus are prohibited, so only a seller established in Cyprus can sell them online.

Health Protection (Smoking Control) Regulations of 2017, Regulations 19 and 20 (PDF, Greek)(opens in a new tab)Sector page