Choose earlier. Follow a clear build programme. Make the home yours.
Buying off-plan means purchasing a residence before construction is complete. With VESTA LIVING, the process begins with a fully permitted project, clear plans and specifications, an agreed construction programme and staged payments linked to progress.
Purchasing a home before it is finished.
You select a residence from an approved project and enter into a sale agreement before construction is complete. The contract identifies the property, price, plans, specification, payment stages, construction obligations and completion arrangements. The exact terms always depend on the individual residence and signed documentation.
Earlier choice
Choose from the residences that remain available while there is still greater choice of plot position, orientation and layout.
Staged payments
Payments can be structured against agreed construction milestones rather than the full purchase price being payable at the outset.
Buyer selections
Where the construction stage and specification allow, selected finishes or options may be agreed before the relevant items are ordered or installed.
New-build performance
VESTA LIVING forthcoming homes are planned around modern insulation, energy-conscious design and photovoltaic provision, subject to the final contractual specification.
Clear documentation
Plans, specifications, commercial terms, the construction programme and payment schedule are reviewed before contract.
Progress visibility
The purchaser can follow the residence through construction, completion, inspection and handover rather than buying an unknown finished product.
Lock in today’s agreed purchase price.
One of the key advantages of buying off-plan is the ability to agree the purchase price at the time the Contract of Sale is signed, rather than waiting until the home is completed.
During the construction period, the cost of energy, building materials and labour may increase. For the residence and specification agreed under the Contract of Sale, those later increases do not change the contracted purchase price. Any purchaser-requested upgrades or variations are agreed separately.
If land and residential property values increase during the construction period, the purchaser has already secured the residence at the earlier contracted price. This can provide a meaningful financial advantage compared with purchasing a similar property at a later date.
From first enquiry to handover.
The sequence below is a practical guide. The signed sale agreement remains the governing document for each purchase.
01 · Choose
Review the available projects, residence type, plot position, plans and architectural visualisations.
02 · Request the property pack
Receive the current price, availability, plans, specification, construction programme and proposed payment schedule.
03 · Independent review
Appoint your own lawyer and, where appropriate, tax or finance adviser to review the property, seller, permits, contract, VAT position and purchaser requirements.
04 · Reserve & contract
Once terms are agreed, the reservation and sale documentation records the residence, consideration, agreed programme, payments, specifications and completion obligations.
05 · Construction & payments
Construction proceeds in accordance with the agreed programme and payments fall due at the contractual milestones.
06 · Typical completion period
A home purchased off-plan is typically completed within approximately 12–18 months from the date of signing the Contract of Sale, subject to the agreed construction programme.*
07 · Inspection & handover
At completion, the residence is inspected, outstanding agreed items are addressed and the handover process is completed in accordance with the contract.
* The delivery timeframe assumes payments are made when due, buyer selections are confirmed within the required deadlines, and no purchaser-requested changes are introduced after works or specifications have already been agreed or completed.
What a purchaser should review.
Off-plan buying requires more documentation than purchasing a completed home with an immediately transferable separate title. Your independent advisers should review the full transaction before you commit.
Property & seller
Confirm the registered property, ownership, any mortgages or other encumbrances and the current Land Registry search information.
Planning & building permissions
Confirm the permits applicable to the development and that the residence being purchased corresponds with the approved project documentation.
Plans & areas
Review the site plan, floor plans, private plot, covered and uncovered areas, parking and any common or shared elements.
Specification
Understand what is included in the price: structure, insulation, windows, kitchen, wardrobes, sanitary ware, electrical provisions, heating/cooling, photovoltaics, landscaping and other agreed items.
Price, VAT & payment schedule
Confirm the purchase price, applicable VAT treatment, reservation payment, contractual instalments and the construction milestone attached to each payment.
Completion & delay provisions
Review the target completion date, permitted extensions, purchaser changes, delay provisions and the contractual consequences if obligations are not met.
Variations & selections
Record any approved buyer selections or changes in writing, including cost, specification and any effect on timing.
Inspection, defects & guarantees
Understand the pre-handover inspection procedure, treatment of outstanding items and the guarantees or warranties included with the residence.
Registration & title process
Ask your lawyer to explain the deposit of the sale contract, completion certificates, registration of the completed unit and eventual transfer of the separate title when available.
The sale contract and Land Registry deposit matter.
Cyprus law provides a specific framework for purchasers who buy property under a sale contract before a separate title is transferred. A written sale contract can be deposited with the Department of Lands and Surveys within the statutory period so that the protections of the Sale of Immovable Property (Specific Performance) Law can apply.
For sale contracts concluded after 12 December 2023, the seller is required to attach a recent Search Certificate for the property to the contract. The Department of Lands and Surveys states that the contract must generally be deposited within six months of signing.
For contracts signed entirely on or after 1 January 2026, current DLS guidance no longer requires stamp duty on the contract. Purchasers should have their lawyer confirm the procedure applicable on the signing date.
Additional approval is required before the property can be transferred into your name.
