Cyprus law: marriage, divorce, inheritance, abortion, violence

Each section first sets out the rules of the Republic of Cyprus in the south of the island, then those of TRNC legislation as applied in practice in the north. The information on the north is taken from the Family (Marriage and Divorce) Law 1/1998, the Criminal Code (Cap. 154) and the Children Born Outside Marriage Law 22/2021, all published by the Central Legislation Department, from the pages of the Social Services Department and the Police General Directorate, and from the Statistical Institute's data. The current text of the Wills and Succession Law of 1946 is not published online, so the inheritance rules are taken from the official 1959 edition of the law, checked against two law-faculty studies. In the north, the only ground for divorce is the fundamental breakdown of the marriage, and abortion on request is limited to the first ten weeks of pregnancy.

Marriage, cohabitation and divorce

South (Republic of Cyprus)

A couple marrying in Cyprus first contacts the civil marriage office of the municipality concerned. A Cypriot citizen who intends to marry obtains a certificate of no impediment to marriage from the Civil Registry and Migration Department; the application is made in person (from abroad, through a Cypriot embassy or consulate). The fees are EUR 34.16 for the application and the certificate and EUR 8.54 for the affidavit of marital status (amounts given by the Embassy of Cyprus in Berlin). Public documents issued abroad must carry an official translation into Greek or English by a sworn translator and an apostille or, failing that, consular legalisation.
An applicant who has been divorced produces the final divorce decree of the Family Court, issued once 42 days have passed since the judgment, or, for a religious divorce granted before 1990, the divorce of the Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus.
A divorce petition is filed with the Family Court of the district in which one or both spouses reside; the Cypriot family courts have jurisdiction only where the parties have resided in Cyprus for at least three months, and they apply Cypriot law. According to the European e-Justice Portal there are twelve grounds for divorce, including adultery, an attempt against life such as physical abuse, unjustified desertion for two years, a final prison sentence of more than seven years, irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and five years' separation. Where the marriage was religious, the competent bishop must first be notified, and the petition may be filed three months after that notification; no notification is needed where the ground is disappearance or mental illness.
The divorce judgment does not settle property, spousal maintenance or matters concerning the children: each of these requires a separate application. Cypriot family law has no concept of legal separation.

North (TRNC)

If at least one of the parties is a TRNC citizen, a marriage is valid only if it is a civil marriage conducted in accordance with the Family (Marriage and Divorce) Law 1/1998 (ss. 3, 14). The marriage is solemnised in public, before at least two adult witnesses, by a judge of the Family Court or by a marriage officer appointed by the judge (ss. 2, 13). A religious ceremony may be held only on production of the marriage certificate from this civil marriage; a person who performs the ceremony without that certificate, and the persons marrying, are liable to a fine of up to ten times the monthly minimum wage, imprisonment for up to three years, or both (s. 14).

The minimum age for marriage is 18. In exceptional circumstances and for good reason, after hearing the young person and the parents and obtaining the opinion of the Social Services Department and of a child psychiatrist or psychologist working in a public health institution, the court may allow a person who has turned 16 to marry (s. 6).

Before the wedding, notice is given to the marriage officer, accompanied by the following (s. 10):

the birth certificates of both parties;
a report on thalassaemia carrier status from the state medical laboratory, and a declaration that the parties have received medical advice on that report;
a list of each party's assets with copies of the registration documents (the marriage is not solemnised until these are provided);
a declaration stating the choice of family surname;
for a party who is not a TRNC citizen, even one who has since become a citizen, certificates of single status from the mukhtar (local headman) of the area of residence in the TRNC and from the embassy or competent authority of that party's own country; the Family Court may waive this requirement if it is satisfied that the person is single.

Within five days of receiving the notice, the officer posts it in a visible place outside the office and in the village or neighbourhood where the parties live. Within five days of the posting, anyone may lodge a written objection with the court on the ground that a party lacks capacity to marry or that there is a legal impediment. The marriage is solemnised no earlier than five days and no later than three months after the posting; in special cases the court may shorten this period (ss. 11-13).

