Cyprus
Asia · Western Asia
Recreational spearfishing is legal in the Republic of Cyprus but tightly regulated. A separate 'Spear Gun' amateur (recreational) fishing licence issued by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR) is compulsory. Only apnea (breath-hold / free-diving) spearfishing is permitted: the use of SCUBA gear, artificial lights and night spearfishing are prohibited. Spearfishers must carry a marker buoy with a red flag, stay at least 100 m from organised swimming areas and 500 m from marinas and ports, and must not fish in marine protected areas (e.g. Lara-Toxeftra, Cape Greco) during their restricted periods. National catch and minimum-size limits and lists of protected species apply. Note: this record covers the Republic of Cyprus; the northern part of the island administers separate rules not covered here.
Last updated June 16, 2026
Governing framework
- §Fisheries Law, Cap. 135 (and Regulations made thereunder, including Reg. No. 273/90)
- §DFMR Amateur (Recreational) Fishing Licence conditions - 'Spear Gun' category
- License required
- Required
- Speargun
- Allowed
- Scuba
- Prohibited
- Foreigners
- Welcome
The law, verbatim
Legal texts
The exact statutory and regulatory provisions that govern spearfishing here, quoted as published, with a link to each official source.
Lara-Toxeftra Turtle Reserve - fishing and vessel prohibition during nesting season
Consolidated Fisheries Regulations (273/90), under Fisheries Law, Cap. 135
The management regulations for this area that are spelled out in the Consolidated Fisheries Regulations (273/90), prohibit during the nesting season which is from the 1st of June up to the 30th of September, the entry and anchoring of a vessel of any kind in the protected area, down to the 20 m isobath, as is any kind of fishing (except with a rod and line from the shore).
Amateur 'Spear Gun' licence - guardian declaration for minors
DFMR Amateur Fishing Licence application portal
Guardian's declaration in the case of an application for a fishing permit with a speargun/dam to a minor: "I ... ... with ID No ... ... guardian of the abovementioned minor applicant, am responsible to escort him/her for security reasons, during his/hers recreational fishing activities with a speargun/dam."
When you can dive
Seasons & time restrictions
Closed, open and restricted periods across the year. Always confirm species-specific closures locally.
- ClosedLara-Toxeftra Turtle Reserve (Akamas peninsula, Pafos)Jun 1 – Sep 30
During the turtle nesting season (1 June - 30 September) all fishing activities, including spearfishing, are prohibited in the Lara-Toxeftra Reserve down to the 20 m isobath, with the exception of rod-and-line fishing from the shore. The entry and anchoring of a vessel of any kind in the protected area is prohibited during the same 1 June - 30 September window.
Permission to fish
License
What you need to be allowed in the water, what it costs, and how to get it.
Apply online via the DFMR licence portal (licence.dfmr.moa.gov.cy) or in person at the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research. Processing typically up to 2 working days; the payment receipt serves as the licence and must be carried while fishing.
Get your licenseOpens the official portal · licence.dfmr.moa.gov.cy
- Type
- Amateur (recreational) fishing licence - 'Spear Gun' category
- Cost
- Not confirmed from an official source. Secondary sources report roughly EUR 30-35 per year for the speargun category, but the official DFMR/gov.cy fee schedule could not be retrieved (the official portals block automated access).
- Validity
- Expires on 31 December of the year of issue, regardless of issue date.
- How to obtain
- Apply online via the DFMR licence portal (licence.dfmr.moa.gov.cy) or in person at the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research. Processing typically up to 2 working days; the payment receipt serves as the licence and must be carried while fishing.
- Authority
- Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR), Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment
Gear & technique
Equipment rules
What gear is permitted, how it may be used, and the conditions attached.
Restrictions
- Only apnea (breath-hold / free-diving) spearfishing is permitted
- Use of SCUBA / underwater breathing apparatus while spearfishing is prohibited
- Use of artificial lights for spearfishing is prohibited
- Night spearfishing (sunset to sunrise) is prohibited
- A floating marker buoy with a red flag (visible from a distance) must be carried
Spearfishing is allowed only while free-diving. Powered underwater hunting, SCUBA and lights are strictly prohibited and carry penalties.
