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Do you need a fishing licence in Cyprus and how to get one

No licence is needed to fish from the shore with rod or line. A boat or speargun licence costs €35 a year, reservoirs €17 for one or €35 for all. Apply online; it runs to 31 December.

Fishing in Cyprus Checked: no change to the rule has been established since the check

In short

Who it applies to
Anyone fishing for themselves, residents and visitors alike: the licence depends on how you fish, not on your passport. Without one you may fish only from the sea shore with a rod or a hook and line.
What it costs
From a boat €35, with a speargun €35, in reservoirs €17 for one or €35 for all of them. The fees are annual and each method has its own licence; if you need two, both go in one application.
How long it takes
The application is reviewed within 2 working days. Once approved, an SMS arrives with a link to pay through JCC. The licence runs until 31 December of the year of issue and is taken out again for the next year.
Where to apply
Online, on the platform of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (Τμήμα Αλιείας και Θαλασσίων Ερευνών, ΤΑΘΕ). With CY Login your details fill in by themselves; without it you give an ID card or passport number and a photo of the document.
If your case differs
The payment receipt is the licence itself: print it and carry it with your identity document. Fishing without the licence you need is a criminal offence: a fine of up to €5,000 or up to two years in prison.

Your case

If you fish in the sea from the shore with a rod or a hook and line

No licence is needed: this method is expressly carved out of the general ban on anything the rules do not describe. The Cy-FIS app is voluntary on the shore. Minimum fish sizes and the bans in marine protected areas still apply.

If you fish from a boat, a kayak or a canoe

You need the “with a vessel” licence — €35. The form expressly calls a kayak or canoe an unregistered vessel, so fishing from one without a licence is not allowed. The boat is declared in the application: you may fish only from a vessel declared for that year. Each trip is logged in the Cy-FIS app.

If you hunt with a speargun

You need the speargun licence — €35, issued to people older than 15. Under 18 only with a guardian’s declaration: the guardian is responsible for having the teenager accompanied in the water by an adult with the same licence. Breath-hold only, never with scuba.

If you fish at a reservoir (υδατοφράκτης)

You need the reservoir licence: €17 for one or €35 for all. A licence of one’s own is issued from over 12, and under 18 with a parent’s written consent. A younger child is entered on a parent’s licence and fishes only next to them. Fishing is from the bank only; boats and any floating craft are banned.

If you set fish traps without a boat

This is a separate licence type in the same form. No more than four traps, only outside bathing areas, each marked with your licence number. You also need a float with a flag, as spearfishers do.

Deadlines and conditions

  • a licence to fish from a boat costs €35 a yeargov.cy, the “Apply and pay for a recreational fishing license” service, Fees.
  • a speargun licence costs €35 a yeargov.cy, the same service, Fees.
  • a licence for one reservoir costs €17 a yeargov.cy, the same service: “Dams → €17 (one dam)”.
  • a licence for all reservoirs costs €35 a yeargov.cy, the same service: “€35 (all dams)”.
  • the application is reviewed within 2 working daysThe application form at licence.dfmr.moa.gov.cy: “Your application will be examined within two working days”.
  • every licence is valid until 31 December of the year of issueΚΔΠ 273/1990, reg. 12(3); gov.cy: “all licenses are valid until the end of year issued”.
  • fishing without the required licence — a fine of up to €5,000Cap. 135, art. 3Β(2) — up to two years in prison, or the fine, or both.
  • a reservoir licence of one’s own is issued from over 12 years of ageDFMR reservoir licence conditions 2026: «εκδίδονται σε άτομα άνω των 12 ετών».
  • a speargun licence is issued to people older than 15ΚΔΠ 273/1990, reg. 17(1)(α) as amended by ΚΔΠ 416/2019: «ηλικίας μεγαλύτερης των δεκαπέντε (15) ετών».

Sources

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