The Republic of Cyprus has entered into bilateral treaties covering legal/judicial cooperation with a number of States, including the recognition and enforcement of decisions, as an attached file.

Additionally, it has acceded to the Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters, concluded on 1 February 1971 (ratifying Law is 11/76). However, this Convention only applies to Cyprus, the Netherlands and Portugal, countries which have acceded to it.

In addition, the Republic of Cyprus has acceded to the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, concluded in New York on 10 June 1958.

The Convention’s Contracting States are listed on:

https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/arbitration/conventions/foreign_arbitral_awards/status2

For more information about the New York Convention of 1958, follow the link below:

https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/arbitration/conventions/foreign_arbitral_awards

To facilitate the registration and enforcement of foreign judgments in Cyprus, Law 121(l)/2000 and the amendment Law 130(I)/2000 (CAP 10) was passed, which provides for the recognition, registration and enforcement of foreign court judgments. It also designates the Ministry for Justice and Public Order as the competent authority and covers any decision of a foreign court that may be a decision of a court or arbitral body or agency of a foreign country with which the Republic is affiliated through a Convention on the mutual recognition and enforcement of judicial or arbitral awards which are enforceable in the country of issue. With Cyprus’ accession to the European Union, the Republic is bound by Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 was replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 [‘Brussels I’ (recast)] on 10 January 2015. This new Regulation applies only to legal proceedings instituted, to authentic instruments formally drawn up or registered and to court settlements approved or concluded on or after 10 January 2015. Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 shall continue to apply to judgments given in legal proceedings instituted, to authentic instruments formally drawn up or registered and to court settlements approved or concluded before 10 January 2015 which fall within the scope of that Regulation.

Procedures for recognition and enforcement of judgments

1. Applications for recognition of foreign judgments are submitted as follows:

- by the issuing judicial authority, directly to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Cyprus,

- by the issuing judicial authority, via the Central Authority of the Contracting State, to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Cyprus,

- by the issuing judicial authority, via the Central Authority of the Contracting State, through diplomatic channels,

- Note that some Conventions provide for the direct submission of the application to the competent court of the Republic of Cyprus in cases where the person filing the application for enforcement permanently resides in Cyprus.

2. Once the application is received by the Ministry of Justice, it is transmitted to the Republic’s Attorney General for registration with the competent court.
3. The procedure under paragraph 1 above applies similarly in transmitting a court decision by a Cypriot court for recognition and enforcement in a Contracting State.