Psychologist

(1)  Every person is eligible for registration in the Register of Licensed Psychologists provided the Council is satisfied that:

(a) they hold Cypriot citizenship or on the date of submission they are a spouse of a Cypriot citizen and they have their normal residence in Cyprus or are a citizen of a Member State;

(b) they are a person of good standing.  As evidence for this, they shall provide a clean criminal record certificate or, in the case of a citizen of a Member State, a copy of their criminal record or certificate or other relevant document issued by the competent authorities of their Member State of origin or provedance, and not more than 3 months have elapsed since the date of its issue;

(c) they are a holder of

(i) a degree, with psychology as its main subject, and awarded by a university faculty recognised as a university faculty by the competent national bodies in the country where it operates, and

(ii) a postgraduate qualification in an approved specialisation of applied psychology awarded after a minimum of 2 years’ of study at a faculty recognised as a university faculty by the competent national bodies in the country where it operates, and a traineeship of 1 000 hours, 500 of which shall be an integral part of the programme of studies.  Should the applicant, in the context of their postgraduate studies, have completed the required minimum of 500 hours but not the total of 1 000 hours, they must complete these hours with supervised training, as set out in section 5 hereof.

For the purposes of this subparagraph, more than one qualification may be accepted from French universities provided that the total duration of studies required for graduation is at least 2 years and provided that the qualifications in question relate to the same approved specialisation of applied psychology and that they are included in consecutive courses which are shown to end in a single postgraduate title, or

(iii) Irrespective of the provisions of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) above, they are a holder of a postgraduate qualification in an approved specialisation of applied psychology awarded after a minimum of 5 years’ study at a faculty recognised as a university faculty by the competent national bodies in the country where it operates and a traineeship of 1 000 hours, 500 of which shall be an integral part of the programme of studies.  Should the applicant, in the context of their postgraduate studies, have completed the above required minimum of 500 hours but not the total of 1 000 hours, they must complete these hours with supervised training, as set out in section 5 hereof;

(d) for the purposes of subparagraphs (ii) and (iii) of paragraph (c) and if the traineeship is not defined in terms of hours, the applicant must provide official proof signed by the training provider which certifies correspondence in the duration of the traineeship in hours;

(e) for the purposes of this section, should there be any doubt concerning recognition of the academic title of studies of any applicant, the Council shall require that the applicant contact the Cyprus Council of Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications (KY.S.A.T.S) in order to have the title of studies recognised, pursuant to the law of 1996, (68(I)1996), on the recognition of titles of studies of higher and university education and the provision of related information, as amended or replaced:

If applications are submitted for the registration of citizens of Member States in the Register of Licensed Psychologists, the provisions of this law shall apply subject to the provisions of the law on the recognition of professional qualifications of 2008, (31(I)/2008), as amended or replaced.

(2)  Persons who gained the qualifications required in paragraph (c) of section 1 prior to this law entering into force and have a traineeship of 1 000 hours as an integral part of their programme of studies are entitled to register in the Register of Licensed Psychologists, provided that they have satisfied the Council that they have completed 1 000 hours of training under the provisions of section 5:

The provisions of this section may also apply to those who study or have enrolled in a postgraduate programme before this law enters into force, which upon completion provides the qualification envisaged under subparagraph (ii) or (iii) of section 1 above.

(3)  Those not in possession of the qualifications required in paragraph c) of section 1 or section (2) hereof, are entitled to register in the Register of Licensed Psychologists provided that, prior to the entering into force of the amending law on the registration of professional psychologists of 2004, they:

(a) held a degree with psychology as its main subject, which is recognised as such by the competent national bodies in the country where it was awarded on the date it was obtained, and

(b) held a postgraduate qualification in a branch of psychology following studies of 1 year, which is recognised as such by the competent national bodies in the country where it was awarded on the date it was obtained, and

(c) can prove that they have practised the profession of psychologist in the Republic of Cyprus or worked in the Republic of Cyprus in special services which involved the provision of psychological support within that defined as applied psychology for at least 3 continuous years, and

(d) completed the period of traineeship which the Council of Registered Professional Psychologists deems necessary, which shall not exceed 1 000 hours.

