Emergency preparedness in Cyprus: official guidance in English

Short answer. Cyprus Civil Defence asks every household to build an emergency kit for three days, with 3 litres of water per person per day ¹. Civil Defence public shelters, mostly in existing basements, cover about 45% of the population according to the Minister of Interior in March 2026 ². Warnings come by siren, CY-Alert on mobile phones and the SafeCY app ³⁴⁵; the emergency numbers are 112 and 199 ⁶.

Information verified against official Cypriot sources on 20 October 2026. Preparedness, shelters, sirens and CY-Alert are run by the Cyprus Civil Defence Force (Δύναμη Πολιτικής Άμυνας), part of the Ministry of Interior ²⁵.

What is Cyprus's official preparedness leaflet?

The current leaflet is the Family Communication Emergency Plan (P.I.O. 41/2026), published in English by Civil Defence and the Press and Information Office, with a Greek edition, Οικογενειακό Σχέδιο Έκτακτης Ανάγκης ¹⁷. It gives a three-day kit list and a form for family contact details ¹. Older Civil Defence leaflets cover the 72-hour supplies ⁸ and the siren signals (Συναγερμός, 2002) ⁹. On 3 March 2026 the Ministry of Interior and Civil Defence issued self-protection instructions for hostile action ³.

What does each Cyprus page cover?

Where should I start?

1. Supplies. Put together three days of water, food and essentials ¹. Start with the kit checklist.
2. Know your shelter. Find the nearest Civil Defence shelter in advance with the SafeCY app or by phoning the Civil Defence Operations Control Centre ¹⁰¹¹. See public shelters.
3. Know the signals. Learn the two main siren tones and enable SafeCY notifications ³⁴. See alerts.

Then write down your family contacts, as the Civil Defence plan asks ¹. Our family emergency plan guide explains how.

What is still being confirmed?

Some points in our Cypriot data are not confirmed and are not presented as fact on these pages:

• potassium iodide tablets: we found no official Cypriot page on distribution, zones or sale; the iodine page is marked accordingly;
• the rules for building a private shelter: no permit or declaration procedure could be found, and the Civil Defence (General) Regulations 1997 and their amendments could not be read ¹²;
• shelter technical standards: Cyprus publishes none that we could find, so there is no shelter-standards page for Cyprus.

Frequently asked questions

Who is in charge of civil protection in Cyprus?

The Cyprus Civil Defence Force, under the Ministry of Interior, runs shelters, sirens and CY-Alert ²⁵. In March 2026 the Council of Ministers approved a bill creating a National Civil Protection Mechanism, to be tabled in Parliament; we did not check whether it has been adopted ².

How many days of supplies does Cyprus recommend?

Three days, with 3 litres of water per person per day ¹.

What is the emergency number in Cyprus?

112, free from mobile, fixed and public phones, with operators who speak Greek and English; 199 also works ⁶.

Is there an official app?

Yes. SafeCY shows the nearest Civil Defence shelter and, since 11 March 2026, can deliver emergency notifications ¹⁰⁴.

Sources

1. Cyprus Civil Defence / Press and Information Office — Family Communication Emergency Plan (P.I.O. 41/2026) — https://www.gov.cy/media/sites/156/2025/12/English-familyPlan.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών — Δηλώσεις του Υπουργού Εσωτερικών κ. Κωνσταντίνου Ιωάννου για τα καταφύγια, τις αποφάσεις του Υπουργικού Συμβουλίου και την εφαρμογή SafeCY — https://www.gov.cy/esoterika-themata/diloseis-tou-ypourgou-esoterikon-k-konstantinou-ioannou-gia-ta-katafygia-tis-apofaseis-tou-ypourgikou-symvouliou-kai-tin-efarmogi-safecy/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών & Δύναμη Πολιτικής Άμυνας — Οδηγίες αυτοπροστασίας σε περίπτωση κινδύνου από εχθρική ενέργεια — https://www.gov.cy/esoterika-themata/odigies-aftoprostasias-se-periptosi-kindynou-apo-echthriki-energeia/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Υφυπουργείο Έρευνας, Καινοτομίας και Ψηφιακής Πολιτικής & Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών — Κοινό Ανακοινωθέν Υπουργείου Εσωτερικών και Υφυπουργείου Έρευνας, Καινοτομίας και Ψηφιακής Πολιτικής: Νέα λειτουργικότητα στην εφαρμογή SafeCY για άμεση ενημέρωση των πολιτών σε περιπτώσεις κινδύνου ή έκτακτης ανάγκης — https://www.gov.cy/esoterika-themata/koino-anakoinothen-ypourgeiou-esoterikon-kai-yfypourgeiou-erevnas-kainotomias-kai-psifiakis-politikis-nea-leitourgikotita-stin-efarmogi-safecy-gia-amesi-enimerosi-ton-politon-se-periptoseis-kindynou/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Cyprus Civil Defence — CY-Alert: Launch of the National Public Warning System — https://www.gov.cy/moi-cd/en/uncategorized/cy-alert-launch-of-the-national-public-warning-system/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
6. Cyprus Civil Defence Force — Single European Emergency Call Number 112 (leaflet) — https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/CD/cd.nsf/all/D1AFEBE916C56683C225858A002594F5/$file/112 Leaflet.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
7. Δύναμη Πολιτικής Άμυνας / Γραφείο Τύπου και Πληροφοριών — Οικογενειακό Σχέδιο Έκτακτης Ανάγκης — https://www.gov.cy/media/sites/156/2026/06/Triptixo_blue-merged.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
8. Δύναμη Πολιτικής Άμυνας (Cyprus Civil Defence Force) — Οι πιο σημαντικές προμήθειες για 72 ώρες / Most important supplies for 72 hours — https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/CD/cd.nsf/All/E432A8C0C2439328C2258C5E002AAEE9/$file/Οι πιο σημαντικές προμήθειες για 72 ώρες.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
9. Δύναμη Πολιτικής Άμυνας / Γραφείο Τύπου και Πληροφοριών (Γ.Τ.Π. 172/2002) — Συναγερμός — https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/CD/cd.nsf/All/E742FDC2B4F5C2B3C225858800317F34/$file/Συναγερμός.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
10. Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών — Ενεργοποίηση εφαρμογής «SafeCY» για εντοπισμό του πλησιέστερου καταφυγίου Πολιτικής Άμυνας — https://www.gov.cy/esoterika-themata/energopoiisi-efarmogis-safecy-gia-entopismo-tou-plisiesterou-katafygiou-politikis-amynas/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
11. Δύναμη Πολιτικής Άμυνας — Ενέργειες Δύναμης Πολιτικής Άμυνας στην περιοχή Ακρωτηρίου — https://www.gov.cy/esoterika-themata/energeies-dynamis-politikis-amynas-stin-periochi-akrotiriou/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
12. Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία – Επίσημη Εφημερίδα, Παρ. Ι(Ι), Αρ. 3111, 31.12.1996 — Ο περί Πολιτικής Άμυνας Νόμος του 1996 (Ν. 117(Ι)/96) — https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://www.moi.gov.cy/MOI/CD/cd.nsf/All/88827CD3A3ABD2A9C22584F90025F41B/$file/Ο ΠΕΡΙ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗΣ ΑΜΥΝΑΣ ΝΟΜΟΣ ΤΟΥ 1996.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)