Fishing in Cyprus Checked: no change to the rule has been established since the check
In short
- Who it applies to
- Anyone hunting with a speargun, from the shore or a boat, residents and visitors alike. The speargun is only for those older than 15; a teenager under 18 needs a guardian’s declaration.
- What it costs
- The speargun licence costs €35 a year. If you hunt from a boat, you also need the “with a vessel” licence, another €35.
- How long it takes
- Hunting is allowed only from sunrise to sunset. The licence is approved within 2 working days and runs until 31 December. There is no season: the May speargun ban has been lifted.
- Where to apply
- Nowhere in designated bathing areas (περιοχές λουομένων) and not near other people’s nets, longlines or traps. In marine protected areas the rules of each zone apply.
- If your case differs
- Scuba or any breathing apparatus with a speargun is a criminal offence: a fine of up to €50,000 or up to two years in prison. Every fish has the upper tail lobe cut, the catch may not be sold, and the minimum sizes are the same as for boats.
Your case
If you are an adult and go in from the shore
The speargun licence is enough. The personal limit applies — 5 kg plus one fish — and the flagged float is mandatory. Bathing areas are designated anew every year, and hunting in them is banned day and night.
If you hunt from a boat
You need both licences — speargun and “with a vessel”. The limit is counted for the whole boat, not for each person. The flag is fixed where it can be seen on the boat. From sunset to sunrise a speargun and a catch may not be on board together, and scuba gear and a speargun never.
If the spearfisher is older than 15 but not yet 18
The licence is issued in the presence of a guardian, who signs a declaration in the application. The guardian is responsible for having the teenager accompanied on every outing by an adult with their own speargun licence.
If the child is under 15
No speargun — neither on a licence of their own nor on a parent’s: a child can be entered on someone else’s licence only for reservoirs. Rod fishing from the shore is fine, with no licence at all.
Deadlines and conditions
- a speargun licence costs €35 a yeargov.cy, the “Apply and pay for a recreational fishing license” service, Fees.
- the speargun is allowed for those older than 15ΚΔΠ 273/1990, reg. 17(1)(α) as amended by ΚΔΠ 416/2019: «ηλικίας μεγαλύτερης των δεκαπέντε (15) ετών».
- under 18 the licence is issued with a guardian, and the teenager is accompanied by an adult with the same licenceΚΔΠ 273/1990, reg. 17(1)(β) as amended by ΚΔΠ 416/2019; the guardian’s declaration is in the application form.
- no more than 5 kg plus one fish of any weight per spearfisher per trip and per day2026 terms v3.0, §24; reg. 17Β.
- from a boat the personal limit gives way to the per-boat one: 10 kg2026 terms v3.0, §24 referring to §20.
- the float is yellow, orange or red with a red flag with a white diagonal, visible from 300 m2026 terms v3.0, §23.
- one float per group, and everyone stays within 50 m of it or of the boat2026 terms v3.0, §23.
- dusky grouper (ορφός) and dentex (συναγρίδα) — no more than 1 per spearfisher per day2026 terms v3.0, §11.
- spearfishing with breathing apparatus — a fine of up to €50,000Cap. 135, art. 5(δ) — up to two years in prison, or the fine, or both.
Sources
- Terms of recreational fishing licences 2026 (sea), v3.0www.gov.cyThe speargun section (§21–24), the general bans (§6–12) and the version history showing when the May ban was lifted.
- Fisheries Regulations, amendment ΚΔΠ 416/2019www.cylaw.orgThe new regulation 17: the age, the conditions for 15–17-year-olds, what is banned when spearfishing.
- The Fisheries Law, Cap. 135, consolidated versionwww.cylaw.orgArticle 5(δ) — the penalty for spearfishing with breathing apparatus.