(4)  Persons who do not possess the qualifications required under paragraph (c) of section (1), section (2) or section (3) hereof, but can prove that they practised the profession of psychologist in the Republic of Cyprus or worked in the Republic of Cyprus in special services which involved the provision of psychological support within the framework of the definition of applied psychology for at least 1 year, immediately prior to this law entering into force, are entitled to register in the Register of Licensed Psychologists, provided that they satisfy the Council that they possess the qualifications required under paragraphs a) and b) of section (1) and before the amending law of 1996 on the registration of professional psychologists entered into force –

(a)(i) they held a degree with psychology as its main subject, which is recognised as such by the competent national bodies in the country where it was awarded on the date it was obtained, and

(ii) can provide proof that they have practised the profession of psychologist in the Republic of Cyprus or worked in the Republic of Cyprus in special services which involved the provision of psychological support within the framework of the definition of applied psychology for at least 5 continuous years, or

(b)(i) they held a degree in psychology and a postgraduate degree in psychology following studies of at least 1 year, which on the date of being awarded were recognised by the competent national bodies in the country where they were awarded, and

(ii) can provide proof that they have practised the profession of psychologist in the Republic of Cyprus or worked in the Republic of Cyprus in special services which involved the provision of psychological support within the framework of the definition of applied psychology for at least 3 continuous years, or

(c)(i) they held a master’sdegree following studies of at least 4 years, which was obtained in the framework of a continuous programme of studies in psychology, which on the date of being awarded was recognised by the competent national bodies in the country where it was awarded, and

(ii) can provide proof that they have practised the profession of psychologist in the Republic of Cyprus or worked in the Republic of Cyprus in special services which involved the provision of psychological support within the framework of the definition of applied psychology for at least 3 continuous years.

(5)  Should an applicant meet all the criteria for registration in the Register of Licensed Psychologists, apart from the criterion of traineeship, then the Council may request that the applicant undertakes a traineeship under the supervision of a licensed psychologist, who has a proven track record over the past 5 years of having undertaken duties in applied psychology in the specialisation that the applicant wishes to register for, irrespective of the fact that they may not have been a licensed psychologist throughout the 5‑year period.  The traineeship is conducted under the following conditions:

(a)(i) It will either be carried out in competent state services or in private organisations to be approved by the Ministerial Council upon recommendation of the Council, provided that uninterrupted specific and reliable services in the area or areas of the applied specialisation of psychology are ensured, and

(ii) that during the traineeship, the person under supervision will attend a specific training programme which is submitted by the service or organisation where the training is undertaken and approved by the Council, provided that the essential requirements are covered in terms of staffing and logistical infrastructure, and

(iii) the person being supervised will be assessed by the service or organisation, and the Council will be notified accordingly.  If the assessment is not positive, the Council may either reject the applicant’s registration request or require further supervised training.

(b) Alternatively, it will be carried out in institutions or services in Cyprus and abroad which are proved to be providers of supervised training by the universities from which each applicant has obtained their postgraduate qualifications and on the basis of which they are seeking registration in the Register of Licensed Psychologists.

(6)  Irrespective of the provisions of paragraph (a), section (1) hereof, the Council may, in exceptional cases, permit a third-country citizen who possesses the qualifications set out in section (1), paragraphs (b) and (c) hereof to register in the Register for a certain period of time.

(7)  Anyone is eligible for registration in the Register of Licensed Psychologists if the Council is satisfied that:

(a) they hold Cypriot citizenship or on the date of submission they are a spouse of a Cypriot citizen and have their normal residence in Cyprus or they are a citizen of a Member State; and

(b) they are a person of good standing.  As evidence for this, they shall provide a clean criminal record certificate or, in the case of a citizen of a Member State, a copy of their criminal record or certificate or other relevant document issued by the competent authorities of their state of origin or provenance and that not more than 3 months have elapsed since the date of its issue; and

(c) they are a holder of a degree, with psychology as its main subject, awarded by a university faculty which is recognised as a university faculty by the competent national bodies in the country where it operates.

If applications are submitted for the registration of citizens of Member States in the Register of Qualified Psychologists, the provisions of this law shall apply subject to the law on the recognition of professional qualifications, as amended or replaced.

(8)  For the purposes of this law, qualifications deriving from postgraduate studies in psychology which preceded the acquiring of a degree in psychology cannot be accepted as postgraduate qualifications leading to registration in the Register of Licensed Psychologists.

Applications and the required supporting documents must be sent to the Registrar of the Council of Registered Professional Psychologists and submitted by post at the following address:

Registrar of the Council of Registered Professional Psychologists
Ministry of Health
Prodromou 1 and Cheilonos 17, 1448 Nicosia
Tel.: +357 22605412
Fax: +357 22605529
Email : ipanteli@moh.gov.cy

1. A. Registration in the Register of Qualified Psychologists

   To apply for registration in the Register of Qualified Psychologists, applicants should send their duly completed and signed registration application to the Registrar of the Council of Registered Professional Psychologists, accompanied by the following:

   1. • a certified copy of a degree in psychology, including the transcript of grades (NB: certification should be from the academic institution from which they graduated);
      • a certified copy of a birth certificate or identity card;
      • an original clean criminal record certificate, issued within the previous 3 months before applying;
      • EUR 100 in the form of a bank cheque or proof of deposit of EUR 100 into the bank account held by the Council in the Bank of Cyprus (the applicant’s name must appear on the slip).
   1. Registration in the Register of Licensed Psychologists

