The House this week approved yet another extension to the licensing deadline for hotels and tourist accommodations, triggering backlash from MPs over years of delays and what they called ‘fictitious progress’.

The new law pushes the deadline for securing an operating licence from the Deputy Ministry of Tourism to November 30, 2025, two months later than planned, despite what lawmakers described as deep-rooted bureaucratic stagnation.

Only 12 per cent of hotels are currently licensed, Akel MP Costas Costa told the chamber, with 217 applications still pending.

“Another extension cannot be granted,” he said, adding that “the issue has been discussed for six years and no matter how many excuses have been heard, the owners’ attitude is unjustified.”

The law now requires architectural plans submitted for exemption to be backed by a designer’s certificate verifying they match the actual layout, while the temporary fire certificate is extended until June 30, 2027.

A certificate of faithful execution is also required for new Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) installations without a recent inspection report.

According to the department of labour inspection, “the regulations specify the technical requirements for a safe installation, operation, maintenance and periodic audit of LPG installations and storage facilities.”

Accommodation owners who have already submitted a hotel manager form will not need to file it again.

A special operating mark must be issued within two months of a complete application, and if fire safety rules aren’t met, operators will have two months to resubmit plans or provide a valid certificate, otherwise, they must cease operations.

A related Akel amendment, also approved, now requires the Deputy Ministry to submit written updates every six months to the Energy Committee on the status of application reviews.

Disy MP Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis called out a “mentality of postponements and conflicting philosophies,” slamming what he described as “miserably” and fictitious reporting.

“We are talking about illegalities,” he said, noting outdated EU standards and promising that his party would propose a permanent solution.

Diko MP Chrysis Pantelidis said just 16 per cent of all hotels and other tourist accommodations are licensed, stating that repeated extensions have turned into a chronic issue.

“The responsibility lies not only with the parliament but also with the executive branch,” he said, calling for proper monitoring.

Akel MP Irini Charalambidou justified her negative vote, saying that “the procrastination must finally end.”

To access any tourism funding scheme, hotels must now either hold a valid licence or comply with temporary provisions for unlicensed accommodation.