Cyprus film tax incentive

What Cyprus actually pays

The state pays cash against qualified spend. No tax liability needed, no broker, no discount — the cleanest structure for an independent production.

New to the mechanics? Tax credit vs rebate vs grant and What counts as qualified spend.

What qualifies

Minimum spend: feature films EUR 200,000; other audiovisual productions EUR 80,000. At least 20% of the production budget must be spent within Cyprus. Cash rebate is up to 45% of eligible Cyprus spend, depending on cultural-test score (commonly 25% on ATL, 45% on BTL). Eligible categories: feature films (incl. animation), TV series/mini-series, documentaries, animation, TV research/natural history.

• Animation
• Miniseries
• Documentary
• Scripted TV
• Feature Film
• Streaming / SVOD

Grants & funds

Grant funds and fellowships available to productions here, including national programs. Awarded competitively rather than earned on spend.

• Cyprus Film Scheme Tax Credit

  A tax credit of at least 25% and at most 35% of eligible below-the-line and above-the-line expenditure incurred in Cyprus, set against the applicant's corporate tax. The amount used in a tax year may not exceed 50% of the applicant's taxable income, and the unused balance carries forward for five years. [basis: qualified-spend]

  Minimum spend: Spend in Cyprus of at least EUR 200,000 for a feature film; EUR 65,000 per episode for a high-standard TV series (EUR 180,000 when the application covers up to two episodes); EUR 100,000 for all other eligible works.

  25%–35%

How to apply

A Cyprus special purpose entity with the suffix (AVC), an EU company operating through a Cyprus branch, or a Cyprus tax-resident executive producer holding the production contract applies through the Cyprus Film Commission portal (film.investcyprus.org.cy) before filming starts; applications filed less than 90 days before filming can take 12 weeks or more to examine. The applicant needs two productions in the past seven years, a tax representative, a dedicated zero-balance Cyprus bank account for the production, evidence of financing for at least 50% of eligible Cyprus spend, a sustainability report and a pass on the cultural criteria. The Ministry of Finance issues pre-approval; after an audit of all eligible expenditure, payment follows within 120 calendar days of the payment request.

Common questions

What is the Cyprus film tax incentive rate?

Cyprus offers 25% to 45% on qualified in-state spend through the Cyprus Film Scheme Cash Rebate. It is a cash grant. The state pays cash against qualified spend. No tax liability needed, no broker, no discount — the cleanest structure for an independent production.

What is the minimum spend for the Cyprus film incentive?

Spend in Cyprus of at least EUR 200,000 for a feature film; EUR 65,000 per episode for a high-standard TV series (EUR 180,000 when the application covers up to two episodes); EUR 100,000 for all other eligible works. Principal photography in Cyprus must reach at least 20% of total budget expenditure and 20% of shooting days.. Falling under the minimum is a total loss of the benefit, not a partial one — it is worth confirming the threshold before locking a budget.

Is the Cyprus film incentive transferable or refundable?

Refundable — the excess over your state tax liability is paid out in cash.

Verify before you budget. These figures come from our own incentives database and each shows when it was last reviewed — but programs change between funding cycles and legislative sessions. Confirm with the film office, or ask us, before a number goes into a budget.