Kindergarten fee subsidies in Cyprus: two schemes, and who gets which
Checked: Changed:
In short
- Who it applies to
- Parents paying for a kindergarten before free compulsory pre-primary education begins. There are two schemes and you do not choose between them: the child's age on 31 August decides which is yours. Their conditions differ so much that one family can qualify for the second and not for the first.
- What it costs
- Applying costs nothing. The under-4 scheme covers up to 80% of the monthly fee, capped by an income table at between €75 and €300 per child per month, with a further €50 for attendance past 15:30. The over-4 scheme covers 100% of the fee but no more than €130 a month at a community kindergarten and €200 at a private one.
- How long it takes
- The decision is immediate: the department states that on submitting the electronic application, criteria met, the parent is notified of approval at once. The money goes to the kindergarten, not to you, monthly and always after the month ends — for the month of application providers are asked to charge as usual and refund the difference later.
- Where to apply
- By electronic application on gov.cy and on the site of the Welfare Benefits Management Service, signing in with an identified CY Login account. Before applying, the child must already be enrolled at a kindergarten taking part in the scheme — if it does not take part there is no subsidy, however good the kindergarten.
- If your case differs
- The application is filed afresh every school year, even if you received the subsidy last year. Only one parent may file: under the under-4 scheme, the one the child benefit is registered to; under the over-4 scheme, either of the two, and for separated or divorced parents only the one the child lives with.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| the under-4 scheme pays up to 80% of the monthly fee | The Welfare Benefits Management Service announcement of 7 September 2026 on the under-4 scheme for 2026-2027: «επιδοτείται μέχρι και το 80% του μηνιαίου κόστους για τη φοίτηση των παιδιών της ομάδας στόχου σε βρεφονηπιακούς σταθμούς και νηπιαγωγεία». The same figure appears in the annex to the scheme itself. |
| but no more than €300 a month per child under the income table | The annex to the under-4 scheme, «Εισοδηματικά Κριτήρια για Συμμετοχή Στο Σχέδιο», tables 1 and 2. The cap depends on the child's age on 31.08.2026, the number of children and the income category under the Annex to Ν.167(Ι)/2002: for a child under two, €175 to €300 a month; from two to four, €75 to €200. The largest figure anywhere in the table is €300. |
| the over-4 scheme pays 100% of the fee for the morning session | The same service's announcement of 7 September 2026 on the over-4 scheme: «το μηνιαίο ύψος του επιδόματος ανέρχεται σε 100% του ύψους των διδάκτρων φοίτησης». The gov.cy service page adds that this covers the morning session, 07:45 to 13:05. |
| the cap is €130 a month at a community kindergarten | The same announcement: «με μέγιστο ποσό τα €130 ή €200 μηνιαίως για κάθε παιδί, αναλόγως εάν αυτό φοιτά σε κοινοτικό ή ιδιωτικό νηπιαγωγείο, αντίστοιχα». A community kindergarten is one founded by a parents' association or a community — neither state nor private. |
| and €200 a month at a private one | The same announcement, the same sentence. The gov.cy service page repeats both caps with the same figures — checked against both texts, they do not diverge. |
| child benefit requires 5 years of lawful continuous residence | Ν.167(Ι)/2002, article 4(1): «κάθε οικογένεια που έχει νόμιμη και συνεχή διαμονή στις περιοχές όπου η Δημοκρατία ασκεί αποτελεσματικό έλεγχο, κατά τα πέντε (5), τουλάχιστον, έτη που προηγούνται της υποβολής της αίτησης, δικαιούται σε βασικό επίδομα τέκνου». The consolidated text on cylaw was regenerated on 28.09.2026 and carries amendments up to Ν.159(Ι)/2025. |
| file by 30 September to have it counted from the start of the school year | Both announcements of 7 September 2026, in an identical paragraph: those filing electronically by 30 September 2026 get the subsidy from 1 September or from the start of attendance if later; those filing afterwards, from the month of filing. The opening dates differ, though: the under-4 scheme opened on 1 September at 10:00, the over-4 scheme on 7 September at 10:00. |
Your case
If the child had not turned four by 31 August
Yours is the under-4 scheme: up to 80% of the monthly fee, capped by the income table, day nurseries and kindergartens alike. But its condition is hard and stated in a single line: you must be a child benefit recipient for the year, and that in turn requires five years of lawful continuous residence in the areas under the Republic's control, plus staying under an asset ceiling.
