Occupational Therapist

Any natural person shall be entitled to register as a professional occupational therapist, provided that the Professional Occupational Therapists Registration Council is satisfied that the following criteria are met:

(a)is a citizen of the Republic or a Member State or is a spouse or child of a citizen of the Republic and is habitually resident in Cyprus;

(b) is at least 21 years old;

(c) has not been convicted in the last five years of an offence that involves moral obscenity or lack of honesty;

(d) holds a degree or diploma in occupational therapy:

(i) granted by a university or other equivalent educational institution recognised under the Recognition of Higher and Highest Education Qualifications and the Provision of Relevant Information Law and in accordance with the relevant Council criteria which are consistent with the applicable guidelines of the European Union;

(ii) is recognised by the country in which the university/educational institution from which it was acquired is located and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

Applications for registration in the Register of Professional Occupational Therapists shall be submitted to the Registrar of the Council for the Registration of Professional Occupational Therapists together with the necessary documents, as specified in the applications, and the fee fixed by the Council:

Registrar, Professional Occupational Therapists’ Registration Council
P.O. Box: 12847
2253 Latsia Nicosia
Telephone: +357-97810202
Email: cyprusregistryot@gmail.com

1. Supportive documents and certificates that must accompany the application:

   a) copy of Birth Certificate;
   b) copy of Passport (for EU Member State citizens from other Member States)
   c) copy of Wedding Certificate (in case the applicant is not an EU member state citizen but is married to an EU member state citizen);
   d) copy of High School Leaving Certificate ;
   e) certified copy of the University Degree/ Diploma;
   f) certified copy of the Official Transcript of Academic Records;
   g) certified copy of Certificate of Professional Traineeship;
   h) original Certificate of Clear Criminal Record Certificate;
   i) original Certificate of recognition of the professional qualification/Title of Studies by the competent body of the country of origin (concerns Member State Citizens );
   j) Professional License Certificate from the Competent Authority of the Member of Establishment/Origin (certifying the period of professionally exercising the profession (professional experience) concerns Member State citizens);
   k) copy of certificate of good knowledge of the Greek language (language level C1, concerns Member State citizens).

    

   Please note that certificates/degrees in languages other than Greek or English must be officially translated and stamped by a registered sworn translator.

   The original certificates must be presented along with copies for certification purposes.

The fees are as follows:

•  €35 application fee (in the event of rejection of the application for registration in the Register, the fee paid by the applicant shall be considered as expenditure for the examination of the application and shall not be refunded);
• stamp of €8,54;
• €55 combined fee for registration and issue of annual license;
• the annual renewal fee is €35 and is mandatory.

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 Professional Occupational Therapists Laws of 2006 (34(I)/2006) and 2014 (Ν. 203(Ι)/2014)

No registered professional occupational therapist may practice as an occupational therapist unless he/she has paid the Council the fixed fee and obtained an annual licence to practice.

A registered professional occupational therapist who practices the profession of occupational therapist without holding an annual practising licence valid at the time of the practice of occupational therapy is guilty of a criminal offence and is subject to a financial penalty.