How to get a gambling licence in Cyprus: fees and steps

The Betting Law licenses betting only. Of its four licence types, one is for online operators: the Class B bookmaker's licence (art 16). There is no separate B2B or supplier licence.

• One Class B licence covers online betting on every event that falls within the definition of a bet: a sports event with natural-person competitors, or another real event in which natural persons take part, with winnings set by amount and odds. There is no licence per product. Esports betting needs NBA examination of the terms and the tournament list, and each new tournament is examined before it is offered (Directive 4.2020).
• Horse-racing betting is excluded from both classes. Online casino games, slot machines, betting exchanges, spread bets and dog-race betting are prohibited and no licence of any class covers them (arts 84-86).
• One licence covers one website. The application and the licence name one .com.cy domain, and the Law and Directive 10.2020 have no procedure for a second domain. Several trade names can sit under one licence and one domain.
• The licence runs one or two years from issue, as chosen in the application (art 28), and cannot be transferred (art 23).
• Suppliers are not licensed. They are reached through the licensee: the application must name the computerised-system provider, the backup-server custodian, a clearing house and a payment provider, and attach their contracts (Directive 3.2020).
• The only casino licence in the Republic is a land-based casino resort under a separate law and regulator, and OPAP (Cyprus) Ltd holds a single exclusive licence for numbers and sports-prediction games (land-based). Neither is covered here.

Laws that apply

• Ο περί Στοιχημάτων Νόμος του 2019, Ν. 37(Ι)/2019 (Betting Law of 2019, L.37(I)/2019), amended by L.120(I)/2020 and L.162(I)/2024
• Κ.Δ.Π. 84/2019 (Betting (Payable Fees) Regulations of 2019)
• Betting (Applications and Declarations) Regulations of 2024, and Betting (Protection of Players, Minors and Pathological Players) Regulations
• Binding directives of the National Betting Authority, including Directives 3.2020 (backup server), 10.2020 (website), 14.2025.v2 (tax and contribution) and 15.2024.v4 (anti-money-laundering)

The applicant is a company limited by shares, incorporated in or outside the Republic (art 32(1)). A foreign company must have a branch in Cyprus registered with the Registrar of Companies.

• Nationality is not restricted: an EU, EEA or non-EU company can apply on the same terms, with the same Cyprus branch, capital and guarantee conditions. The company's main activity must be managing bets.
• The branch does not replace the company. The EUR 500,000 share capital and the EUR 550,000 guarantee are the applicant company's, not the branch's, and the form asks for the foreign company's own incorporation documents as well as the branch's.
• A Cyprus postal address for the regulator's notices is required (art 18(1)(b)), and a foreign applicant gives the address where it carries on business in the Republic. No Cypriot-resident director is required by the Law; the form is signed by an authorised representative with a power of attorney or by a director designated by the board.
• The applicant, its officers, its beneficial owners (10% plus one share) and holders of a significant interest (5%) must have no conviction for a relevant offence (fraud, dishonesty, money laundering, gambling or betting-law offences) and must be at least 18 (arts 19, 18(3)(d)). Each files a Personal Declaration Form (NBA/EN/2024/03).
• No account with a Cypriot bank is required. What is required is a designated clients' bank account at a credit institution, kept apart from the operator's own funds (arts 65-66), and a guarantee from a bank offering banking services in Cyprus or in an EU Member State, or from a cooperative bank.

There is no separate issuance or annual fee. The up-front cost is one payable fee, a bank guarantee and paid-up share capital; the recurring cost is a monthly tax and contribution on net revenue.

• The fee is paid on submission by bank transfer to the NBA or through its JCC Smart platform. If the application is rejected, the fee is returned minus 25% (art 31); a withdrawal before the Board stage is refunded in full. A renewal costs the same fee as a new licence (art 30).
• The guarantee and the capital are committed funds, not spent costs. The guarantee is irrevocable, runs to six months after the licence expires and covers winnings owed to players, tax, contribution and other debts to the Republic. The regulator can require an increase if it covers less than 10% of annual turnover, and can call it if tax or contribution stays unpaid for more than 60 days.
• Not counted: bank charges for the guarantee (not published), system certification, backup-server hosting and the statutory audit of the annual accounts. No tariff is set for these.
• Recurring: betting tax of 10% plus a contribution of 5% of net revenue, 15% in all, paid monthly (see Tax and AML below). No minimum annual fee or minimum tax applies.

The NBA receives and decides the application (art 18(1)). It is made on form NBA.EN.2024.01.B, completed in full and submitted in original with the payable fee and the attachments; copies must be certified. The NBA also publishes a practical guide to filling in the application.

