The Cyprus Court System After the 2023 Reform: Which Court Hears What, How Appeals Work and Where to Find the Judgments

The Cyprus court system at a glance

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What is the structure of the Cyprus court system?

Think of it as a pyramid with two peaks. At the base sit the courts of first instance. In the middle sit two appeal courts. At the top sit two supreme courts, each supervising its own side of the pyramid.

The civil and criminal side

• Supreme Court (Ανώτατο Δικαστήριο), third instance, leave required
  • Court of Appeal (Εφετείο), second instance, civil and criminal divisions
    • District Courts (Επαρχιακά Δικαστήρια) of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Famagusta and Kyrenia
    • Assize Courts (Κακουργιοδικεία)
    • Family Courts (Οικογενειακά Δικαστήρια)
    • Rent Control Courts (Δικαστήρια Ελέγχου Ενοικιάσεων)
    • Labour Disputes Courts (Δικαστήρια Εργατικών Διαφορών)
    • Military Court (Στρατοδικείο)
    • Admiralty Court (Ναυτοδικείο), from 5 October 2026; Commercial Court once operational

The administrative (public law) side

• Supreme Constitutional Court (Ανώτατο Συνταγματικό Δικαστήριο), constitutional jurisdiction plus third instance with leave
  • Administrative Court of Appeal (Διοικητικό Εφετείο), second instance
    • Administrative Court (Διοικητικό Δικαστήριο)
    • International Protection Administrative Court (Διοικητικό Δικαστήριο Διεθνούς Προστασίας)

This is the shape of the Supreme Court's own official court chart.

How did the 2023 reform change Cyprus's courts?

In 1964, after the Turkish Cypriot judges withdrew, Law 33/1964 merged the original Supreme Constitutional Court and High Court into a single Supreme Court. Until 2023 it was the only appellate court, the constitutional court and, until 2016, the administrative court too. Appeals took years.

Reform timeline

Two transitional rules matter for research. The new Supreme Court kept the old civil appeals lodged by 31 December 2017 (2024 Annual Review), so it still issues ordinary appeal judgments. And under Law 141(I)/2025, pending revisional appeals moved to the Administrative Court of Appeal, except unreserved ones filed before 31 December 2021, which went to the Supreme Constitutional Court.

Which court hears which dispute in Cyprus?

For how the District Courts divide work between Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos, see our guide to the Cyprus District Courts.

How do appeals work in Cyprus?

A first appeal lies as of right to the relevant second-instance court. A further appeal to one of the top courts needs leave, and leave is granted only on narrow grounds.

Appeal routes and time limits

Time runs from the date the judgment is issued. Extensions are exceptional.

When will a top court hear a third appeal?

Only on a question of law: a change in settled case law, the correct interpretation of a legislative provision, a matter of general public importance, or conflicting appeal decisions (e-Justice Portal summary). Either appeal court may also refer an important appeal straight up. For almost every litigant, the second-instance court is the last word.

How busy are the new courts? Our data

The DIKIGOROS AI index holds 95,623 Cyprus court decisions from 1960 to 2026. Counting the decisions published on CyLaw by year shows how the reform redistributed the work.

Source: DIKIGOROS AI index, September 2026. Published decisions only; courts issue more rulings than they publish.

Three findings stand out:

• The Court of Appeal is now the busiest appellate court in Cyprus, publishing close to 500 decisions a year. In our index, about half of its roughly 1,140 decisions are civil appeals (πολιτικές εφέσεις), about a quarter criminal appeals (ποινικές εφέσεις), and about 175 were administrative appeals decided before that work moved to the Administrative Court of Appeal.
• The new Supreme Court is still mostly clearing the past. Of the roughly 1,030 decisions published in its new collection, about 400 are legacy civil appeals and about 220 concern prerogative writs such as certiorari. Third-instance appeals remain a small share.
• The Administrative Court of Appeal started quickly. Its decisions appear on CyLaw from September 2025, and our index already holds about 80 of them.

For scale, the index holds about 33,300 Supreme Court decisions (1960 to 2026), 38,200 District Court, 7,000 International Protection, 5,900 Administrative Court, 1,700 Family, 1,200 Rent Control and 800 Labour Disputes Court decisions.

Where are each court's judgments published?

All Cyprus courts send their judgments to CyLaw (cylaw.org, with the newer interface at cylii.org), the free database run by the Cyprus Bar Association. Our CyLaw guide explains the search modes. The table shows where each court sits and what to search by.

A research tip: do not rely on ECLI for the new appeal courts

In the DIKIGOROS AI index, about 80% of District Court decisions carry a European Case Law Identifier (ECLI), but only 5 of about 1,140 Court of Appeal decisions and 3 of about 400 new Supreme Constitutional Court decisions do. An ECLI-only search misses almost all post-2023 appellate case law, so search by appeal number, party names or a distinctive phrase. See how to cite Cyprus judgments for the formats.

Research tips by court

• Court of Appeal. Its rulings on points of law bind the first-instance courts, so check whether an older Supreme Court authority has been applied or distinguished since July 2023.
• Administrative Court of Appeal. Administrative appeals decided between July 2023 and July 2025 sit in the Court of Appeal collection; later ones sit in the new collection.
• Procedure. Cases filed before 1 September 2023 still run under the old Civil Procedure Rules; see our guide to the Civil Procedure Rules 2023.

Are the Commercial Court and the Admiralty Court operating?

Law 69(I)/2022 provides for an Admiralty Court (Ναυτοδικείο) with exclusive first-instance admiralty jurisdiction, and a Commercial Court (Εμπορικό Δικαστήριο) of five judges for commercial disputes above €2 million plus competition, arbitration and IP matters at any value. English may be used as the language of proceedings in both.