What you may take
Catch limits & protected species
Daily quotas, minimum sizes, and species that must never be taken.
Daily limit
5 kg per spearfisher per day, plus one additional individual fish regardless of weight.
Minimum sizes
- Groupermin 40 cm
- Snappermin 35 cm
- Amberjackmin 50 cm
- Tuna (Bluefin)min 70 cm
- Swordfishmin 140 cm
- Marlinmin 200 cm
- Barracudamin 50 cm
- Dolphinfish (mahi-mahi)min 60 cm
- Octopusmin 25 cm
- Squidmin 20 cm
Protected species — do not take
- ProtectedBluefin tuna (restricted, must be released if taken recreationally)
- ProtectedSwordfish (restricted)
- ProtectedSharks
- ProtectedRays / skates (below minimum size must be released)
- ProtectedMarine mammals (incl. Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus)
- ProtectedSea turtles (loggerhead and green turtle)
IMPORTANT: the daily-weight limit, all minimum-size values above, and the per-species daily/annual figures below are NOT taken from a verbatim official DFMR notice - they come only from secondary blog/guide sources and could not be confirmed against an official instrument (the gov.cy / DFMR pages block automated fetching). Treat them as indicative and verify against the current DFMR notice before fishing. Per-species figures reported by secondary sources include: Grouper 1/day, Amberjack 2/day, Tuna 1/day, Snapper 3/day, Octopus 5/day, Squid 10/day; Swordfish 1/year, Marlin 1/year. Protected species such as marine mammals and sea turtles must be released immediately with minimal harm if accidentally caught.
Who may fish
Visitors & residents
How the rules differ for foreign visitors and local residents.
Foreign visitors
AllowedRequirements
- Obtain the same DFMR amateur 'Spear Gun' licence as residents (application requires ID/passport number, date of birth and contact details)
Restrictions
- Same equipment, zone, season, catch and protected-species rules apply as for residents
No evidence of a separate or special spearfishing regime for foreigners/tourists; the standard amateur Spear Gun licence applies to everyone. Sale of recreationally caught fish is prohibited.
Residents
Amateur (recreational) fishing licence - 'Spear Gun' category
Requirements
- Apply via the DFMR online portal or in person
- Minors (ages 12-18) require written consent / guardian declaration; the guardian must agree to escort the minor during speargun fishing
Amateur licences are generally issued to persons over 12 years of age. Violation of the licence conditions or the fisheries legislation can carry significant penalties (reported up to EUR 8,542 fine and/or up to 6 months imprisonment).
Where on the coast
Allowed & prohibited zones
Named areas that are open to or closed for spearfishing. See the full picture on the interactive map.
Allowed areas
Free-diving spearfishing is permitted along the Republic of Cyprus coastline outside marine protected areas, at least 100 m from organised swimming areas and 500 m from marinas and ports, with a valid Spear Gun amateur licence.
Valid DFMR Spear Gun licence required; free-diving (apnea) only, no SCUBA or lights; marker buoy with red flag required; keep 100 m from organised swimming areas and 500 m from marinas/ports; national catch limits, minimum sizes and protected-species rules apply.
Prohibited areas
- Lara-Toxeftra Turtle Reservemarine reserve (sea turtle nesting reserve)
Marine protected area (sea turtle nesting reserve) on the south-western Akamas peninsula, Pafos district, set up in 1989 under the Fisheries Law Cap. 135 / Consolidated Fisheries Regulations 273/90 and added to the SPAMI list in 2013. Spearfishing and other fishing (except rod-and-line from the shore), and the entry/anchoring of vessels, are prohibited down to the 20 m isobath during the turtle nesting season 1 June - 30 September.
- Cape Greco / Cavo Greco Marine Protected Areamarine protected area / Natura 2000 site
Protected marine area at the south-eastern tip of Cyprus (part of the Cavo Greco Natura 2000 site CY3000005). According to secondary sources, angling is allowed only in the designated 'Natural Zone' and only for holders of the professional coastal-angling permit, and recreational spearfishing is not permitted in the protected area. This restriction is reported by secondary sources only and has not been confirmed against an official DFMR / Natura 2000 instrument.
