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[cypriotdiva]

Can anyone help me - my family are coming to Paphos and going to open a take away shop - can anyone tell me which licences need to be applied for and from what authority? The shop is not currently a cafe and simply an empty space so there were no permits as such there previously. In addition does anyone know how long it takes to get the correct business licences> Thanks

[georgios1973]

Licences are obtained from your local town hall municipality which in case Paphos Town hall.
An operational licence will be required which is obtained by having an inspection from the Cyprus Tourism Authority (KOT). They will inspect for general maintenance of the building inside and outside, electrical installations, plumbing conditions and fire exits. They will also require that you have sufficient wc facilities which in your case may not be required.
A Drinking licence will be required if alcohol is going to be served. This involves a security check at a cypriot police station of your background for example criminal offenses. Only a clean record will allow you to obtain this licence.
Sounds daunting than it really is but unfortunately will be necessary (at least it was when I opened my cafe/bars a few years back).
I'm sure others will add to this info if it's out of date or if I missed anything but generally the above are the main ones.
It can take months to finally receive these licenses but you can still open at your own risk something which I don't recommend as they are currently clamping down on this and if inspected by the authorities failure to provide valid licences will involve court and eventually heavy fines.
Hope this helps.

[cypriotdiva]

Great thanks for this info very helpful. Can I register the business name etc at the same place? or do you know if this can be done online?

[georgios1973]

Great thanks for this info very helpful. Can I register the business name etc at the same place? or do you know if this can be done online?

As far as I know Company names have to be registered at the land registry offices in Nicosia via a law/solicitor's firm.
Not sure if business names is the same though.