Neither court gets jurisdiction until the Supreme Court publishes a readiness notice in the Official Gazette. For the Admiralty Court, that notice appeared in the Gazette of 7 August 2026: the court is ready to operate from 5 October 2026, with one judge appointed, and admiralty cases pending before the Supreme Court whose hearing has not begun transfer to it. For the Commercial Court, no notice had been published as of September 2026, so commercial disputes stay with the District Courts (section 33). Check the Gazette before issuing proceedings.

How DIKIGOROS AI helps with the Cyprus court system

In research, the structure tells you which decision binds and where the latest appellate ruling sits. DIKIGOROS AI searches all 95,623 decisions across 12 courts and tribunals in one place.

• Filter by court and date, for example Court of Appeal decisions since July 2023, or Administrative Court of Appeal decisions only.
• Ask in English or Greek, and the search matches your question against the Greek judgments by meaning as well as exact words.
• Follow the citation trail in the citation explorer: open an old Supreme Court judgment and see which Court of Appeal decisions have cited it since.
• Get an answer with footnotes to each judgment, with a "gap to flag" where sources are silent.

A worked example you could type: "Which Court of Appeal decisions since 2023 have extended the 42-day time limit for filing a civil appeal, and on what grounds?" The answer lists the relevant decisions with links, which you then verify on CyLaw before citing.

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Frequently asked questions about the Cyprus court system

What is the highest court in Cyprus?

There are two. The Supreme Court (Ανώτατο Δικαστήριο) is the highest court for civil and criminal matters, and the Supreme Constitutional Court (Ανώτατο Συνταγματικό Δικαστήριο) is the highest court for constitutional and administrative matters. Both have operated separately since 1 July 2023.

How many judges sit on the Supreme Court of Cyprus?

The Supreme Court has seven judges, including its President. The Supreme Constitutional Court has nine, a number that Law 141(I)/2025 turned into a maximum of nine. Before the 2023 reform, a single Supreme Court had thirteen justices.

When was the Cyprus Court of Appeal established?

The Court of Appeal (Εφετείο) was created by Law 145(I)/2022, which amended the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Law 33/1964, and began work on 1 July 2023. It has up to sixteen judges and hears appeals from all first-instance courts except the Administrative Courts.

What is the Administrative Court of Appeal in Cyprus?

It is a second-instance court (Διοικητικό Εφετείο) created by Law 141(I)/2025 and the Twenty-First Amendment of the Constitution, Law 130(I)/2025. It hears appeals against decisions of the Administrative Court and the International Protection Administrative Court, has up to six judges, and sits under the Supreme Constitutional Court.

How long do I have to appeal a court decision in Cyprus?

For a civil case, 42 days from a final judgment and 14 days from an interim decision. For a criminal conviction, 14 days from sentence under section 133(2) of the Criminal Procedure Law, Cap. 155. For an Administrative Court decision, 42 days. Extensions are granted only exceptionally.

Can I appeal to the Supreme Court of Cyprus?

Only with leave, after the Court of Appeal has decided your appeal. Leave is limited to points of law such as a change in settled case law, the interpretation of a statutory provision, a matter of general public importance, or conflicting appeal decisions.

Is the Cyprus Commercial Court operating?

Not as of September 2026. Law 69(I)/2022 establishes it, but its jurisdiction starts only when the Supreme Court publishes a readiness notice in the Official Gazette, and none had been published. The Admiralty Court, created by the same law, is ready to operate from 5 October 2026.

Where can I read decisions of the Cyprus Court of Appeal?

On CyLaw (cylaw.org or cylii.org), in the Court of Appeal collection (Αποφάσεις Εφετείου). Very few carry an ECLI, so search by appeal number and party names, or use DIKIGOROS AI to filter by court and date.

Conclusion

Since July 2023, the Cyprus court system has three tiers and two parallel tracks: civil and criminal cases rise through the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, and public-law cases through the Administrative Court of Appeal to the Supreme Constitutional Court. For research, that means the newest binding law is usually in the appeal courts, and those decisions are best found by case number and parties rather than ECLI. Try DIKIGOROS AI Professional free for 3 days at dikigoros.ai/register (card required) and search every court's decisions in one place.

Sources

• Supreme Court of Cyprus, "Court Chart" and Annual Review 2024, supremecourt.gov.cy
• European e-Justice Portal, "National ordinary courts: Cyprus", e-justice.europa.eu
• Ministry of Justice and Public Order, "Courts' Reform: Strengthening the Justice System", gov.cy/mjpo
• Laws 145(I)/2022, 103(I)/2022, 130(I)/2025 and 141(I)/2025, and the Administrative Court of Appeal Procedural Rules 2025, cylaw.org/nomoi
• Law 69(I)/2022 (Commercial Court and Admiralty Court), English consolidation, olc.gov.cy; Supreme Court notice on the Admiralty Court, Official Gazette, 7 August 2026; Phileleftheros, 1 September 2026
• Criminal Procedure Law, Cap. 155, ss. 133 and 137; Courts of Justice Law 14/1960, s. 22; Law 131(I)/2015, s. 13
• Law Office of the Republic, "Administrative Recourses", law.gov.cy
• Cyprus News Agency, iJustice Phase 1 announcement, 21 July 2026
• DIKIGOROS AI index of the CyLaw corpus, internal statistics, September 2026

Last reviewed 14 October 2026. General information, not legal advice. Only the Greek text published in the Official Gazette is authentic.