Contractor

Last Update on 29/10/2020

Building and Civil Engineering Contractors Practice

General Information

In order to practice the Building and Civil Engineering Contractors’ profession in the Republic of Cyprus, one needs to register at the Contractor’s Register and obtain an annual licence by the Council for the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors.

The term “contractor” refers to an individual, or body corporate, who by profession undertakes to execute or executes a building or civil engineering project (including the commissioning of labor only) against a specified sum or percentage remuneration or against any other lawful consideration except for a salary or for his own exploit or for any other use or purpose.

Specifically, the “civil engineering project” refers to the erection or construction, or extension, or alteration, or repair of any work, which technically belongs to the field of civil engineering and which is not a building project, and includes roadworks, the construction of bridges, tunnels, dams, drains, harbor works, airports, sewers, drainage, water and irrigation works, beach protection works, quarrying and mining works but does not include fencing and retaining wall constructions of a height not exceeding 150 cm, the digging out of ditches of up to 80 cm in depth and the laying out of pipes of less than 10 cm in diameter unless the Council deems that it is a civil engineering project of a specific class on account of the project’s nature and special features.

Whereas, the “building project” refers to:

  • The construction, reconstruction, erection, re-erection and restoration of a building;
  • Any building work, which constitutes, or includes, the construction, erection, addition, alteration, arrangement, repair, improvement or demolition of a building or part thereof or any work of extension, repair or alteration to the load-bearing structure or which affects the load-bearing structure of a building, or any other building work which affects the public’s safety;
  • The wall cladding, the flooring, the construction of form work, the roofing of a building including the foundation work, all building-related earthworks, the construction of retaining walls, fencing and all attachments or ancillary constructions of a building;
  • Every preliminary or preparatory work including building or construction work for electrical, plumbing installations, air conditioning, ventilation, water supply, sewage or other complementary work of a building and the term “building works” shall be construed respectively.

Notably, the projects are classified into five classes according to their type and area or their total value in the case of building projects or civil engineering projects respectively (see Classification of works by category, class and type provided in “Applications & Documents”).

The Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors Law grants powers to the Council for the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors for the issuance of a licence to building and civil engineering contractors to both natural and legal persons.

Any physical person may be registered at the Contractors’ Register and obtain the contractor’s licence for building or civil engineering projects of a specific class if he/she:

  • is a citizen of an EU member state or the spouse or the child of a citizen of an EU member state and resides in Cyprus;
  • is physically and mentally able to register;
  • is not under any legal incapability pursuant to a judicial decision;
  • has academic and practical experience in building or civil engineering projects as described in the document “Academic and Practical experience required per class of building and/or civil engineering projects” (provided in related documents);
  • is a registered member of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (in case of Civil Engineers, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Land Surveyors and Evaluators and other related specializations);
  • has the necessary mechanical equipment for the class of building or civil engineering projects applied for;
  • employs permanent technical clerical staff.

The application for registration to the Contractor’s Register (in the “Applications & Documents”) can be submitted either through the PSC Cyprus or by contacting directly the competent authority:

Council for the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors
9, Androkleous street
2nd floor, Office 204, 1060 Nicosia
P.O.Box 20595, 1660 Nicosia
Tel. : +357 22206306/313
Fax : +357 22206370
Email: concounc@cytanet.com.cy
Website: http://www.contractorscouncil.org.cy

  1. The application for registration should be accompanied by the following documents (translated in Greek language):

    • copy of identity card or passport;
    • copy of birth certificate;
    • copy of wedding certificate in case the applicant is not an EU member state but married to Cypriot/EU member state citizen;
    • copy of a curriculum vitae;
    • copy of Academic Title and Transcript of Academic Records (accompanied by certificate issued by the embassy of the member state of the applicant’s origin regarding the type of school graduated – public or private and number of academic years involved, in case of tertiary education institution graduate, a certificate by the Cyprus Council for the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications need to be submitted);
    • copy of Certificate of Professional Experience;
    • copy of Certificate of Registration to the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (in case of Civil Engineers, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Land Surveyors and Evaluators and other related specializations);
    • copy of Certificate of Registration to the Contractors Register of the EU member state of the applicants origin (in case of EU member state citizens other than the Republic of Cyprus);
    • copy of certificate issued by the Department of Social Insurance;
    • copy of Employer’s Liability Insurance Certificate (if applicable);
    • copy of application fee payment receipt of € 600,00 for A´ class, € 450,00 for Β΄ class, €340,00 for C´ class, €225,00 for D´ class, or €180,00 for E´ class.

