Identity verification in Cyprus
Country profile for identity verification, KYC, and AML compliance in the Republic of Cyprus. Companion to `cy.yaml`. Focus: Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs), CFD/forex brokers, banks, crypto asset service providers, and iGaming operators.
Documents supported
(Government IDs from 220+ countries)
Average verification time
Countries covered
(Government-issued IDs validated)
Market overview
Cyprus, as an EU member state since 2004 and a eurozone member since 2008, inherits the entire acquis communautaire on anti-money laundering, payments, securities, data protection, and crypto-assets. National legislation transposes EU directives directly, but Cyprus has also built a heavy layer of sector-specific directives issued by CySEC and the CBC under delegated authority from the AML Law. The supervisory map is denser than most EU jurisdictions of comparable size because Cyprus deliberately positioned itself as a financial-services hub:
Supported documents
Didit templates cover national IDs, passports, residence permits and regional documents — plus 14,000+ documents globally for cross-border flows.
Regulators
alignment with the 6th AML Directive (criminal liability harmonisation
Ministry of Interior
restricted
Manages ID cards and civil registry. ARC (Alien Registration Certificate) number and national ID number used. Limited electronic verification.
Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry
open
Business register. Online search available.
Government & regulated databases
Compliance framework
AML framework
Supervised by Subsequent amendments
The Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law 188(I)/2007 is the single most important statute for any obliged entity operating in Cyprus. It has been amended more than a dozen times since enactment:
Data protection
Supervised by National DPA
Penalties for non-compliance
Cyprus is structurally a perfect Didit market. The country hosts the densest concentration of regulated financial services per capita in the EU, the compliance bar is high, the regulator is actively fining firms, and the procurement decision is usually a trade-off between Sumsub/Veriff (quality lead
Use cases
Neobanks, EMIs, payment institutions, lenders, brokerages.
MOKAS (Μονάδα Καταπολέμησης Αδικημάτων Συγκάλυψης) is the national FIU, housed within the Law Office of the Republic and headed by a senior public prosecutor. It is the central authority for receiving, analysing, and disseminating Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and Suspicious Activity Reports
Exchanges, custodians, wallets, on/off-ramps.
Cyprus established its national CASP (Crypto Asset Service Provider) register at CySEC in June 2021, making it one of the first EU member states to implement a mandatory registration regime for virtual asset service providers under the 5th AML Directive. The local regime required CASPs to register w
Sports betting, online casinos, age-gated platforms.
Cyprus applies the GDPR directly, supplemented by Law 125(I)/2018 (the national implementing law). The supervisory authority is the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection. For IDV and KYC use cases, the key constraints are:
Gig platforms, delivery, creator economy, e-commerce.
Cyprus's online gambling market is tightly defined: only sports betting is permitted online under a Class B licence from the National Betting Authority (NBA), established under the Betting Law 106(I)/2012. Online casino, slots, poker, and lotteries are all prohibited. Class A licences cover land-bas
Biometric liveness
Cyprus has no open government identity API for AML/KYC verification. This is a structural difference versus Sweden (BankID), Estonia (e-ID), Spain (DGP), or Portugal (Cartão de Cidadão). The main relevant databases are: - Civil Registry and Migration Department (Ministry of Interior) — issues ID cards and manages ARC. Access is restricted to law enforcement, government, and certain regulated counterparties. There is no public or commercial API. - Department of Registrar of Companies (Ministry of
CERTIFICATIONS
Our platform meets the highest international standards for information security, data privacy, and biometric accuracy.
Full EU data protection compliance
Information security management
PAD (liveness + face match)
TRUSTED WORLDWIDE
Join thousands of companies that trust Didit for their verification needs
Didit’s NFC + active biometrics technology blocks the most advanced fraud scenarios, offering a level of security equivalent to or superior to in-person verification.
Spanish Financial Sandbox
CNMV, SEPBLAC & Spanish Treasury — Conclusions Report
Didit is an exceptionally valuable partner, delivering a stable and highly adaptable solution”.
Vuk Adžić
Head of the E-Business Department at Crnogorski Telekom
Didit offered us a robust technology with a simple implementation and adaptability to different markets”.
Fernando Pinto
CEO & CoFounder at TucanPay
Thanks to Didit we have been able to reduce manual processes and improve data extraction accuracy”.
Diana Garcia
Trust & Safety Executive at Shiply
Didit’s integration slashed verification times and costs, freeing resources for other projects”.
Guillem Medina
COO at GBTC Finance
Didit removed KYC costs, enabling faster scaling with high verification standards and less fraud.”
Paul Martin
VP Marketing & Growth at Bondex
Didit’s secure, user-friendly verification boosts customer trust and optimizes our process.”
Cristofer Montenegro
Executive assistant to the CEO at Adelantos
Didit ensures a precise, secure digital onboarding without slowing negotiations or client time.”
Ernesto Betancourth
Gerente de riesgos at CrediDemo
FAQ
Yes. Cyprus permits remote KYC onboarding under its national AML framework, including document verification, biometric liveness and video identification where required by regulation.
Didit verifies all major national IDs, passports and residence permits issued in Cyprus, plus 14,000+ document types globally for cross-border flows.
Didit charges $0.30 per verification with 500 free checks per month. No contracts, no minimums. Competitors typically charge $1.00–$2.50+ per verification.
Yes. Didit screens against 1,000+ global watchlists including PEP databases, sanctions lists (EU, UN, OFAC, OFSI), and adverse media — covering all AML obligations in Cyprus.
Most regulated sectors in Cyprus require or strongly recommend biometric liveness detection for remote onboarding. Didit provides ISO 30107-3 PAD Level 2 certified liveness.
Yes. Didit supports document verification, liveness, AML screening and ongoing monitoring aligned with Cyprus’s crypto regulatory framework, including EU Travel Rule compliance where applicable.
Yes. Didit provides document-based age verification and identity confirmation suitable for Cyprus’s iGaming regulatory requirements.
500 free verifications per month. No contracts, no minimums. $0.30 per verification after the free tier.
