Food Safety Records in Cyprus: Laws, Inspections and Health Certificates

Cyprus food safety records explained: the law, Public Health Services inspections, health certificates, records inspectors ask for and digital records.

2026-10-31 · Chef Hygiene

Do food businesses in Cyprus need food safety records? Yes. Every food business in the Republic of Cyprus must have food safety procedures based on HACCP principles, with records that fit the size of the business. The Public Health Services of the Ministry of Health inspect restaurants and similar premises, and can check your records. Cyprus has no public hygiene rating or sticker. Your staff also need a health certificate, renewed every 12 months. This page explains the Cyprus rules, what inspectors look for, where businesses go wrong, and how digital records help.

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This page covers the Republic of Cyprus (the government-controlled areas). Every fact below comes from an official source, linked in the text and at the end. Where the law sets no number and a number comes from Ministry guidance, we say so. Most official pages are in Greek, and food information must be given in Greek (see section 1).

The law: what every Cyprus food business must do
Who inspects you, and how often
No public rating
The records inspectors ask for
Where businesses go wrong
By type of business
Why digital records help in Cyprus
How Chef Hygiene helps
A fair price, on purpose
Less paper
FAQ
Official sources

1. The law: what every Cyprus food business must do

The main laws. EU Regulation 852/2004 on food hygiene applies directly. In Cyprus it sits with the Hygiene and Official Control of Foodstuffs Regulations 2006 (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006) and the Food (Control and Sale) Law 54(I)/1996 (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006, CyLaw, Law 54(I)/1996, CyLaw).
Register your premises. Registration with the Public Health Services is free and is done shortly before you open, on form Τ-Φ-032 (Greek or English), at the district health office, a rural health centre or a cooperating municipality (Public Health Services). Unregistered premises may not operate (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006, reg. 3).
A licence for restaurants and similar places. The Deputy Ministry of Tourism licenses catering and entertainment establishments (Law 29/1985). The licence application asks for a Health Certificate for the establishment, issued by the Health Services. The Public Health Services treat that premises certificate as optional for themselves: it lasts 1 year and needs a recent water analysis. The licence ends each 31 December (Business in Cyprus). Tourism classes A, B and C describe the building and service, not hygiene.
A HACCP-based food safety system. You need permanent procedures based on HACCP principles, with documents and records that fit the nature and size of the business (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5). The Public Health Services publish a general HACCP plan for small businesses and Hygiene Guide No 1 for mass catering and confectionery. Both are guidance.
Temperatures: guidance, not law. No Cyprus law sets fridge, hot-holding, cooling or reheating numbers for restaurants. The numbers below come from Guide No 1 and the small-business HACCP plan (Guide No 1):
Chilled food, and raw meat, poultry and fish: 5°C or below. The small-business plan sets a critical limit of 7°C. Cakes and pastries: 8°C at most.
Quick-frozen food: -18°C or colder. This one is law (Κ.Δ.Π. 80/2002, reg. 6), with brief rises of up to 3°C allowed in transport and display. The guide says never refreeze, and ice cream on display at -14°C or colder.
Cooking: 75°C in the centre, or 70°C for 2 minutes. Pork and burgers: 68.3°C for 15 seconds.
Hot holding: 60°C or more. Below 60°C is allowed once, for serving only. The small-business plan says above 63°C.
Cooling: from 60°C to 10°C within 2 hours, never over 3 hours, then keep at 5°C or below.
Reheating: above 75°C in the centre. No time limit is given.
Staff health certificate. Everyone who touches open food needs a certificate from a government Chief Medical Officer, renewed every 12 months. It includes a stool test for Salmonella and parasites (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006). Keep it ready for inspectors.
Staff who are ill. Staff with a food-borne disease, infected wounds, skin infections or diarrhoea tell the manager at once, and the manager tells the district Chief Medical Officer. They return to work only when that officer decides. There is no fixed number of days off.
Clean habits and clothing. Staff who handle open food wear a white coat and a head covering, cover wounds with a waterproof dressing, and do not smoke or spit (Κ.Δ.Π. 320/2006).
Staff training. Staff must be supervised and trained to suit their job (Regulation 852/2004, Annex II). No Cyprus law sets a course, hours or renewal. Guide No 1 (guidance) says: Level 1 for everyone at hiring (read the Ministry's hygiene handbook and sign a statement), and Level 2, a 30-hour course, for owners, managers and staff who prepare food.
Allergens. For food that is served or sold loose, give information on the 14 EU allergens (Regulation 1169/2011, Article 44). The Public Health Services say loose food gives the information through labelling, with the allergenic ingredients as the minimum (PHS food labelling). Food information must be in Greek, and other languages may be added (Κ.Δ.Π. 262/2002, reg. 5). We could not confirm a Cyprus rule on whether spoken information alone is enough. Ask your district health office. For phone and online orders, give the information before ordering and again at delivery (Regulation 1169/2011, Article 14).

