Guidance

Submission of application for the issuance of a temporary certificate of continuation

Once you have secured the name approval and, provided that you have made all the relevant decisions regarding the redomiciliation of registered office of the overseas company, you can proceed to submit an application for its continuation in the Republic.

The aforementioned application (form ME1) is submitted,  by hand/post, to the Registrar of Companies by the lawyer or law firm entrusted with the representation of the company in the Republic of Cyprus, accompanied by the following documents:

• copy of the revised memorandum of the overseas company;
• certificate of good standing or an equivalent document issued by the competent authority of the country or jurisdiction in which the overseas company was incorporated;
• affidavit by a director of the overseas company confirming the solvency of the overseas company;
• resolution or the equivalent document of the overseas company authorising it to register as continuing in the Republic;
• official document evidencing that the competent authority of the country of incorporation is informed of the redomiciliation;
• permission, consent or pre-approval by the appropriate governmental authority or appropriate body in case it is necessary for the use of words or phrases and/or due to the nature of business respectively, in case it has not been submitted already with the application for name approval; and
• the fee of one hundred and twenty euro (€120). If the accelerated process is required an additional fee of one hundred euro (€100) must be paid. Fees are payable in cash, by cheque, via an account maintained with the Department of the Registrar of Companies or via bank transfer. Cheques should be made payable to Registrar of Companies.

Αs from February 12th, 2021, the new consolidated form ME1 has been implemented; replacing the current ME1 and MEA. The affidavit by the authorised representative of the overseas company (form MEA) has been replaced by the lawyer's declaration within the new form ME1. 

It is noted that in the case where the overseas company is a public company or a company carrying on a regulated activity for which a licence is required, the following additional documents must also be submitted:

• the most recent public offer for subscription or equivalent documents if the overseas company has offered its shares or its debentures to the public;
• the consent of the competent authorities of the stock exchange where the company has listed its shares.

In the case of a company carrying on an activity which requires a license both from the competent authority in the Republic as well as from the jurisdiction of its incorporation, an official consent of the competent authority for the registration of the company as continuing in the Republic is submitted. It is noted that, before commencing its business, the company must secure an authorization from the relevant authority in the Cyprus Republic.

It is also noted that, all documents attached to the application must be true authentic copies from the country of incorporation, with an apostille certification under the Hague Convention from the competent overseas authority affixed on the original foreign language document. In the case where, the country of incorporation does not participate in the Hague Convention, the certification must be made by the respective competent authority.

You are advised to refer to the main criteria of review and to the Explanatory Notes of form ME1, so as to acquire a better understanding of what is required and to facilitate the process further.

In case the above documents are in a language other than Greek, you must proceed with the creation of a file of translations, by paying a fee of one hundred and sixty euros (€160).