Petrol Station Operation

Every natural or legal person is eligible to obtain the licence for the operation of petrol stations, provided that the Municipal Council or the District Officer depending on the place where the station is planned to be located, is satisfied that the requirements set by different legislations of the Republic of Cyprus are met, such as:

• the obtainment of a building permit for the specific use (in case of a construction of a new petrol station or a refurbishment, alteration or extension of an existing petrol station);
• the obtainment of the certificate of approval for the premises by the Municipal Council or District Administration (in case of a construction of a new petrol station or a refurbishment, alteration or extension of an existing petrol station);
• the obtainment of the Certificate of Appropriateness by the Public Works Department according to the provisions of the Petroleum Law Cap 272 (this document is sent directly to the Municipality by the competent authority, after the submission of the application form);
• the obtainment of the Report of Appropriateness by the Cyprus Fire Service (this document is sent directly to the Municipality by the competent authority, after the submission of the application form);
• the obtainment of the Air Emission Permit issued by the Department of Labour Inspection.

In the case that the petrol station is located within the boundaries of a Municipality, the Application for the Operation of a Petrol Station should be submitted to the local Municipal Council; whereas in all other cases, a letter should be submitted to the local District Officer.

The application form or the letter can be submitted either through the PSC Cyprus or by contacting directly the local Municipal Council or District Administration Office, respectively. The contact details of the local authorities are provided in related documents.

1. The application/letter should be accompanied by the following documents:

   • original Certificate of Appropriateness issued by the Public Works Department (The Report is sent directly to the Municipality by the Public Works Department, after the submission of the application form) (The Report is sent directly to the Municipality by the Cyprus Fire Service, after the submission of the application form);
   • original Report of Appropriateness issued by the Cyprus Fire Service;
   • original Air Emission Permit issued by the Department of Labour Inspection in the case of Municipalities, which is normally valid for five years (for the first year of the obtainment of the Permit. For the subsequent years of the validity of the Permit a copy of the Permit should be submitted. In case the Permit is revoked, the applicant must immediately inform the Municipality) Notably, in the case of District Administration Offices the Air Emission Permit is not required to be submitted; rather the opinion of the Department of Labour Inspection are requested during the examination stage of the application;
   • copy of a building permit and certificate of approval issued by the local Municipality or District Administration Office accordingly (in case of a construction of a new petrol station or a refurbishment, alteration or extension of an existing petrol station).

Upon approval, the applicant needs to pay to the local Municipal Council / local Community Council accordingly, the licence fee depending on the storage capacity of the petrol station. Indicatively, the fee for a storage capacity of up to 2000 litres of petrol is €51.26, while the fee for every additional petrol of up to 2000 litres is €17,09. The method of payment depends on the local Municipal Council / District Administration Office.

Administrative Action Against a Competent Authority’s Decision

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 Regulating Petroleum Stations Law of 1968 (94/1968)

Licensed persons to operate a petrol station are obliged to comply with the provisions of the Petroleum Station Law of 1968 (94/1968) and relevant Regulations, as periodically amended, as well as with the terms and conditions of the licence set by the Municipality or District Officer.

Authorized officers of the local Municipal Council or District Administration Office may inspect the premises, for which the licence has been issued, in order to ensure compliance with the provisions of the relevant Laws and Regulations, as well as with the terms and conditions of the licence.