The ‘Holiday Homes Management Platform’ went live in the Turkish-administered north of Cyprus on 24 July, the self-declared Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment announced via the TAK news agency. Property owners must now create an online account, upload title deeds and obtain a unique registration code before advertising villas or apartments on booking portals such as Airbnb or Booking.com. Fines for non-compliance range from ₺25 000 to ₺75 000 (approx. €700-€2 100). Although the platform is run by the unrecognised ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC), the development matters to multinationals relocating staff to the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus. Many expatriates rent short-term accommodation in Kyrenia or Famagusta and commute south across the Green Line. From September, landlords will be obliged to upload the passport details of every guest within 24 hours of arrival – a system similar to Greece’s ‘ΚΕΜ’ registry – raising privacy questions and increasing the paperwork burden for HR teams arranging temporary housing. Cross-border commuters should also note that the new database will be linked to the TRNC Police immigration network, allowing authorities to flag over-stayers. While EU citizens can currently cross the Green Line with an ID card and receive a 90-day entry stamp, those stamps will now be automatically compared with platform records. Over-staying could trigger an entry ban that would jeopardise staff mobility between north and south. Practical implications for corporate-housing managers: • Confirm that any serviced-apartment provider in the north has completed platform registration and can provide the new licence number. • Update privacy notices given to employees, as personal data will be shared with TRNC police systems. • Advise travellers to keep copies of entry stamps and booking confirmations in case of disputes at checkpoints. Travel-industry representatives have welcomed the move, saying it will curb tax evasion and improve safety standards, but they warn that the two-month compliance window is tight. Businesses with August or September arrivals should audit their bookings immediately.
Source: TAK News Agency
