Professional Indemnity Insurance for Architects & Engineers in Cyprus — from €180/year
Professional indemnity insurance covers an architect's or engineer's legal liability when a negligent act, error, or omission in your design or engineering work causes a client or third party financial loss. It pays defence costs, settlements, and damages. The same cover is also called professional liability or errors and omissions (E&O). In Cyprus, architects and civil engineers are registered with ETEK, the Scientific and Technical Chamber. DigiCare Insurance is an independent Cyprus broker that has placed cover for 47 years, serving Cypriot and foreign-qualified professionals alike.
No ETEK insurance certificate, no study submission. If you work under the New Development Licensing Policy, you need cover in force before you file.
Why DigiCare
Why architects and engineers choose DigiCare
A real, published price
Most Cyprus insurers hide architect and engineer PI behind a quote wall. We publish a real starting price: from €180/year for a sole professional at the €300,000 ETEK minimum. You see the number before you commit.
Same-day ETEK certificate
We arrange cover so ETEK can issue the insurance certificate you need to submit your studies. We move fast when your filing deadline is close.
We compare licensed insurers
We're a broker, not a single insurer. We put several licensed Cyprus insurers side by side and bring you the best fit for your practice and your budget.
Five languages
We work in English, Russian, Greek, Hebrew, and Polish. That suits foreign-qualified engineers and international design firms practising in Cyprus.
The rule
Is professional indemnity insurance mandatory for architects and engineers in Cyprus?
Yes, for architects and civil engineers who submit studies under Cyprus's New Development Licensing Policy. ETEK requires professional indemnity cover of at least €300,000 per claim and per insurance period, then issues the insurance certificate that must go with your submission.
The mechanic is simple. No certificate, no submission. Without proof of valid PI cover, ETEK won't issue your certificate, and an in-scope designer can't file the studies. The requirement has applied since 1 October 2020, when the first order (K.Δ.Π. 388/2020) took effect, and its scope was extended on 15 September 2022 (K.Δ.Π. 357/2022).
Worth correcting a common claim you'll still read online: that architects in Cyprus aren't obliged to hold PI. That was broadly true before October 2020. It's now out of date for anyone working under the fast-track residential licensing route or the Streets and Buildings exemption route, where the cover and certificate are compulsory.
Foreign-qualified and expat engineers practising in Cyprus face the same rule. If you submit studies under the licensing route, you need ETEK registration and the insurance certificate. ETEK can revise its minimum terms, so confirm the current requirement with ETEK before you file.
Last verified: 23 June 2026 · ETEK, Law 224/1990
Verified limits
Minimum PI cover ETEK requires
ETEK sets a minimum professional indemnity limit of €300,000 per claim and per insurance period, including costs and interest. The policy can carry a deductible of up to 5% of your declared annual turnover, and the minimum cancellation or non-renewal notice is 60 days. These are the minimum acceptable terms in ETEK's Internal Regulations (ref 04Α/06.12.2022).
| Requirement | ETEK minimum | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Per claim | €300,000 | ETEK Internal Regulations (incl. costs & interest) |
| Per insurance period | €300,000 | ETEK Internal Regulations (incl. costs & interest) |
| Maximum deductible | 5% of turnover | ETEK minimum acceptable terms |
| Cancellation / non-renewal notice | 60 days | ETEK minimum acceptable terms |
The €300,000 figure is a minimum, a floor and not a ceiling. On large or high-value projects it can be exhausted by a single claim, so many design firms buy well above it. You can, and on big jobs should, take a higher limit.
Figures verified against ETEK's Internal Regulations and the published minimum terms. ETEK's terms can change, so confirm the current minimum with ETEK at etek.org.cy (businessincyprus.gov.cy).
How much does architect and engineer PI insurance cost in Cyprus?
Architect and engineer PI typically starts from around €180 to €322 per year for a sole professional at the €300,000 ETEK minimum. DigiCare's published starting point is from €180, with other Cyprus market pages starting near €322. The premium climbs with your fee income or turnover, the limit you pick, the size and value of your projects, the scope of your work, and your claims history.
