Philenews

“Temporary” License, with Questions

Published January 18, 2026, 13:13
“Temporary” License, with Questions

The government is considering issuing “temporary” operating licenses to hotels that have not secured final approval, as a solution to a long-standing problem. However, this move raises questions about the role of licenses and the strict rules governing their operation. The bill proposed by Kyriakos Chatzigiannis aims to regulate the operation of dozens of hotels operating without final approval due to delays, difficulties, or potential non-compliance with the criteria. The proposed solution is to issue a special, temporary license, provided that the hotels gather all the necessary certificates (pool, fire protection, alcohol license, building permit). If all goes well, a regular license will be issued. However, the question remains as to what will happen if the hotels do not meet the criteria. The author expresses the fear that “temporariness” in Cyprus tends to become permanent, and that the exception may become the rule, blurring the concept of legality. He points out the lack of a previous “honest life” in the application of the laws. In the end, the dilemma is simple: do we want rules or rules with asterisks? If hotels that are not fully legal are allowed to operate, then the problem is not the licenses, but how they are dealt with.