Resigning from your job in Cyprus: notice period and final pay
Resigning in Cyprus is simpler than being dismissed, but it still has rules. The Termination of Employment Law of 1967 (Law 24/1967) sets the minimum notice that an employee must give: one week after 26 weeks of continuous service, two weeks after 52 weeks and three weeks after 260 weeks (section 10). Your contract may require a longer period, and an employee who walks out without the notice owed may face a claim from the employer before the Labour Disputes Court.
This guide is for employees in the private sector who want to leave a job, whether for a new position, for personal reasons or because the employer's conduct has made it impossible to stay. It explains how to calculate your notice, how to write the resignation, what your employer must pay at the end (wages to the last day, accrued annual leave, any 13th salary due under your contract), which certificate you can ask for, and how resignation affects unemployment benefit. It also explains constructive dismissal under section 7 of Law 24/1967: when you leave because of the employer's serious breach, the law treats the termination as a dismissal by the employer and you may claim compensation, but you must prove that your resignation was justified.
Key facts
Deadline
Minimum notice from the employee under section 10 of Law 24/1967: 1 week after 26 to 51 weeks of continuous service, 2 weeks after 52 to 259 weeks, 3 weeks after 260 weeks or more. During the first 26 weeks the Law requires no notice; a longer period in your contract still binds you.
Claims before the Labour Disputes Court for unpaid wages and leave should be filed within 12 months (section 12(10A) of Law 8/1967 as applied by the court). If you resign voluntarily without reasonable cause, unemployment benefit may be withheld for up to 6 weeks (section 34(2) of Law 59(I)/2010).
What to do
Check your continuous service and your contract. Count your weeks of continuous employment with the same employer from the first day of work. Section 10 of Law 24/1967 sets the minimum notice you must give: one week if you have worked 26 to 51 weeks, two weeks from 52 weeks and three weeks from 260 weeks (five years). Before 26 weeks the Law does not require notice.
Then read your contract and any collective agreement. Many contracts, especially for skilled and managerial positions, require one or three months. The Labour Disputes Court has accepted that it can examine a dispute where an employee stopped coming to work before the end of the contractual notice, so a longer contractual period should be taken seriously.
Decide on your last working day. Add the notice period to the date the employer will receive your letter. If you have a new job lined up, ask the new employer to wait until the notice ends, or ask your current employer to release you earlier and get the release in writing.
Your statutory rights continue during the notice period under the Third Schedule to Law 24/1967 (section 14), and a clause that tries to limit them is void. You must keep working normally and the employer must keep paying your full salary until the last day. Annual leave cannot be counted against a notice period that has already been given (section 6 of Law 8/1967), so plan any leave in advance with your employer.
Write your resignation letter. Keep it short: your name and position, a clear statement that you are resigning, the date the letter is handed over, the notice you are giving and your last working day. Thank the employer if you wish, but avoid accusations unless you are resigning because of the employer's conduct (see step 7).
Send it by email and hand over a signed copy, or send it by registered post, and ask for written confirmation of receipt. The Law requires the employer's notice to be in writing (section 9(5)); for the employee's notice the Law is silent, but a written resignation is the only reliable proof of the date and of the notice given.
Agree the handover and keep records. Return company property, passwords and documents, and agree what you will finish before you leave. Keep copies of your contract, payslips, leave records and the written statement of terms you received under Law 25(I)/2023, which must state the notice periods and the procedure for termination (section 11).
If your contract contains confidentiality or restrictive covenants, read them carefully. Confidentiality obligations continue after the end of employment. If the employer asks you to sign a settlement or waiver at the end, read it before signing; once signed, it may prevent later claims for unpaid amounts.
Check your final pay. On the last day you are entitled to your wages up to and including that day, any overtime and allowances, the proportional 13th salary if your contract or collective agreement provides for one, and pay for accrued annual leave you did not take. Under section 8(2) of Law 63(I)/2002 the minimum annual leave may be replaced by money only when the employment ends, so untaken statutory leave must then be paid.
Deductions from the final payment are lawful only on the grounds listed in section 10 of Law 35(I)/2007, for example with your prior written consent. A deduction for "training costs" or "damage" you never agreed to in writing can be challenged.
Ask for an employment certificate. Under section 8 of Law 24/1967 every employee whose employment ends, for any reason, is entitled to a certificate stating the dates of employment and the type of work done, provided you request it at the time of termination. The certificate may not contain anything unfavourable to you.
A reference about your performance is not an obligation of the employer, so ask for it separately if you need one. Check also that your employer has paid all social insurance contributions: request your record of insurable earnings from the Social Insurance Services, because missing contributions affect future benefits and pensions.
If you are leaving because of the employer's conduct, consider constructive dismissal. Section 7(1) of Law 24/1967 provides that when an employee lawfully terminates the employment because of the employer's conduct, the termination is treated as a dismissal by the employer. Typical examples are unpaid wages for several months, a unilateral cut in salary, demotion or harassment, conduct that goes to the root of the contract.
Under section 7(2) the court presumes that you did not terminate lawfully, so you must prove the breach. Complain in writing before you leave, state the employer's breach as the reason in your resignation letter, and do not wait too long, because continuing to work without protest may be taken as acceptance. If the court accepts your case, you receive compensation and notice pay as if you had been dismissed.