A person who marries in the TRNC while his or her spouse is still living is liable to up to five years' imprisonment, and the second marriage is void (Criminal Code, s. 179). The division of property under the Family Law applies only on divorce or annulment (s. 26); couples who live together without marrying cannot claim it. A protection order, on the other hand, can be sought whether or not the couple are married and whether or not they share a home (s. 36).

A divorce petition is filed with the Family Court of the place where either spouse ordinarily lives or works; if both spouses are TRNC citizens living abroad, the Nicosia Family Court has jurisdiction (s. 28). Instead of the twelve grounds for divorce that apply in the south, the north has a single test: the marriage must have broken down so fundamentally that the spouses cannot be expected to continue their life together (s. 24). If the breakdown was caused mainly by the petitioner's fault, the respondent may object; the court may nevertheless grant the divorce if the objection is an abuse of rights or if continuing the marriage no longer serves any interest of the respondent and the children worth protecting. The law treats the breakdown as proven in two cases (s. 24):

where the marriage has lasted at least one year and the spouses petition jointly, or one accepts the other's petition; the judge hears the parties in person, must approve their agreement on the financial consequences and on the children, and may amend it if necessary;
where the spouses have lived apart continuously for two years when the petition is filed; the divorce is then granted regardless of fault.

According to the Statistical Institute, of the 1,148 divorces granted in 2023, 65 per cent followed a joint petition or the acceptance of a petition, 32 per cent were granted for fundamental breakdown of the marriage and 3 per cent for two years' separation.

If the spouses cannot agree, the court divides the property acquired during the marriage fairly, also taking into account joint debts at the date of the petition; neither spouse may receive more than two-thirds of the total (s. 26). Property owned before the marriage, or received during it by inheritance or gift, is personal property and is not divided; the income it produces during the marriage, however, is included in the division. A person who, while the proceedings are pending, sells, transfers, gives away or mortgages property subject to division without the court's permission, or who makes a false declaration of assets, is liable to a fine of up to forty times the monthly minimum wage, imprisonment for up to five years, or both (s. 26).

The court may order maintenance for a spouse who would be left impoverished or in financial hardship by the divorce, even if the paying spouse is not at fault. The monthly maintenance paid for each child by the parent without custody continues through upper-secondary and undergraduate studies, even after the child turns 18; it ends if the undergraduate studies last more than one and a half times the normal length of the course. The court also orders the maintenance it awards to be increased every three months in line with the cost-of-living rate set by the State Planning Organisation. A person who fails to pay maintenance is liable to a fine of up to ten times the monthly minimum wage, imprisonment for up to one year, or both (s. 30).

While the proceedings are pending, the court may make interim orders for the living costs, housing and protection of the spouses and children (s. 28). Unless the parties inform the court in writing that they will not appeal, the judgment becomes final only when the time limit for appeal has expired (s. 29). On divorce, each spouse returns to his or her pre-marriage surname by presenting the judgment to the Civil Registry Office; a spouse who wishes may keep the family surname, and the other spouse may object to this before the court (s. 35). For a person whose monthly income does not exceed one and a half times the minimum wage, the Gender Equality Department may provide legal aid for divorce proceedings; no court fees are charged where legal aid is granted (s. 36A).

Children, family and inheritance

South (Republic of Cyprus)

Inheritance is governed by the Wills and Succession Law, Cap. 195, as amended. If there is no will, the surviving spouse takes, after the debts have been paid, a share equal to that of each child. If there are no children or other descendants, the spouse takes one half where the deceased leaves relatives up to the third degree (for example parents, brothers and sisters or grandparents), three-quarters where only relatives of the fourth degree remain, and the whole estate where there are none (s. 44).
A will cannot freely dispose of the whole estate. Where the deceased leaves a child or a descendant of a child, at most one-quarter of the net value of the estate may be left freely by will; where there is no child but a spouse or a parent, at most one-half. A will that exceeds this limit is reduced proportionally (s. 41). The law makes no provision, in principle, for joint wills; each spouse may instead name the other as sole heir in a separate will, within these limits.