Citizens of countries outside the European Union who acquire immovable property in Cyprus must obtain permission from the District Administration of the district in which the property is situated. The application is made using Form COMM 145 under the Acquisition of Immovable Property (Aliens) Law, Cap. 109.
District Administration approval
The permission process is separate from the Contract of Sale. Government guidance states that there is currently no application fee and that applications normally take approximately 2–3 weeks to process.
Property limits
A foreign national or foreign couple may generally obtain permission for either land of up to 4,000 m² for the construction of an owner-occupied dwelling, or up to two units. The two-unit limit may comprise two dwellings, or one dwelling together with a shop of up to 100 m² or an office of up to 250 m². The limit applies to the couple collectively.
Supporting documents
The COMM 145 application is accompanied by supporting documents which may include the cadastral survey plan, title deed information, planning or building consent where applicable, the Contract of Sale, floor plans, evidence of financial standing, passport copies and other personal or corporate documentation relevant to the applicant.
Deposit of the Contract of Sale
The signed Contract of Sale should be lodged with the Department of Lands and Surveys within the statutory period. Current DLS guidance provides a six-month period from signing and explains the purchaser protections that arise from deposit of the contract.
Residence is separate
Purchasing a property in Cyprus does not by itself grant residence status. A non-EU purchaser who wishes to obtain permanent residence must make a separate application and satisfy the applicable immigration criteria.
Permanent residence by investment
Under the expedited Immigration Permit procedure for investors, often referred to commercially as the Cyprus “Golden Visa”, a qualifying third-country national may apply for permanent residence. For the residential-property route, the current criteria require a first-sale house or apartment purchased from a development company with a value of at least €300,000 plus VAT. The investment funds must be evidenced as coming from abroad.
Income & family requirements
The main applicant must demonstrate secure annual income of at least €50,000. The required amount increases by €15,000 for a spouse and by €10,000 for each dependent minor child. For the residential-property route, the qualifying income is required to derive from abroad, subject to the official criteria in force at the time of application.
Processing & duration
Current Migration Department guidance gives an estimated examination period of approximately two months for a complete application. The residence right is of unlimited validity for the holder and adult dependants, while the residence card is issued for ten years and must be replaced on expiry.
Maintaining the permit
The investment must be maintained. Current guidance also requires annual evidence that the investment remains in place and, where the holder is not covered by GESY, valid health insurance. Adult family members must provide updated clean criminal-record certificates every three years. The permit can cease to be valid if the holder acquires permanent residence abroad or is absent from Cyprus for two years.
Citizenship is a separate route
Cyprus does not currently offer citizenship in exchange for property investment. The former Cyprus Investment Programme was terminated from 1 November 2020 and no equivalent fast-track citizenship-by-investment programme has replaced it.
Naturalisation
An investor who later wishes to apply for Cypriot citizenship must qualify under the ordinary naturalisation rules in force at that time. Current rules generally require 12 months of continuous legal residence immediately before the application and at least seven years of legal residence during the preceding ten years, together with good character, Greek language at B1 level, knowledge of Cyprus’s contemporary political and social reality, suitable accommodation and stable financial resources.
Non-EU purchaser, immigration and citizenship requirements can depend on personal circumstances and may change. The investor-residence procedure is separate from citizenship and does not guarantee naturalisation. Buyers should obtain independent Cyprus legal and immigration advice before signing or relying on any approval, residence or citizenship route.
Cyprus Ministry of Interior – purchasing property by foreign nationals →
Cyprus Migration Department – investor immigration permits →
Cyprus Ministry of Interior – citizenship by naturalisation →
Tax treatment depends on the purchaser and the transaction.
VESTA LIVING prices are presented with the applicable VAT treatment stated separately. The buyer should obtain independent tax advice before signing, particularly where reduced-rate VAT may be relevant.
VAT
The standard Cyprus VAT rate is currently 19%. Eligible purchasers acquiring a qualifying home for use as their main and permanent residence may apply for the reduced 5% VAT rate under the applicable rules. Eligibility and the amount to which the reduced rate applies must be confirmed for the individual purchaser and property.
Reduced 5% application
The Cyprus Tax Department provides the application process and calculation guidance through Tax For All. Approval should not be assumed from the property price or size alone.
Transfer fees
The Department of Lands and Surveys states that no immovable-property transfer fee is charged for the same transaction where VAT has been charged. Where transfer fees do apply, the statutory rules and available reductions should be checked at the time of transfer.
Finance
If bank finance is required, obtain approval early and ensure the lender understands the construction-linked payment timetable. Financing terms are entirely between the purchaser and lender.
Tax, legal and purchaser-permission rules can change and depend on individual circumstances. This page is general information, not legal, tax, financial or investment advice.
Cyprus Tax Department – 5% reduced VAT guidance →
Cyprus Ministry of Interior – purchasing property guidance →
A clear property pack before you commit.
For an available off-plan residence, VESTA LIVING can provide the information needed to evaluate the specific home before reservation or contract.
Nine fully permitted residences across four Trimiklini projects.
Review Plots 1252, 1260, 1306 and 1331, then ask us for the current property pack for the residence that interests you.