Know Your Rights as a Worker in Cyprus: Your Passport, Your Pay and Where to Get Help

Last updated: 26 October 2026

Most Indians who come to Cyprus to work have a fair employer and a straightforward job. But not everyone is so lucky, and the people most at risk are often the ones who know least about their rights. This guide sets out the basics every worker should know, and exactly where to turn if something goes wrong.

It comes at a timely moment. In September, police and labour inspectors across 34 European countries, Cyprus included, carried out a week of joint checks on workplaces at high risk of exploitation, and the results were published this month.

What the checks found in Cyprus

Between 14 and 20 September, officers from the police anti-trafficking office and the immigration service, working with the Department of Labour Inspection, visited 12 workplaces in Nicosia and Larnaca, from farms and livestock units to restaurants and businesses in industrial areas. Of the 83 people they checked, of many nationalities, one was identified as a trafficking victim. The EU's summary describes the Cyprus case as a livestock farmworker working ten hours a day, unpaid and without a single day off, whose employer had taken his passport. The inspectors also found labour-law breaches affecting 19 workers at three businesses and filed complaints.

Across Europe, the week led to 27 arrests for trafficking and 248 possible victims, many of them from Vietnam, China, India and the Philippines.

Your basic rights

• Your passport belongs to you. An employer, agent or landlord has no reason to hold on to it. The International Labour Organization lists taking away a worker's identity documents, and holding back their wages, among the classic warning signs of forced labour.
• Your job terms in writing. Cyprus law requires your employer to give you the main terms of your job in writing, including where you work, what you do and how and when you are paid. Keep a copy of your contract and your payslips.
• Minimum pay. For most full-time jobs, the national minimum wage in 2026 is €979 a month gross when you start and €1,088 after six months with the same employer. Some sectors, including hotel, domestic and maritime work, are not covered by this decree and follow their own rules or agreements, so check what applies to you.
• Limits on hours. Unless a better arrangement applies, your working week cannot go over 48 hours on average, overtime included, and you are entitled to at least 11 hours' rest in every 24.
• No punishment for complaining. Cyprus labour law protects employees from being dismissed or treated badly for filing a complaint or taking part in proceedings against an employer.

Where to get help

• Labour problems (unpaid wages, excessive hours, no contract): contact the Ministry of Labour's Department of Labour Relations or Department of Labour Inspection. You don't have to give your name: the ministry accepts anonymous reports of exploitation or undeclared work, and its inspectors make roughly 8,000 workplace visits a year.
• Trafficking or forced labour: tell the police anonymously on the 1497 line, which the Justice Ministry has asked the public to use for any suspicion of trafficking. In an emergency, contact the police straight away.
• The High Commission of India in Nicosia: Indian nationals can raise a problem through the High Commission's grievance procedure or the MADAD consular portal. Phone: +357 22 351741 or +357 22 351170.

What this means for you

• Before you travel: get your contract in writing and read it before you leave India. Be wary of agents who ask for large fees or promise jobs that sound too good to be true.
• Keep records: photograph your contract, permit and passport, and keep every payslip and a note of the hours you work. Evidence makes a complaint much stronger.
• Know the warning signs: someone keeping your passport, wages that never arrive, being told you cannot leave, or living conditions you were not promised. Any of these is a reason to get advice.
• Look out for others: if you suspect a friend, flatmate or colleague is being exploited, you can report it without giving your name.
• Students: the same protections apply to your part-time job. Our student guide explains the work limits that come with a student permit.

Read also: India's High Commissioner on Indian Workers and Students in Cyprus: What He Said and What It Means for You and Indians Are 1 in 5 Non-EU Workers in Cyprus: Who Can Legally Work Here?

Sources: European Labour Authority, Sigmalive, Cyprus Mail (August 2026), Cyprus Mail (June 2023), RSM Cyprus, Ministry of Labour employment guide, ILO, High Commission of India, Government of India directory

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in our guides is accurate and up to date, but rules, fees and procedures can change without notice. Please verify the details with the relevant official authority before acting on them. This guide is for general information only and is not legal, financial or immigration advice.