• The form lists 49 attachments. The main groups are the fee receipt, the bank guarantee on the NBA template, incorporation documents (and the branch's), proof of the EUR 500,000 capital, a shareholding chart up to the ultimate beneficial owners, criminal records, six months of bank statements, audited or management accounts and tax returns for three years if applicable, terms and conditions, a three-year business plan and financial plan on NBA templates, anti-money-laundering procedures, a staging site with a test player account, proof of a .com.cy address, the contracts with the system provider, backup-server custodian, clearing house and payment provider, and the certificate of suitability of the computerised system.
• The law sets no timeline. The NBA notifies its decision and issues the licence within a reasonable period of time (art 20), and the stages are an initial evaluation, a request for missing documents, a final evaluation with background checks, and a Board decision. Filing dates are not published, so a processing time cannot be derived.
• There is no application window for a new licence. The only deadline is for renewals, which must reach the NBA at least three months before expiry (art 18(2)), on form NBA.EN.2024.02.B.
• A rejection must give reasons (art 20). The Law states no appeal clause for a refusal; the only appeal route it states is a recourse under Article 146 of the Constitution against an administrative fine.
• Changes after the grant need the NBA's prior written consent: a new holder of a significant interest, a change of directors, officers or beneficial owner, or any change to the information submitted for the licence (art 24).

The Class B bookmaker serves players only through one specialised website on a .com.cy address, and must keep a backup server in the Republic. No named technical standard or testing laboratory is prescribed.

• Website: betting services are provided only through a specialised website accessible only via internet addresses ending in .com.cy (art 68; Directive 10.2020). The application carries proof of securing the address. A breach is an offence punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of EUR 170,000, or both (art 70).
• Backup server: a backup server must stand in the territory of the Republic, connected in parallel to the main server, holding the data the NBA specifies (art 32(3); Directive 3.2020). The application shows its physical location, a monthly invoice from its custodian and the custody agreement. No rule places the main server in Cyprus, and the instruments are silent on cloud hosting.
• Certification: the application carries a certificate of suitability of the computerised system, supported by testing-laboratory and ISO certificates. The NBA publishes no list of accepted laboratories and no named standard, and no game-by-game certification exists.
• Regulator access: the NBA has real-time access to the betting system through a web portal supplied with the application. Every operator also connects to the National Self-Exclusion Platform through the NBA's API, checking players at registration, at login and in a daily batch (Directive 18.2024).
• Records: each player account is kept for at least five years from the last transaction, and the operator keeps a file of all betting activity of registered players and a backup copy (art 61; Directive 3.2020). No geolocation duty is imposed on the licensee.

Betting tax of 10% and a contribution of 5% are paid on monthly net revenue, 15% in all. The NBA is also the AML supervisor of licensed bookmakers.

• Net revenue is the stakes and other amounts paid to the bookmaker in the calendar month, less winnings paid in that month, whenever the bets were placed (art 74). Bonus stakes count as paid in and bonus winnings count as paid out; a returned stake counts as a payout.
• The contribution was 3% until L.162(I)/2024 (Official Gazette of 30 December 2024) raised it to 5%; of it, 4% goes to sport through the Cyprus Sports Organisation and 1% to the NBA's player-protection programmes. The NBA's FAQ and English law text still show 3%; the amended law and Directive 14.2025.v2 prevail.
• Tax and contribution are due by the end of the following month, paid by bank transfer, with the statement emailed to the NBA by the same deadline (arts 75-76). Late payment adds a 5% fine plus default interest, and non-payment within one month after the deadline can lead to revocation.
• Annual accounts, audited by a statutory auditor under International Accounting Standards, and the annual report are due by 30 June (art 71).
• Gambling providers are obliged entities under the AML/CFT Law 188(I)/2007. Customer due diligence applies from EUR 2,000, a compliance officer must be appointed and notified to the NBA within ten days, suspicious transactions go to the financial intelligence unit, and records are kept for five years (Directive 15.2024.v4).
• Bets are exempt from VAT. Player winnings from licensed betting are not taxed under any instrument read for this guide, so the Tax Department is the body to ask.

The route to a live online operation, in filing order.

1. 01

   Choose the applicant

   Art 32(1)

   A company limited by shares, Cypriot or foreign. A foreign company needs a branch registered with the Registrar of Companies in Cyprus.

2. 02

   Pay in the share capital

   EUR 500,000

   Issued and paid-up, with documentary proof of payment filed with the application.

3. 03

   Arrange the guarantee

   Art 32(2) · EUR 550,000

   An irrevocable bank guarantee on the NBA template, valid until six months after the licence expires.

4. 04

   Set up the platform

   Art 68 · art 32(3)

   A .com.cy website address, a staging site with a test player account, a backup server in Cyprus with a custody agreement, a certificate of suitability of the system, and the contracts with the system provider, clearing house and payment provider.

5. 05

   File and pay the fee

   NBA.EN.2024.01.B · EUR 30,000 or EUR 45,000

   File the original form with the attachments and the payable fee for a one-year or two-year licence. There is no application window.

6. 06

   Evaluation and decision

   Art 20

   The NBA checks the documents and background, may ask for more, and decides within a reasonable period, with reasons for any rejection.

7. 07

   Go live and report

   Directives 14.2025.v2 · 18.2024

   Connect to the self-exclusion platform and give the NBA portal access. Pay tax and contribution monthly by the end of the next month and file the annual accounts by 30 June.

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 6 Nov 2026.