Keve reminds businesses of stamp duty abolition

The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) has issued a reminder on the abolition of the Stamp Duty Laws, flagging a major tax change that took effect on January 1, 2026, to ensure businesses and professionals remain fully informed.

The chamber said the reminder concerns the abolition of the Stamp Duty Laws of 1963 to 2025, which officially entered into force at the beginning of 2026.

Keve said the change was clarified through an official announcement by the Tax Department, dated January 7, 2026.

According to the Tax Department’s announcement, any new document drafted and signed after January 1, 2026 is no longer subject to stamp duty.

This means that contracts, agreements and other documents executed from that date onwards are fully exempt from stamp duty obligations.

The Tax Department also clarified that pending documents signed, even by one contracting party, by December 31, 2025, continue to be subject to stamp duty.

Such documents must be stamped in accordance with the provisions and procedures set out in the Stamp Duty Laws of 1963 to 2025.

The announcement further explained that authorised stamp vendors may continue to sell only the stamps already in their possession.

This is intended to ensure that documents which remain subject to stamp duty can still be duly stamped during the transitional period.

In addition, the Tax Department said that the payment of fees under other legislation administered by various ministries, services or departments may continue through the use of existing stamps circulating in the market.

This arrangement will apply until new relevant procedures are introduced by the competent authorities.

Keve said the full Tax Department announcement has been made available for information and record-keeping purposes, urging interested parties to familiarise themselves with the details.