The Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, during a meeting yesterday with the Presidents and Licensing Directors of the five District Administrative Authorities, stated that the Ministry will soon proceed with a new process for other categories of applications, without providing further details.  

According to available information, the Minister referred to building permits, aiming to implement the latest innovation applied to urban planning permits. This initiative seeks to alleviate the backlog of thousands of pending urban and building applications at the District Administrative Authorities.  

It is reported that discussions between the Ministry of Interior and the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK) are nearing conclusion, with the relevant decree expected to be issued as early as November.

While the final provisions are expected to be finalized in the coming days, the automatic issuance of building permits will reportedly follow the same framework as the automated urban planning permits introduced on October 2, 2024, via the IPODAMOS system. By November 3, a total of 59 applications had already been submitted under the new process for urban planning certifications.  

The developments to be included in the new framework will pertain to projects involving up to two residences. Applications will be submitted in a checklist format by the project designer through the IPODAMOS platform, mirroring the process for urban planning certifications.  

Subsequently, within 20 days of the application submission date, the District Administrative Authorities will either issue a permit or reject the development. If the Urban Planning Authority fails to issue the building permit within the 20-day window, the system will automatically generate the permit via IPODAMOS, with responsibility resting solely on the project designer.