A .IMPORTANT NOTICES B. CAUTION FOR FOREIGN CITIZENS CAUTION FOR FOREIGN CITIZENS Foreign citizens interested in purchasing property in the area under Turkish military occupation are strongly advised to thoroughly examine the legal ownership status of the property concerned, through the Lands and Surveys Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus, in order to ascertain, at first, that no violation of the property rights of the legal owners will be effected through the transaction, and, second, to safeguard that the purported seller is the true owner of the property and can transfer a valid title. Foreign visitors are further advised that, material advertising property offered for sale in the areas which are not under the effective control of the Government, found in the possession of persons coming from the areas situated north of the buffer zone to the areas under the effective control of the Government, can and may be confiscated. Given that more than 4/5 of the property in the areas situated in the north of the buffer zone belongs to forcibly displaced owners (the term ‘owners’ includes the Republic of Cyprus), one can reasonably reach the conclusion that this advertising material relates to illegal activities, even if at the time of its discovery there is no evidence linking the object of the advertisement to specific displaced owners. The material in question could be used as evidence in a future case against usurpers of property in the areas situated north of the buffer zone. It is also considered material that could be used in the commission of crimes, such as under Article 281 of the Penal Code – use of land registered in the name of another without the consent of the registered owner - and Article 14 of the Law on the Registration of Estate Agents – whereby, no person can exercise the profession of a real estate agent or project himself as such, unless he is duly registered and in possession of an annual license issued by the Registration Council of Real Estate Agents. On the basis of the above, such advertising material can be confiscated, since there is reasonable suspicion that it is at the core of the illegal sale of property in the areas situated to the north of the buffer zone. After its confiscation, the said material would be transmitted to the police for evaluation and appropriate use. It is imperative that complete testimonies be taken from the persons carrying this material, since they could be potential witnesses in judicial proceedings. If there is reasonable suspicion that the person in possession of the material is actively participating in circles promoting illegal property transactions or exploitation of hotels belonging to displaced owners, an arrest warrant will be issued against him. For more information: http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/mfa2016.nsf/mfa12_en/mfa12_en?OpenDocument NOTE ALSO : C. RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS ON VESSELS CALLING ILLEGALLY AT PORTS IN THE OCCUPIED AREAS OF CYPRUS D. RELEVANT REFERENCES ON CROSSING POINTS – «GREEN LINE» REGULATIONS E. THE ILLEGALLY OPERATING “UNIVERSITIES” IN THE OCCUPIED AREAS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

F. TRAVELLERS – CAUTION ON REAL ESTATE PURCHASE
G. ON ACQUISITION OF REAL ESTATE IN THE OCCUPIED PART OF CYPRUS WHICH IS NOT EFFECTIVELY CONTROLLED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS.
On Acquisition of Real Estate in the occupied part of Cyprus which is not effectively controlled by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
Individuals citizens interested in purchasing, rental, advertisement or promotion of property in the illegally occupied by Turkey areas which not under the effective control of the Government of Cyprus are strongly advised to seek legal advice and thoroughly examine the legal ownership status of the property concerned, through the Lands and Surveys Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus. This is in order to ascertain that no violation of the property rights of the legal owners will be effected through the transaction. There is a high probability that purchasers will become the target of private civil lawsuits, and ownership and involvement with that property may be challenged by Greek Cypriots displaced with the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the subsequent illegal occupation of 37% of the island, in its northern part. Kindly be aware that legal cases have been brought before the European Court of Justice other international bodies.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in a number of cases that owners of property before 1974 in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus continue to be regarded as the legal owners of the property. Greek Cypriots owned some 78% of the private land in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus.
Purchasers could face legal proceedings in the courts of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as attempts to enforce judgments from these courts in all other EU member states, under the provisions of EC Regulation No. 44/2001.
Under Article 281 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Cyprus (as amended on 20 October 2006), buying, selling, renting, promoting or mortgaging a property without the permission of the owner (the person whose ownership is registered with the Republic of Cyprus Land Registry, including Greek Cypriots displaced from the occupied area in 1974) constitute a criminal offence. It may result in a European arrest warrant, executable in any of the EU member-states, and also an International arrest warrant. The law also states that any attempt to undertake such a transaction is a criminal offence.
Documents relating to the purchase of property in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus will be presumed by the Cypriot authorities to relate to the illegal transfer of Greek Cypriot property. Anyone found in possession of these documents could face criminal proceedings under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Cyprus.
The following website of the Republic of Cyprus provides additional information on the risks of investing in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus:
http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/properties/occupiedarea_properties.nsf/index_en/index_en?OpenDocument