The Cypriot Parliament has thrown a temporary lifeline to dozens of hotels and tourist accommodations that are technically operating without a proper license, approving a law that allows them to keep their doors open, under strict conditions, while they get their paperwork in order.
The bill, passed last Thursday with 25 votes in favor and 15 abstentions, introduces a special operating license for hotels that simply cannot meet today’s licensing requirements, not because they don’t want to, but because the system makes it nearly impossible to do so.
Despite repeated extensions over the years, only a small number of hotels have managed to fully comply with existing licensing laws.
During discussions in the House’s Commerce Committee, MPs warned that failing to act would trigger a domino effect: closures, economic damage and embarrassment for a tourism-driven country that markets itself as “open for business.”
The new law pushes the final deadline for securing a full operating license to November 30, while introducing a structured, time-limited escape hatch: the special operating license.