School

Steps

1. Contact the Ministry of Education to find a school: primary, secondary and higher education directorates (+357 22 800 600, moec@moec.gov.cy). The Ministry also publishes the list of state and approved private schools.
2. Before age 3: state and private nurseries (παιδικοί σταθμοί).
3. Pre-primary: from age 3, not compulsory; compulsory for a child who has reached the set age before 1 September of the school year. This age falls every year (Council of Ministers decision of 09/01/2018, No. 84.078): 4 years and 6 months in 2024-2025, 4 years and 5 months in 2025-2026, 4 years and 4 months in 2026-2027 and in 2027-2028, then 4 years and 3 months (2028-2029), 4 years and 2 months (2029-2030), 4 years and 1 month (2030-2031) and 4 years from 2031-2032.
4. Primary (Δημοτικό): free, for a child who is 6 before 1 September (rule since 2021); age is the only admission criterion. School year in three terms, five days a week.
5. Lower secondary (Γυμνάσιο, 12-15 years old) then upper secondary (15-18 years old): free; admission to lower secondary with age and the primary school leaving certificate. Technical schools award a diploma equivalent to upper secondary.
6. If your child does not speak Greek: they receive specific Greek lessons to join state school.

Documents

• List of documents for enrolment: not published in the sources read; to be requested from the school or the Ministry. Plan for the birth certificate, the vaccination record, your residence registration certificate and proof of address (see CY-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).

Costs and timelines

• State: free from primary to upper secondary; state pre-primary cheaper than private according to EURES (Eurydice, April 2026, even indicates free state education from 3 to 18 years: ask the school about any additional fees).
• Private pre-primary: from €1,500 to €3,500 per child per year.
• Approved private schools: about 170 private pre-primary establishments ("nurseries" in EURES, which does not distinguish nurseries from nursery schools), 30 private primary schools and 39 private secondary schools (Greek, English, French and Russian), from €4,500 to €6,500 per year according to EURES.

Common pitfalls

• The cut-off date is 1 September, not 31 December as in other countries: check your child's year of entry.
• The compulsory pre-primary age changes every year. Many sites (and old official versions) still speak of 4 years and 8 months, or of 4 and a half years: for 2026-2027, it is 4 years and 4 months completed on 1 September 2026 (official Ministry table). Check your child's age on the Ministry page before the start of the school year.
• Choosing private without checking approval: the Ministry publishes the list of approved schools.
• French school: the École franco-chypriote (Nicosia, with an annex in Limassol) is on the 2026 list of approved French establishments abroad; in Limassol, approval covers nursery and primary up to CE2 (from petite section to CE2). More than 460 pupils at the start of the 2025 school year; it prepares for the French baccalaureate and the Cypriot secondary school leaving certificate (Απολυτήριο) (French embassy). Tuition fees are to be requested from the school.
• Recognition of qualifications: the ΚΥΣΑΤΣ (Cypriot council for the recognition of higher education qualifications, an independent body funded and administratively supported by the Ministry of Education) only recognises higher education qualifications; it also serves as the national information centre on recognition. For a pupil who arrives during their schooling, ask the school or the Ministry how their foreign school reports will be taken into account, and bring them translated into Greek or English.

What changes by country of origin

• EU citizens and their family (including family members who are third-country nationals): access to state schools on the same terms as Cypriots.
• Swiss and British people (including Scottish): the conditions of access are not detailed in the sources read: to be confirmed with the Ministry.
• North of the island: the school system of the Republic of Cyprus does not apply there.