North (TRNC)

On divorce, in awarding custody the court takes into account the child's age, physical health, mental state and needs. To find out with which parent a child aged seven or over wishes to live, it obtains the opinion of a child psychiatrist or psychologist working in a public health institution, and if it finds the child mature enough, it gives priority to the child's choice. The opinion of the Social Services Department is also obtained on the home, surroundings and school where the child will live (s. 30A).

During the marriage, a parent, and after divorce the parent who has custody, must obtain the other parent's written consent to take the child abroad. If consent is refused, or if the other parent is not in the country, an application is made to the court, which must decide within seven working days (s. 41). The written-consent rule also applies to a child born outside marriage (Law 22/2021, s. 15).

Under the Children Born Outside Marriage Law 22/2021, these children have the same rights as children born within marriage in every respect, including civil registration, surname, maintenance and inheritance (ss. 3-4). The father is entered in the register on a joint application made with the mother within one year of the birth or, at any time, on an application to the court by the mother, the father or the child (ss. 5-6). The mother and father may agree on joint custody, in which case the child lives with the mother. If there is no agreement, or if only the mother applied for the registration, custody lies with the mother (s. 8).

Inheritance is governed by the Wills and Succession Law of 1946:

Only a spouse validly married to the deceased at the time of death inherits by law; a partner with whom the deceased lived without marrying has no statutory right of inheritance.
If there is no will, after the debts have been paid the spouse receives one-sixth of the estate where there is a child or grandchild; where there are more than five children, the spouse receives the same share as one child. If there is no child or grandchild but there is a relative up to the third degree, such as a parent, brother or sister, or grandparent, the spouse's share is one half; if there are only relatives of the fourth degree, it is three-quarters; if there are no such relatives either, the spouse takes the whole estate (s. 44).
Where the deceased leaves a spouse and a child, or only a child, as a rule no more than one-third of the net value of the estate may be left freely by will (one-quarter in the south); where there is no child but there is a spouse or a parent, the limit is one half. Wills that exceed the limit are reduced proportionally (s. 41).
A will must be made in writing by a person aged 18 or over and signed in the presence of at least two witnesses present at the same time; if it runs to more than one page, each page is signed or initialled (ss. 22-23). A gift made by will to a witness or to a witness's spouse is void (s. 25).
Marriage after a will has been made revokes the will, unless it was made in contemplation of that marriage (s. 38).

Abortion

South (Republic of Cyprus)

Section 169A of the Criminal Code (Cap. 154, inserted by Law 23(I)/2018) exempts from punishment a termination of pregnancy carried out with the woman's consent by an obstetrician-gynaecologist, with the participation of an anaesthetist, both registered under the Registration of Doctors Law, in an organised healthcare facility. Before the end of the twelfth week of pregnancy, no particular ground is required.
If the pregnancy results from rape, sexual abuse or incest, the limit is nineteen weeks, and the woman must make a signed declaration to that effect before the doctor; for a minor (under 18), one of the parents or the person who has custody of her also signs the declaration.
Termination also remains possible on the opinion of a competent registered doctor if prenatal diagnosis shows signs of a foetal abnormality, or if there is an unavoidable risk to the woman's life or a risk of serious harm to her physical or mental health; section 169A sets no week limit for these two cases. For a minor, the consent of one of the parents or of the person who has custody of her is also required.
According to the newspaper Politis (December 2025), citing replies from the Ministry of Health to Parliament, the General Healthcare System (GESY) has covered termination of pregnancy since 2020 only where it is medically necessary; a termination by choice within the first twelve weeks is not covered.

North (TRNC)

In the north, abortion is governed by section 169A of the Criminal Code (Cap. 154). Unlike the twelve-week limit in the south, abortion on request is limited to the first ten weeks of pregnancy and must be carried out by an obstetrician-gynaecologist registered under the Cyprus Turkish Medical Association Law. The written consent required in the first ten weeks is that of:

both spouses, if the woman is married;
the woman herself, if she is unmarried and over 18;
the parents or the legal guardian, if she is under 18.