- Organised swimming / bathing areas (buoyed zones)swimming/bathing exclusion zone
Spearfishing is prohibited within organised swimming areas marked by buoys, and spearfishers must remain at least 100 m away from such organised swimming areas.
- Marinas and ports (500 m exclusion)port / marina exclusion zone
Spearfishing is prohibited within 500 m of marinas and ports.
Conditions on the water
Live conditions
Live marine and weather snapshot near a coastal reference point in Cyprus, from Open-Meteo. Conditions vary along the coast — treat as indicative.
Live marine & weather near Lara-Toxeftra Turtle Reserve.
Who to ask
Authorities
The official bodies responsible for fisheries and licensing.
Department of Fisheries and Marine Research (DFMR)
fisheries authority
moa.gov.cy101 Vithleem Street, 1416 Nicosia; Tel +357 22 807818 / +357 22 807829; licenses@dfmr.moa.gov.cyMinistry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment
environment ministry
moa.gov.cyNicosia, Cyprus
Where this comes from
Sources
Every claim on this page traces back to one of these references.
- [01]
Department of Fisheries and Marine Research - Amateur fishing licence application portal
Officiallicence.dfmr.moa.gov.cyAccessed Jun 14 - [02]
Apply and pay for a recreational fishing license - Gov.cy
Officialgov.cyAccessed Jun 14 - [03]
Lara-Toxeftra Turtle Reserve - SPAMI list (UNEP/MAP - SPA/RAC)
Officialspami.medchm.netAccessed Jun 14 - [04]
Spearfishing Cyprus - Rules, Species & Gear Tips (SPEARZEN)
Secondaryspearzen.comAccessed Jun 14 - [05]
Fishing in Cyprus: Freshwater and Sea Angling - Angloinfo
Secondaryangloinfo.comAccessed Jun 14 - [06]
Current sea fishing catch limits and size restrictions in Cyprus - Fishing in Cyprus
Secondaryfishingincyprus.comAccessed Jun 14 - [07]
Fishing in Cyprus - places, rules and tips (DOM LiVE blog)
Secondarydom.com.cyAccessed Jun 14 - [08]
Fishing in Cyprus: The Complete Guide (FishingBooker)
Secondaryfishingbooker.comAccessed Jun 14
Researcher notes
Scope: Republic of Cyprus (government-controlled area). Spearfishing is legal but restricted: a DFMR 'Spear Gun' amateur licence is mandatory and only free-diving (apnea) is allowed - SCUBA, lights and night fishing are prohibited. Verbatim legal text directly from the Fisheries Law Cap. 135 PDF could not be retrieved because the official gov.cy and DFMR pages block automated fetching (HTTP 403/404 and host-blocking redirects); the law_texts entries are sourced from a SPA/RAC SPAMI official page (re-verified 2026-06-16) and the official DFMR licence portal, and contain only contiguous verbatim quotes from those pages. Corrections made on 2026-06-16: (1) the Lara-Toxeftra vessel/anchoring prohibition runs during the nesting season 1 June - 30 September (down to the 20 m isobath), NOT the previously stated 1 May - 31 October, which was unsupported by the source; (2) the unsourced 'first MPA in Cyprus' superlative was removed (the reserve was set up in 1989 and added to SPAMI in 2013); (3) the licence-portal law text now holds only the genuinely verbatim guardian's-declaration provision instead of a paraphrased category/expiry summary. Cape Greco's no-spearfishing claim and the official licence fee could not be confirmed against an official instrument and are flagged as secondary-only. Catch limits, minimum sizes and exclusion-distance figures rest on secondary sources and must be verified against the current DFMR notice before fishing. Coordinates for Lara-Toxeftra and Cape Greco are approximate centroids from public geographic references. Confidence lowered to low because, although the core legal status (licence + free-diving-only) is well sourced, the numeric catch/size limits, the licence fee and the Cape Greco prohibition all rest on secondary sources rather than verbatim official text.
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