2. Who inspects you, and how often

Public Health Services. The Public Health Services (Υγειονομικές Υπηρεσίες) of the Ministry of Health inspect food businesses through five district offices, plus rural health centres.
Municipal health services. Law 54(I)/1996 lets some municipal health services inspect restaurants and similar premises in their own area. We could not confirm which towns still do this after the 2024 reform.
Tourism officers. Officers of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism also check cleanliness in licensed establishments.
What an inspector can do. Enter at a reasonable time (not homes), check food, methods, staff and records (paper or electronic, and copy them), take samples, and seize or destroy unfit food (Law 54(I)/1996, art. 14).
How often. Inspections are risk-based. Eleven risk factors give a category from 1 to 4, and the category is the number of full inspections a year. Seasonal businesses get fewer. The category is re-scored after 5 inspections or 24 months (Multi-annual National Control Plan 2025-2029). We could not confirm which category a typical restaurant gets.
Possible steps. Written instructions, seizure of food, suspension of up to 4 days (renewable in 4-day steps) and administrative fines for listed breaches (Law 54(I)/1996, arts. 14 and 23A). A court can also order closure of the premises and a trading ban after conviction (art. 23).
Your right to object. You can object to a suspension or seizure within 3 working days (art. 17B).

3. No public rating

No rating. Cyprus has no public hygiene grade, stars or sticker, and nothing has to be displayed.
What this means for you. There is no score to improve. What matters is that your system works every day and your records show it, because an inspector can suspend a business for serious faults.

4. The records inspectors ask for

The law asks for records that fit your business. The Public Health Services small-business HACCP plan (guidance) lists what that usually means:

Suppliers and goods-in checks.
Fridge and freezer temperatures, recorded 2 to 3 times a day.
Cooking and reheating temperatures.
Staff health certificates.
Cleaning and disinfection.
Pest control, with a bait map.
Staff training, such as a training card.
Allergen information for loose food.
A review of the plan, 1 to 2 times a year.

How long to keep them. We could not find a fixed period in Cyprus law, the guides or Regulation 852/2004. The EU rule says records should be kept for an appropriate period. Ask your district health office.

Digital records. We found no ban on electronic records, and inspectors may read and copy electronic records (Law 54(I)/1996, art. 14).

5. Where businesses go wrong

Common record problems are easy to picture:

Gaps. Days with no checks written down.
No action recorded. A fridge reading above the limit with nothing written about what was done.
Expired health certificates. The 12-month certificate runs out and nobody notices.
Lost pages, no review, training not shown. Paper gets wet or thrown away, and nothing proves the training.
Allergens only by word of mouth. The Public Health Services point to information through labelling.
Allergen information not in Greek. Food information must be in Greek.

6. By type of business

The rules are the same for every food business, but the records you keep depend on what you do. Guide No 1 covers mass catering and confectionery, and the small-business plan covers restaurants, cafés and take-aways.

Restaurant: daily checks, cooking and hot-holding temperatures, cooling, deliveries, cleaning, health certificates, and allergen information in Greek. Licensed by Tourism.
Takeaway: the same as a restaurant, plus allergen information before the order is completed and at delivery for phone and app orders.
Café: fridges and displays, cleaning, and allergen information for sandwiches, salads and cakes.
Bakery / cake shop: allergen information for every product, display temperatures for cream cakes (guidance: 8°C at most for cakes and pastries), and labels for goods you pack.
Dessert shop: fridge and freezer temperatures for desserts and ice cream (guidance: ice cream on display at -14°C or colder), and allergens for toppings and sauces.
Pub / bar / club: the same records as a restaurant for the food you serve. Licensed by Tourism if it is a catering and entertainment establishment.
Community hall / venue: we could not confirm a rule written for halls. Keep temperature and cleaning records for each event.
Corner shop / grocery: Keep fridge and freezer checks, delivery checks, and allergen information for food you pack yourself.
School / nursery kitchen: temperature and cleaning records, and careful allergen records for every child. We could not confirm a separate Cyprus rule for school kitchens.
Caterer / food van: register with the Public Health Services and keep temperatures during transport and at the event. We could not confirm a separate Cyprus procedure for vans, so ask your district health office.
Home kitchen business: we could not confirm a Cyprus rule for home kitchens. Ask your district health office before you start.