After the tenth week, an abortion may be carried out only if the pregnancy endangers the mother's life, if there is a risk that the child will be born with a physical or mental disability, or if a lifelong, incurable hereditary or contagious disease has been diagnosed; the reports of the obstetrician and of the specialist in the relevant field are submitted to the Health Directorate before the procedure. In an emergency that threatens life or a vital organ, the specialist operates immediately and, within twenty-four hours at the latest, notifies the Health Directorate of the woman's identity, the procedure and the reasons for it. Section 169A has no equivalent of the nineteen-week exception for rape and incest that applies in the south.

A person who terminates a pregnancy outside these cases, or who knowingly allows it, is liable to a fine of up to three million Turkish lira, imprisonment for up to three years, or both (s. 169A). The Criminal Code also provides for imprisonment of up to fourteen years for a person who attempts to procure a miscarriage by unlawful means, and up to seven years for a woman who attempts to end her own pregnancy by unlawful means (ss. 167-168).

Violence

South (Republic of Cyprus)

Under the Violence in the Family (Prevention and Protection of Victims) Law of 2000 (119(I)/2000, as amended), violence is any act, omission or conduct by which a member of the family causes physical, sexual or psychological harm to another member; it includes violence used to obtain sexual intercourse without the victim's consent and the restriction of the victim's liberty (s. 3). Family members include spouses, whether or not the marriage still subsists, and couples who live or have lived together as partners, as well as their parents, children and grandchildren and anyone living with them (s. 2).
Such violence is an offence punishable by up to five years' imprisonment, a fine, or both. Violence committed in the presence of a minor member of the family is treated as violence against that minor where it is liable to cause the minor psychological harm (s. 3).
The leaflet of the Advisory Committee for the Prevention of Violence in the Family lists the following sources of help: the Domestic Violence Crisis Centre (1440), the police emergency number 199, hospital emergency departments and the district welfare offices of the Social Welfare Services. The Nicosia District Welfare Office can currently be reached on 22804605. The European emergency number 112 (ambulance, fire, police) also works throughout the Republic of Cyprus.

North (TRNC)

In the north, the main legal remedy against domestic violence is the protection order under section 36 of the Family (Marriage and Divorce) Law. A protection order may be sought, whether or not the couple are married and whether or not they share a home, if one partner causes or attempts to cause physical harm to the other or to the other's family members, uses physical, economic or psychological violence or pressure, repeatedly harasses the other by telephone, text message, e-mail or social media, persistently stalks the other, or threatens to take the child out of the country unlawfully.

The victim applies ex parte, either directly to the Family Court or through the Violence Prevention and Counselling Centre of the Gender Equality Department. The court examines the application as soon as possible and, if it is satisfied that one of these situations exists or is likely to arise, issues a protection order immediately. The order may impose the following measures (s. 36):

a ban on entering the home, property, school or workplace;
a ban on coming within two hundred metres of the victim and family members;
a ban on any form of contact with the victim, family members and children;
supervised, restricted or suspended contact with the child;
surrender of any licensed firearm to the Police General Directorate;
round-the-clock protection, seven days a week, by police officers assigned by the Police General Directorate.

A person who breaches the order is liable, in addition to the penalties for any other offences committed, to a fine of up to ten times the monthly minimum wage, imprisonment for up to eighteen months, or both (s. 36). No tax, court fee or other charge is payable for applying for, serving or enforcing a protection order; legal aid is provided for applications made through the Violence Prevention and Counselling Centre (s. 36A).

To report violence, the Social Services Department's Alo 183 reporting line is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; reports are passed on to the relevant bodies, above all the police and health services. The police emergency number in the north is 155; 199, the police number in the south, is the fire service number in the north. In 2024 the Police General Directorate's unit for responding to violence against women recorded 1,032 offences committed against women, of which 45.3 per cent were assaults and 8.7 per cent were provocative telephone calls or messages.

Sources

Page checked in October 2026. The rules and figures cited may change: if in doubt, check the official source indicated.