If the child is already four but was not admitted to compulsory pre-primary because of age (for 2026-2027, born between 1 May and 31 August 2022)
Yours is the over-4 scheme: 100% of the fee for the morning session, up to €130 at a community kindergarten and up to €200 at a private one. There is no income test, no child benefit requirement and no five-year rule — only lawful residence in the areas under the Republic's control. The kindergarten gives you a four-digit code, without which the application cannot be filed.
If the child is already in compulsory pre-primary or at school
There are no more subsidies, and none are needed: a place at the public kindergarten of your district and at a state school is free. The over-4 scheme exists precisely for those not admitted to compulsory pre-primary — the department wrote it in as the third condition outright: «Το παιδί δεν έχει γίνει αποδεκτό για φοίτηση στην υποχρεωτική δημόσια προσχολική εκπαίδευση, καθώς δεν εντάσσεται στο ηλικιακό όριο».
Three neighbouring rules about the same child — and three different demands on the family's status
What follows from this:
- a place at a state school and in compulsory pre-primary is given to a child of any nationality and regardless of whether the parents live on the island lawfully — so the ΥΠΑΝ announcements say
- the over-4 scheme requires lawful residence but does not ask how long it has lasted, and sets no income test at all
- the under-4 scheme requires child benefit, and that under article 4(1) of Ν.167(Ι)/2002 requires five years of lawful and continuous residence before the application
- so a family that moved two years ago will send the child to school, get the compulsory kindergarten free, qualify for the over-4 scheme — and will not get the under-4 scheme, however much it pays for the nursery
- the law carries no exemption for EU citizens: the words «Ευρωπαϊκή», «πολίτης» and «πρόσφυγας» do not appear in it at all
- and one more asset ceiling nobody mentions beside the scheme: child benefit is not paid if the family's assets exceed €1,200,000, counting what was disposed of in the last 24 months
- the under-4 scheme's own text names a cap of «up to €350 a month», while the largest figure in its annex is €300; the two reconcile only by adding the €50 for attendance past 15:30, which the department nowhere states — that is our reading, and we mark it as such
Sources
- ΥΔΕΠ, “Έναρξη υποβολής αιτήσεων … Σχέδιο Επιδότησης Διδάκτρων και Σίτισης Παιδιών ηλικίας μέχρι τεσσάρων ετών … 2026-2027”www.gov.cyThe under-4 scheme in full: the Council of Ministers decision of 19 May 2026, the child benefit condition, 80% of the fee, applications opening on 1 September 2026 and the 30 September cut-off, payment straight to the provider after the month ends, and a link to the scheme's own text with its annex.
- ΥΔΕΠ, “Έναρξη υποβολής αιτήσεων … Σχέδιο Επιδότησης Διδάκτρων Παιδιών ηλικίας άνω των τεσσάρων ετών … 2026-2027”www.gov.cyThe over-4 scheme in full: the birth-date range, the requirement of lawful residence with no duration attached, the absence of any income test, 100% of the fee capped at €130 and €200, the third condition about not being admitted to compulsory pre-primary, applications opening on 7 September, and validity from 1 September 2026 to 30 June 2027.
- Ν.167(Ι)/2002, περί Παροχής Επιδόματος Τέκνου — consolidated text, cylawwww.cylaw.orgArticle 4(1): five years of lawful and continuous residence before the application. Article 4(4): an asset ceiling of €1,200,000, counting what was disposed of in the last 24 months. The Annex sets the income categories that the under-4 scheme's table refers to.