Cyprus startup journey — week-by-week from Day 1 to exit.

Initial scoping + Cyprus Ltd Essential / Basic / Business tier setup.

• Free 30-min scoping call (English / French / German / Italian / Spanish / Greek / Polish / Hebrew available).
• Cyprus tier selection (Essential €799 / Basic €2,499 / Business €3,699 from /pricing/company-registration).
• KYC documentation gathering (passport, proof of address, source-of-funds).
• Engagement letter signed.
• Cyprus Ltd incorporated (10 working days standard) — see /articles/how-to-register-a-company-in-cyprus.

Cyprus banking, tax registrations, founder relocation (optional).

• Cyprus banking: traditional bank (Eurobank Cyprus / Bank of Cyprus / AstroBank, 4-8 weeks) + EMI (Wise / Revolut Business, 3-10 days).
• VAT/VIES registration (if turnover >€15,600).
• Cyprus social-insurance registration (if hiring employees).
• Founder Tax Residency + Non-Dom Bundle (€699 + VAT) — for founders relocating.
• Yellow Slip (EU) / Pink Slip (non-EU) application.

Pre-seed / seed fundraising + IP Box scoping.

• Shareholders' Agreement drafted (Cyprus Bar / ICPAC-led, see /articles/cyprus-shareholders-agreement-essentials-2026).
• Multi-class share structure designed (founder + investor + employee classes).
• Pre-seed / seed funding: SAFE / convertible-note / Series Seed Preferred (see /articles/cyprus-startup-funding-rounds-taxonomy-2026).
• ESOP framework established + first allocations (see /articles/cyprus-esop-stock-options-taxation-2026).
• IP Box methodology development begins (qualifying-IP characterisation + nexus calculation).

First annual cycle of Cyprus operations.

• Quarterly VAT + VIES returns.
• Annual audit by ICPAC-firm.
• Annual IR4 corporate tax return with IP Box deduction claim (if applicable).
• Annual HE32 + UBO Register updates.
• Founder annual IR1 personal tax return.
• 20% R&D super-deduction claim (2026 reform — see /articles/cyprus-r-and-d-super-deduction-2026).

Series A / B fundraising + ATR pre-clearance + governance upgrade.

• Series A round (€3M-€15M typical): VC-grade SHA + multi-class preferred + drag/tag/ROFR.
• Series B round (€10M-€50M): growth-equity participation + governance upgrade.
• Optional ATR (Advance Tax Ruling) for binding IP Box pre-clearance (€4,000-€5,500 + VAT + €1,000/€2,000 gov fee).
• Cyprus payroll bureau scales (4-10 employees: €150 + VAT/month).
• Founder secondary partial-liquidity (0% Article 9(1)(g) titles exemption — see /articles/cyprus-secondary-share-sales-founder-liquidity-2026).

Series C + pre-IPO restructuring + IFRS upgrade.

• Series C round (€30M-€150M).
• IFRS-compliant audit (typically required for IPO-readiness 12-24 months ahead).
• Governance upgrade: board independence + audit / risk / remuneration committees + internal-controls framework.
• Pre-IPO share-class consolidation (multi-class to single-class or dual-class for founder control).
• Pre-IPO secondary partial-liquidity for founder + early investors (0% Article 9(1)(g)).

M&A or IPO exit. 0% Cyprus CGT on founder + investor share-sale.

• M&A: 90-day completion playbook (see /articles/cyprus-ma-playbook-2026).
• IPO: 12-24 month arc, listing on CSE / LSE / NASDAQ / Euronext / FSE.
• Founder + investor share-sale: 0% Cyprus CGT (Article 9(1)(g) titles exemption).
• Post-2026 stamp-duty repeal — €0 transaction friction.
• Founder Non-Dom 0% SDC on post-exit dividend take-out for 17 years from Cyprus tax-residency.