   To apply for registration in the Register of Licensed Psychologists for those already registered in the Register of Qualified Psychologists, applicants should send their duly completed and signed registration application to the Registrar of the Council of Registered Professional Psychologists, accompanied by the following:

   1. • a certified copy of a postgraduate degree or postgraduate qualifications as well as the corresponding certified transcript(s) of grades (NB: certification should be from the academic institution from which they graduated);
      • pursuant to section (1)(d) of Article 8, if the number of hours of the traineeship does not appear on the postgraduate degree’s transcript of grades, a certificate of completion of training showing the number of hours completed and signed by the training provider should be included;
      • an original clean criminal record certificate, issued within the last 3 months before applying;
      • EUR 100 in the form of a bank cheque or proof of deposit of EUR 100 into the bank account held by the Council in the Bank of Cyprus (the applicant’s name must appear on the slip).
   1. Registration in the Register of Qualified Psychologists and the Register of Licensed Psychologists

   To apply for registration in the Register of Qualified Psychologists and the Register of Licensed Psychologists, applicants should send their duly completed and signed registration application to the Registrar of the Council of Registered Professional Psychologists, accompanied by the following:

   1. • a certified copy of a degree in psychology, including the transcript of grades (NB: certification should be from the academic institution from which they graduated);
      • a certified copy of a postgraduate degree or postgraduate qualifications as well as the corresponding certified transcript(s) of grades (NB: certification should be from the academic institution from which they graduated);
      • a certified copy of a birth certificate or identity card;
      • pursuant to section (1)(d) of Article 8, if the number of hours of the traineeship does not appear on the postgraduate degree’s transcript of grades, a certificate of completion of training showing the number of hours completed and signed by the training provider should be included;
      • an original clean criminal record certificate, issued within the last 3 months before applying;

   EUR 250 in the form of a bank cheque or proof of deposit of EUR 250 into the bank account held by the Council in the Bank of Cyprus (the applicant’s name must appear on the slip).

Fee for examination of applications / registration in both registers:

• Fee for registration in the Register of Qualified Psychologists: EUR 100;
• Fee for registration in the Register of Licensed (Professional) Psychologists: EUR 150;
• Fee for registration in both Registers simultaneously: EUR 250.

Payment can be made through a bank transfer or cash deposit into the Council’s account, which is:

Council of Registered Professional Psychologists
BANK OF CYPRUS
Account number: 0161-01-011600-00
IBAN: CY79002001610000000101160000

When paying, the applicant should ensure that their full name and identity details appear on the deposit slip.

Administrative Action Against a Competent Authority’s Decision

A person who is not satisfied by a Council decision may, within twenty (20) days of the date on which the Council’s decision is notified to him/her, challenge that decision by written Administrative Action to the Minister of Health; this provision is regulated in the Health Professionals Registration Councils (Exercise of Hierarchical Administrative Action) Law of 2017.

Any person may file an Administrative Action at the Administrative Court against a decision, act or omission of any competent authority or body.

Pursuant to Article 146 of the Constitution, an Administrative Action may be lodged within 75 days from the date of the decision or act or omission or from the day when such decision or act or omission was notified to the applicant.

The Administrative Court acts as a cassation Court and not as a substantive Court. In other words, the Administrative Court may:

I. Dismiss the Administrative Action
II. Annul wholly or partially the contested decision or act
III. Compel the relevant authority or body to take a certain action

After a decision is annulled, the authority and/or public body must reverse things back to the state prior to when the concerned decision and/or act was executed and reexamine.

Appeal Information

An Appeal may be filed against the Administrative Court’s first-instance decision within a period of 42 days from the date such a decision was given.

At the Supreme Court (Court of Appeal Section) hearing, the contested issue of the appeal remains the legality of the decision or act already adjudicated.

However, such a revision of the legality of the decision or act is solely examined on the matters and the extent that the two parties have limited the reasons in the relevant notice of appeal.

The decision adopted by the Supreme Court is considered final in relation to the matter that has been judged.

The Registration of Psychologists Law of 1995 (68(I)/1995)

Only a psychologist whose name is registered in the Registers of Psychologists below may practise the profession of psychologist or present themselves as a psychologist or operate in any other way as a psychologist:

1. A) Register of qualified psychologists; and
2. B) Register of licensed psychologists.

Every licensed psychologist is obliged to practise the profession of a licensed psychologist in the framework of the approved specialisation of applied psychology, which has been recognised by the Council. Every qualified psychologist is strictly limited to practising only those duties set out within the framework of responsibilities for qualified psychologists, under this law.

Where this is not the case, under the law on the registration of professional psychologists of 1995, (68(I)1995), as amended, whoever practises the profession of psychologist or presents themselves or operates in any other way as a psychologist, without having their name registered in the Registers of Psychologists, is guilty of a criminal offence.