EU Pay Transparency Directive Status Cyprus: Missed: Draft Advanced
Cyprus is further along than most member states but still missed the 7 June 2026 deadline. The Labour Relations Department, part of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, published an initial draft bill in November 2025, titled the Strengthening of the Implementation of the Principle of Equal Remuneration between Men and Women for Equal Work or Work of Equal Value, through Wage Transparency and Enforcement Mechanisms Law of 2026, followed by an updated version on 26 January 2026. The draft goes beyond the Directive's minimum requirements, adding criminal sanctions and potential personal liability for company officers. As of now the bill has not completed the parliamentary process and has not been enacted, so none of its provisions are yet in force. It proposes phased gender pay gap reporting obligations tied to company size, a right for workers to request pay information, and mandatory joint pay assessments where unjustified gaps persist. Because the text could still change before final adoption, the exact obligations and their start dates should be treated as provisional until the law is formally passed.
What is Pay Transparency, and who does it apply to?
The EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970) is a binding EU law requiring pay equity for equal work between women and men. It introduces mandatory rules around salary disclosure, pay gap reporting, and worker rights.
Cyprus's existing equal pay framework rests on the Equal Pay Between Men and Women for the Same Work or Work of Equal Value Law of 2002 (Law 177(I)/2002), later amended in 2009 to align with EU rules then in force. Alongside this, the Equal Treatment between Men and Women in Employment and Vocational Training Law of 2002 prohibits broader gender discrimination in the workplace. Cyprus was also required to transpose the EU Pay Transparency Directive (2023/970) into national law by 7 June 2026, a deadline that has now passed without the country completing the process.
Under Cyprus's existing law, all employers must observe the equal pay principle regardless of size. The draft transposition bill would add gender pay gap reporting obligations phased by headcount: annual reporting for employers with 250 or more employees, reporting every three years for those with 150 to 249 employees, and a later joining date for those with 100 to 149 employees, while employers under 100 employees would not be subject to reporting, though none of these thresholds are yet law.
What employers must do in Cyprus
All employers, regardless of size
- Comply with the existing equal pay principle under Law 177(I)/2002 for equal work or work of equal value
- Refrain from gender based pay discrimination under the 2002 Equal Treatment Law
Proposed under the draft transposition, not yet in force: employers with 250 or more employees
- Publish annual gender pay gap reports covering mean and median pay gaps, including variable pay
- Report the proportion of men and women receiving bonuses or variable pay
- Disclose the gender distribution across pay quartiles
- Register salary data with a national wage transparency reporting mechanism, as proposed
Proposed under the draft transposition, not yet in force: employers with 150 to 249 employees
- Report the same gender pay gap indicators every three years, starting in the year the draft envisages as 2027
Proposed under the draft transposition, not yet in force: employers with 100 to 149 employees
- Join the triennial reporting cycle from a later date, envisaged as 2031 under the current draft
Key deadlines
Penalties for non-compliance in Cyprus
Cyprus's existing equal pay law authorises inspections and penalties, but specific fine levels for pay discrimination are not clearly published. The draft transposition bill proposes a fine of up to 10,000 euros and or up to six months imprisonment for violations such as failing to provide required pay information, with the same penalty range proposed for obstructing a labour inspector, plus the possibility of court orders requiring the violation to be remedied and compensation paid to affected employees.
The Labour Relations Department within the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance is expected to enforce these rules, alongside the courts for individual discrimination claims.
How TalentUp can help you with Pay Transparency Compliance
Below you can see a preview of our platform, where we help you stay compliant with Pay Transparency by spotting pay inconsistencies and structural risks in your compensation strategy, analysing data from your company.
Book a demo| Name | Level | Location | Salary | Labels | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
John Doe
Software Developer
|
Mid
|
Nicosia
Cyprus
|
32500 EUR
Above market
|
Unbalanced
|
|
|
Jane Smith
Project Manager
|
Senior
|
Nicosia
Cyprus
|
45000 EUR
Above market
|
In Market
|
|
|
Michael Brown
Data Analyst
|
Mid
|
Limassol
Cyprus
|
39000 EUR
Above market
|
In Market
|
|
|
Emily Johnson
QA Engineer
|
Mid
|
Limassol
Cyprus
|
36000 EUR
Above market
|
In Market
|
|
|
Robert Wilson
HR Manager
|
Senior
|
Larnaca
Cyprus
|
50000 EUR
Above market
|
Above Market
|
|
|
Sarah Davis
Marketing Specialist
|
Junior
|
Larnaca
Cyprus
|
34000 EUR
In market
|
In Market
|
MEAN PAY
39.4K EUR
MEDIAN PAY
37.5K EUR
MEAN FEMALE PAY
38.3K EUR
MEDIAN FEMALE PAY
36K EUR
MEAN MALE PAY
40.5K EUR
MEDIAN MALE PAY
39K EUR
Gender gap
Variable pay by gender
General gender pay gap
Pay gap insights
Add employee data to see pay gap insights
Tenure distribution
Pay gap per level (quartiles)
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Frequently asked questions about pay transparency in Cyprus
No. Cyprus missed the 7 June 2026 EU transposition deadline. A detailed draft bill exists and was updated in January 2026, but it had not been passed into Cypriot law as of mid 2026.