Cyprus

• The Constitution of 1960, the highest law
• Laws passed by the House of Representatives, many of them based on English statutes
• English common law and equity, which still apply where Cypriot law is silent
• European Union law, which takes priority in its area

• The Supreme Court at the top
• Assize courts and district courts
• Specialised courts such as family and rent control courts. Since 1964 the Supreme Court also handles constitutional questions

A law degree, a period of professional training, and registration as an advocate with the Cyprus Bar Association.

• Cyprus is a common-law country in a part of the world dominated by civil law.
• Family law for the Greek Orthodox and Muslim communities has been shaped by each community's religious law.
• Cyprus has been an international centre for company formation, which uses its English-style company law.
• The island's division means that the Republic's law does not apply in the north.

United Kingdom, Greece, Israel, Malta, Turkey

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Cyprus as: Common law, Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Botswana, Cameroon, Guyana, Israel, Lesotho, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Northern Cyprus, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka.

• Supreme Court of Cyprus

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.