    The applicants may be requested to attend oral and/or written examinations organized by the Council for the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors.

Application fees: € 600,00 for A´ class, € 450,00 for Β΄ class, €340,00 for C´ class, €225,00 for D´ class, or €180,00 for E´ class.

Upon approval, the applicant needs to pay to the Council for the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors the following:

  • registration fee of €200,00 applicable for all classes;
  • licence fees for building or civil engineering works: €490,00 for A´Class, €330,00 for B´Class, €245,00 for C´Class, €165,00 for D´Class, or €80,00 for E´Class.

Notably, registered contractors who hold an annual licence for first or second class building/ civil engineering works may submit the application form for special licence under article 33 and pay the fee of € 165,00 in order to obtain a special licence to execute a fourth or fifth class civil engineering/building project, provided that the project is comprised in a building/civil engineering project whose supervision has been undertaken by this contractor.

Similarly, registered contractors, who hold an annual licence for third class building/civil engineering works, may submit the application form for special licence under article 33 and pay the fee of €80,00 in order to obtain a special licence to execute a fifth class civil engineering/building project, provided that the project is comprised in a building/ civil engineering project whose execution has been undertaken by this contractor.

The applicant is informed regarding the authorisation decision within three months from the date that the application form and supporting documents were duly submitted.

The Certificate of Registration is valid infinitely and does not need to be renewed; whereas, the licence for building or civil engineering works in respect of the five classes is valid until the 31st of December of the year for which it has been issued.

The licences can be renewed under the same terms and conditions within two months prior to the commencement of the year to which it refers; the renewal fee is €490,00 for A´Class, €330,00 for B´Class, €245,00 for C´Class, €165,00 for D´Class, or €80,00 for E´Class.

Administrative Action Against a Competent Authority’s Decision

Any person may file an Administrative Action at the Administrative Court against a decision, act or omission of any competent authority or body.

Pursuant to Article 146 of the Constitution, an Administrative Action may be lodged within 75 days from the date of the decision or act or omission or from the day when such decision or act or omission was notified to the applicant.

The Administrative Court acts as a cassation Court and not as a substantive Court. In other words, the Administrative Court may:
I. Dismiss the Administrative Action
II. Annul wholly or partially the contested decision or act
III. Compel the relevant authority or body to take a certain action

After a decision is annulled, the authority and/or public body must reverse things back to the state prior to when the concerned decision and/or act was executed and reexamine.

Appeal Information

An Appeal may be filed against the Administrative Court’s first-instance decision within a period of 42 days from the date such a decision was given.

At the Supreme Court (Court of Appeal Section) hearing, the contested issue of the appeal remains the legality of the decision or act already adjudicated. However, such a revision of the legality of the decision or act is solely examined on the matters and the extent that the two parties have limited the reasons in the relevant notice of appeal.

The decision adopted by the Supreme Court is considered final in relation to the matter that has been judged.

Registered Contractors are obliged to comply with the provisions of the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors (Contractor’s Duties and Obligations and Disciplinary Procedure) Regulations of 2002, as periodically amended, and specifically, among others, to:

  • exhibit a decent conduct, behave in manner consistent with the profession, defend the honor and dignity of the profession and their behavior must always be governed by integrity and honesty and not make any false or misleading representations or advertisement referring to their experience, or their class, or in general to their profession;
  • keep a name-board posted on every building site of the project executed, which shall state the contractor’s name, registration number, the address, the logo of the Council for the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors, the class of experience and the class of the annual licence in force;
  • immediately inform the Council for the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of any resignations or new engagements of technical staff or technical directors of companies employed on a permanent basis and during all working hours of the building sites;
  • faithfully and diligently fulfill the obligations they have towards their clients and not do any acts or actions or make any default, which tend or are designed to evade the responsibility they have towards their client;
  • make every possible effort so that a spirit of politeness, collegiality, courtesy and mutual respect prevails among them and to abstain from any incongruous, or harmful comment directed against any of their colleagues;
  • always show proper respect towards their clients and to behave with decency towards their colleagues.

The Council for the Registration and Control of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors has the duty to exercise disciplinary control on the registered contractors and impose disciplinary penalties, such as the deletion of a registered contractor from the register or cancel, the suspension of certificates or licences issued, the downgrading of a contractor to a lower class etc.

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