When non - Cypriot purchasers decide to buy immovable property in Cyprus they have the same rights as the Cypriot citizens. The contract of sale signed between the Vendor and the Purchaser binds both parties to perform according to their respective obligations. On the signing of the contract the Purchaser is liable to stamp duty payment (see below) and then, it is advisable, the contract of sale to be registered, within 2 months from the contract date, at the District Land and Surveys Department of the region where the property is situated. This is because it provides additional safeguards for the Purchasers and creates the so called "right to specific performance" in favour of the purchasers. By registering the contract of sale with the District Land and Surveys Department the property is registered in the name of the Purchasers until the transfer of title deeds can occur.

More specifically the deposition of a contract of sale at the District Land and Surveys Department creates an encumbrance of a great practical importance on the encumbered property. The subsistence of such encumbrance prevents the vendor from selling or charging any such property whereas the purchaser may obtain a judgment from the Court directing the registration of the property in his name, if the vendor refuses or fails to transfer the property within the time agreed as per contract of sale.

When the title deeds are issued they are registered in the name of the Purchaser and filed in the Registry archives which are confidential and are not published or made public under any circumstances.

Contrary to risks inherent in the purchase of the property in some Countries, Cyprus has never been involved in the nationalization of any sector of the economy or in the expropriation of property owned by non - Cypriots in line with the Cyprus's government efforts to create a favourable climate for such investments.