- Fee income or turnover: a sole designer pays less than a busy multi-person firm.
- Cover limit: the €300,000 ETEK minimum is the cheapest base; higher limits cost more.
- Project size and value: large or high-value works carry more risk, so they cost more to insure.
- Scope of work: structural and complex engineering work prices higher than light design work.
- Claims history: past claims raise the premium.
- Optional extensions: covers like loss of documents or higher limits add to the price.
| Practice | Indicative annual premium |
|---|---|
| Sole architect or engineer at the €300,000 minimum | from €180/yr |
| Small design or engineering firm | By quote |
| Larger firm with high-value or high-risk projects | By quote |
The €180 figure is an indicative starting premium for the cheapest profile. Your final price comes from a quote, so we can match the cover to your turnover, your limit, and the work you actually do.
What architect and engineer PI insurance covers (and what it doesn't)
Most claims against a design professional start with one mistake that costs a client money. Here's how the cover responds.
What it covers
What it does not cover
How claims-made cover works
Architect and engineer PI is written on a claims-made basis. In plain terms, the policy in force when a claim is made against you is the one that responds, not the policy you held when you did the work. Under ETEK's base terms the retroactive date is not applicable, but a retroactive extension that covers past work is recommended and offered by brokers. This matters for engineers with long-tail projects, so keep cover live: let it lapse and a later claim may not be paid.
A few examples show how this plays out. An architect's mismeasurement forces expensive rework and the client sues for the loss. A civil engineer's calculation error leads to a structural defect that needs remediation. A late or non-compliant submission causes the client financial loss and a negligence claim. Each one is a financial loss caused by professional work, which is exactly what PI answers, paying defence and indemnity up to the limit. On a large-value project the €300,000 minimum can run out, which is a reason to buy higher.
One thing PI doesn't do: it won't cover injury to people or damage to property. That belongs to public liability insurance. A data breach or a hacked project file is a cyber insurance matter. For the general concept and how PI sits beside other covers, see professional indemnity insurance in Cyprus.
Run-off cover, firms, and higher limits
Because PI is claims-made, a claim can land after you close or leave a practice, sometimes years later. Run-off cover answers this. It responds to claims made after you stop practising, for work you did while insured. An architect or engineer who retires or shuts a firm should arrange it.
ETEK insures the natural person and their staff. A registered architecture or engineering firm whose members hold valid ETEK registration is sent the insurance certificate by ETEK automatically once cover is in place, so a firm and a sole professional take different routes to the same certificate.
Beyond the statutory floor, brokers add optional extensions: loss of documents, consortium or joint-venture liability, libel and slander, retroactive cover, and higher limits. Consortium and joint-venture work is usually excluded unless you declare it, so tell us if you partner on projects.
Larger firms and high-value design work usually buy well above the €300,000 minimum, because a single big project can produce a claim far larger than the floor.
Who needs architect and engineer PI insurance
Any architect or civil engineer who submits studies under the New Development Licensing Policy needs the cover and certificate. Some practices carry more risk than others.
Sole architects and engineers
You carry the full exposure alone, so cover at the €300,000 minimum is your starting point.
Designers submitting studies
If you file studies under the fast-track residential route, the certificate is compulsory before you submit.
Registered design firms
Once your members are covered, ETEK issues the firm's certificate. We arrange a policy that fits the whole practice.
Surveyors and quantity surveyors
Surveying and QS work sits in the same proposal category, so it's worth covering on the same basis.
Foreign-qualified and expat engineers practising in Cyprus still need ETEK registration and the insurance certificate to submit studies. We handle the whole process in English.
Get covered
How to get your cover and ETEK certificate
Tell us about your practice
Your profession, your fee income or turnover, the limit you want, and the scope of your projects.
We compare licensed insurers
We put several licensed Cyprus insurers side by side and send your quote, meeting or exceeding the €300,000 minimum.
Pay and get your certificate
We place the cover and handle the ETEK certificate, emailed the same day so you can submit your studies on time.
We're an independent broker comparing multiple licensed Cyprus insurers, not a single insurer, and we serve foreign-qualified and expat engineers in English.
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