7. Why digital records help in Cyprus

Allowed. We found no ban on electronic records, and inspectors may read and copy them. If you are unsure, ask your district health office.
No gaps go unnoticed. A missed check shows up the same day, not at the next inspection.
Ready for the inspector. Show everything at once.
Every staff member can take part. Staff can record checks on a phone or tablet, in their own language.

8. How Chef Hygiene helps

Chef Hygiene follows the Cyprus rules and the Public Health Services guidance. What it does:

Daily checks for fridges, freezers, cooking, hot holding, cooling, cleaning and deliveries, with the time, the staff member's name and photos. Saved records cannot be changed; corrections are added as new records.
Your country's rules built in, including the Public Health Services temperature guidance.
Food safety plan ("safe methods"). About 20 minutes: answer questions, check each method, sign it, set a review date and print it.
Ready for inspection? Checks your last 4 weeks of records the way an inspector would and shows how many are ready.
Inspector's visits log. Write down each visit: date, type and officer.
Practice inspection. A free walk round of about 10 minutes, with questions for your type of business and a "Put it right" list.
Allergen chart and labels. Every dish against the 14 allergens, a staff view on the kitchen tablet, and labels for food prepacked for direct sale, with allergens in bold.
Staff training records, with health certificate dates.
Inspector pack. Print all records as one pack, or share by secure link.
40 languages. The app works in Greek and English, and staff can use it in their own language.

9. A fair price, on purpose

Chef Hygiene costs €2.99 a month per site (€1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops). The exact price is shown in your app store. Staff are unlimited, there is no contract, and there is a 14-day free trial.

We keep the price low on purpose. We want as many food businesses as possible, from a single food van to a busy restaurant, to keep good records and pass their inspections.

10. Less paper

A paper diary means printed sheets every day. One daily sheet per kitchen is 365 sheets a year, before you count delivery forms, cleaning rotas and training records. Digital records mean no record books to buy and fewer printed forms to throw away. That is less paper and less waste, and nothing to store in a back office.

11. FAQ

Do I legally need food safety records in Cyprus?

Yes. You need procedures based on HACCP principles, with documents and records that fit the size of your business (Regulation 852/2004, Article 5).

Who inspects restaurants in Cyprus?

The Public Health Services of the Ministry of Health, through five district offices. Some municipal health services may inspect in their own area, and Tourism officers also check cleanliness in licensed establishments.

Do I have to register before I open?

Yes. Registration with the Public Health Services is free, on form Τ-Φ-032 (Greek or English), shortly before opening. Unregistered premises may not operate.

How often are inspections?

Risk-based. Eleven risk factors give a category from 1 to 4, and the category is the number of full inspections a year. Seasonal businesses get fewer.

Is there a hygiene rating in Cyprus?

No. There is no public grade, stars or sticker. The Tourism classes A, B and C describe the building and service, not hygiene.

Are digital food safety records accepted?

We found no ban on electronic records, and inspectors may read and copy them. If you are unsure, ask your district health office.

How long must I keep my records?

We could not find a fixed period in Cyprus law or the guides. The EU rule says an appropriate period. Ask your district health office.

What temperature must my fridge be?

Cyprus law sets no number. Public Health Services guidance is 5°C or below for chilled food, and the small-business HACCP plan sets a critical limit of 7°C.

What temperature must hot food be kept at?

Guidance: 60°C or more (Guide No 1). The small-business plan says above 63°C.

Do my staff need a health certificate?

Yes. Everyone who touches open food needs a certificate from a government Chief Medical Officer, renewed every 12 months, with a stool test for Salmonella and parasites.

Do my staff need a food hygiene course?

No Cyprus law sets one. Guide No 1 (guidance) says Level 1 for everyone at hiring, and a 30-hour Level 2 course for owners, managers and staff who prepare food.

Can staff work when they are ill?

Staff with diarrhoea, infected wounds, skin infections or a food-borne disease tell the manager, who tells the district Chief Medical Officer. They return only when that officer decides. There is no fixed number of days.

What allergen information do I need?

Information on the 14 EU allergens for loose food, given through labelling, in Greek (other languages may be added). Ask your district health office if spoken information alone is enough.

Does the allergen rule apply to phone and online orders?

Yes. Give the information before ordering and again at delivery (Regulation 1169/2011, Article 14).

How much does Chef Hygiene cost in Cyprus?

€2.99 a month per site (€1.99 for bakeries, dessert shops and corner shops); the exact price is shown in your app store; unlimited staff, no contract, 14-day free trial.

12. Official sources

Chef Hygiene keeps your Cyprus food safety records ready for every inspection: