Hong Kong
Singapore
BVI
Jersey
Cyprus trust law and key features
Cyprus trust law for international structures sits in the International Trusts Law, which sets residence conditions that your lawyer confirms. Below are the governing law, who may act as trustee, and the features and limits, each with its source, for your lawyer.
Reviewed by a senior trust administrator, updated
The legal frame at a glance
What the law provides, with the source number for each item.
Key facts
- Trust structure
- International trust[1]
- Perpetuity period
- No fixed maximum duration under the Law as amended in 2012[1]
- Trust structure
- International trust[1]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Swipe sideways to see the whole diagram.
- SettlorSets up the structure and transfers assets into it
- transfers assets under a trust deedTrusteeHolds the assets and manages them under the trust deed
- holds and distributesBeneficiariesPeople who benefit from the trust under its terms
- Trustee holds legal titleTrust assetsThe property held in the structure
Roles and notes
| Part of the structure | What it does |
|---|---|
| Settlor | Sets up the structure and transfers assets into it |
| Trustee | Holds the assets and manages them under the trust deed |
| Beneficiaries | People who benefit from the trust under its terms |
| Trust assets | The property held in the structure |
- The statute sets conditions for a trust to count as international.
- The deed fills the gaps the law leaves, so its wording decides much of daily practice.
- The trustee meets the residence condition and holds legal title under the deed.
- A protector or investment manager exists only if the deed creates the role.
The governing law
A trust that meets the statutory conditions is governed by the International Trusts Law of 1992. The CyLaw portal publishes the text of the Law.
Your lawyer confirms how it applies to your deed.
It sits on top of the general law of trusts. The deed fills the gaps, and a deed that says nothing on a point leaves the trustee to follow the default.
So the wording of the deed decides much of daily practice under the Law. A lawyer drafts or reviews it before any asset moves.
The overview of the structure shows how the Law fits with the other pages.
Who may act as trustee
The trustee can be an individual or a company, as the deed provides. A professional trustee is a business that acts for clients and keeps the records that the deed and the Law require.
The Law attaches a residence condition to the trustee of an international trust. The trustee is named in the deed.
If the trustee is a person, consider the consequence of their death or move abroad. For any trustee, consider the way records are kept and the time the role demands.
We handle onboarding, identity checks and the reports that reach you; decisions and formal records are the trustee’s job.
Features the law allows
Trusts under the Law have several features that families comparing places ask about. Each is a tool, not a result.
- Discretionary or fixed shares. The deed can leave distributions to the trustee’s discretion or fix each beneficiary’s share. Your lawyer advises which suits your aims.
- Beneficiary classes. A class gift, such as children and later descendants, means a new birth does not need a new deed.
- Letter of wishes. You can say in a letter how you would like the trustee to use its discretion. The trustee reads it but is not bound by it.
- Protector and adviser roles. These roles come from the deed. The deed also sets their powers and how they are replaced.
- Duration. Under the Law as amended in 2012, an international trust has no fixed maximum duration.
- Reserved powers. How far a settlor can keep powers without weakening the trust depends on the Law and the deed; your lawyer confirms this first.
Fit depends on your own facts: where you live, what you own and where the assets sit.
Limits and requirements
Limits apply as well, and they serve the beneficiaries as much as the settlor. Residence conditions are the first limit, and how they apply after the 2012 amendment is something your lawyer confirms.
Before we take a case, we verify the settlor, any protector and the other connected people, and keep records of that work.
Your adviser confirms which duties on the international exchange of account information apply to your trust.
Your own lawyer answers two questions: how a court in your home country treats a Cyprus trust, and how the timing of a transfer relates to any claim.
Neither state charges nor the trustee’s yearly fees are covered here. Turn to the cost guide to see who charges for each line.
Reading the law with a lawyer
Use this page as a checklist for your lawyer, not as advice. Ask which parts of the Law apply to your deed, which the deed may change and which it may not.
Ask also how a court where you live has treated structures like yours. That answer sits outside the Law, and it often decides whether the structure is worth its cost.
Bring the draft deed, the asset list and your letter of wishes to one meeting.
Sources and review dates
Every fact above shows its source and the date of that source, 2026-11-05.
The Law on the CyLaw portal is the source of all three facts. Your lawyer confirms how it applies to your deed.
We review these facts when the Law or the official pages change. Practical points sit on the common questions page, and the formation guide shows when each rule applies.
Frequently asked questions
Which law governs a trust in Cyprus?
An international trust is governed by the International Trusts Law of 1992, as amended, together with the general law of trusts that applies in Cyprus. The deed names its governing law and fills the gaps. Your lawyer confirms how it applies to your deed.
Who may act as trustee in Cyprus?
The law sets a residence condition for the trustee of an international trust, and the deed names who holds the role. That may be a person or a firm. Whoever it is, the deed should name a successor, so the trust carries on if the first trustee dies, moves away or resigns.
Can a trust in Cyprus have a protector?
A protector exists only where the deed creates the role and sets its powers, such as consent to key trustee decisions, and the deed also covers replacing the protector. Who should hold the role, and which powers work in practice, is a matter for your lawyer.
Sources
- CyLaw: International Trusts Law (1992), read 2026-11-05.