If wages or leave are not paid, claim them. Send the employer a written demand with a table of the amounts owed and a deadline. If that fails, you can complain to the Department of Labour Relations or file an application with the Labour Disputes Court, which hears claims for wages, leave and compensation arising from employment.
File within 12 months from the month in which each amount fell due; older months are lost before that court. For third-country nationals, a change of employer usually requires the approval of the Department of Labour and the Civil Registry and Migration Department, so check your permit conditions before resigning.
Register as unemployed if you have no new job. Apply for unemployment benefit at the Social Insurance Services and register with the Public Employment Service. Under section 34(2)(a) of Law 59(I)/2010, a person who left work voluntarily without reasonable cause may lose the benefit for up to six weeks.
If you resigned because of the employer's breach, for example unpaid wages, explain this in the application and attach your complaint letters, because a justified resignation is a reasonable cause. Redundancy payment from the Redundancy Fund is not available when you resign voluntarily, as it requires termination by the employer on grounds of redundancy.
What to watch out for
- Leaving without notice. Walking out before the statutory or contractual notice expires may expose you to a claim by the employer and damages the reference you may need; agree an earlier release in writing instead.
- Resigning to claim constructive dismissal without evidence. The court presumes that the resignation was not lawful (section 7(2) of Law 24/1967); without written complaints and proof of a serious breach the claim fails and you have resigned for nothing.
- Waiting too long after the breach. Continuing to work for months without protest after a pay cut or demotion may be treated as accepting the new terms, which defeats a constructive dismissal claim.
- Signing a final settlement without checking the figures. A waiver signed at the exit interview may bar later claims for leave, overtime or the 13th salary; calculate what is owed first.
- Ignoring permit conditions. Third-country nationals whose permit is tied to an employer may lose the right to stay or work if they resign without arranging the change of employer with the authorities.
- Losing the unemployment benefit. A voluntary resignation without reasonable cause may suspend benefit for up to six weeks; keep proof of the reasons for leaving.
- Not asking for the certificate in time. The right to a certificate of employment under section 8 of Law 24/1967 depends on asking for it at the time of termination.
Legal basis
Related court decisions
Frequently asked questions
How much notice do I have to give when I resign in Cyprus?
Under section 10 of Law 24/1967, at least one week after 26 weeks of continuous service, two weeks after 52 weeks and three weeks after 260 weeks. Before 26 weeks the Law requires no notice. If your contract or collective agreement requires a longer period, such as one month, you should give that longer notice.
Does my resignation have to be in writing?
The Law expressly requires written notice only from the employer (section 9(5) of Law 24/1967). In practice you should always resign in writing, by email and signed letter or registered post, and keep proof of the date the employer received it, because the notice period runs from that date.
Can I leave immediately without working my notice?
You can if the employer agrees to release you; get the agreement in writing. Without agreement, leaving early breaches your notice obligation and the employer may bring a claim. Section 15 of Law 24/1967 allows immediate termination without notice only where the other party's conduct justifies it.
Will I be paid for unused annual leave when I resign?
Yes. The statutory minimum leave can be replaced by money only when the employment ends (section 8(2) of Law 63(I)/2002), so accrued untaken leave must be paid in your final settlement. Claim it in writing if it is missing and, if necessary, before the Labour Disputes Court within 12 months.
Do I get redundancy money if I resign?
No. Redundancy payment from the Redundancy Fund under Law 24/1967 is paid when the employer terminates the employment because of redundancy, after at least 104 weeks of continuous service. A voluntary resignation does not qualify, unless the court accepts that you were in fact constructively dismissed.
What is constructive dismissal in Cyprus?
When you lawfully end your employment because of the employer's conduct, section 7(1) of Law 24/1967 treats it as a dismissal by the employer, so you can claim compensation and notice pay. The court presumes the opposite, so you must prove a serious breach, such as unpaid wages or a unilateral pay cut, and that you left because of it.
Can my employer deduct money from my last salary when I leave?
Only on the grounds allowed by section 10 of Law 35(I)/2007: deductions required by law, fund contributions, court orders, collective agreements, compensation for damage you caused deliberately or by gross negligence, or with your prior written consent. Training costs or 'notice not worked' deducted without a written agreement can be challenged.
Can I get unemployment benefit after resigning?
Possibly, but if you left voluntarily without reasonable cause the Social Insurance Services may withhold the benefit for up to six weeks (section 34(2) of Law 59(I)/2010). If you resigned because of the employer's breach, explain the reasons and attach your written complaints to the application.
Is my employer obliged to give me a reference?
Not a reference about performance, but a certificate of employment, yes. Under section 8 of Law 24/1967, if you ask for it at the time your employment ends, the employer must give you a certificate with the dates of employment and the type of work, and it may not contain anything unfavourable to you.
I am a third-country national. Can I resign and change employer?
Your residence and work permit is usually linked to a specific employer, so changing jobs generally needs the approval of the Department of Labour and the Civil Registry and Migration Department. Check the conditions of your permit and arrange the change before you resign, otherwise your right to stay may be affected.
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