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Nursery and kindergarten fee subsidy in Cyprus: 2026–2027

Two schemes subsidising nursery and kindergarten fees in 2026–2027, for children under four and over four: who qualifies, how much they cover, how to apply and when payments start.

Cyprus InformEditorial team

27 October 2026 7 min read

Nursery and kindergarten fee subsidy in Cyprus: 2026–2027

Checked: 27 October 2026.

Nursery fee subsidies in Cyprus: at a glance

For the 2026–2027 school year, Cyprus has two schemes that subsidise nursery and kindergarten fees. Both are run by the Welfare Benefits Administration Service (WBAS) of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare and were approved by the Council of Ministers on 19 May 2026.

The first scheme is for children under four: it covers up to 80% of the fees and depends on family income. The second is for children over four who have not yet reached compulsory pre-primary school age: it covers the full fee with no income test, but up to a cap.

Applications for both schemes are accepted online throughout the school year, but the subsidy is not paid retrospectively. Below: which scheme fits your child, how much it covers and how to apply.

Which scheme fits your child

The under-four scheme applies if your child had not yet turned four on 31 August 2026. For the 2026–2027 school year, the over-four scheme is for children born between 1 May and 31 August 2022.

Children born between 1 September 2021 and 30 April 2022 start compulsory pre-primary education this school year. It is free in public kindergartens, and for children aged from four years and four months to four years and eight months the Ministry of Education pays community kindergartens €130 a month.

Both WBAS schemes work only with nurseries and kindergartens that have signed an agreement with the Service. WBAS publishes the list of participating providers, so before enrolling, ask the nursery whether it takes part in the scheme you need.

Children under four: conditions and amounts

The main condition is that the family must be approved for child benefit for 2026. Its requirements therefore also apply: five years of legal residence in the government-controlled areas and limits on family income in 2025 — for example, €49,000 with one child and €59,000 with two (€49,000 for single parents with one or two children).

The subsidy covers up to 80% of the monthly fee, but no more than €350 per child per month. The exact amount depends on family income, the child’s age, family composition and attendance hours, and WBAS pays the money directly to the nursery or kindergarten.

According to the official table, the monthly maximum is €175 to €300 for children under two and €75 to €200 for children aged two to four. An extra €50 is added only for extended hours, that is, for staying later in the day; the time from which the extra payment applies is shown in the WBAS table.

Children over four: conditions and amounts

The over-four scheme covers the full tuition fee with no income test. The cap is €130 a month at a community kindergarten and €200 at a private one.

The subsidy covers only the morning programme. Meals, extra childcare beyond those hours and optional activities chosen by parents are paid for separately.

The child must live legally in the government-controlled areas, attend a participating kindergarten and not have been admitted to compulsory public pre-primary education. If the child turns four years and four months during the year, they remain eligible until the end of the school year.

How to apply

First enrol your child and get the class or group identification code from the provider — you cannot apply without it. You also need a verified CY Login profile, which can be verified through online banking, by video call, at a KEP or at a post office.

Applications for children under four have been made on gov.cy since 1 September 2026 and must be submitted afresh every year, even if you received the subsidy before. You state the attendance hours, the start date and the agreed monthly fee after any discounts.

Applications for children over four have been accepted at kindergarten-4-plus.service.gov.cy since 7 September 2026. Only one parent applies — if the parents live apart, the one the child lives with; no documents need to be uploaded, and approval arrives immediately by email and is valid until June 2027.

When the subsidy starts

The subsidy is not paid retrospectively: it starts from the month in which you apply. Applications submitted up to and including 30 September 2026 therefore covered September — from 1 September, or from the first day of attendance if the child started later.

If your child starts later, apply in the same month that attendance begins. The subsidy will then cover the period from the first day at nursery.

Under the scheme for children over four, parents pay the first month as usual, and the provider then refunds or offsets the overpayment. The state pays the subsidy to the provider monthly, within ten working days of the provider confirming attendance.

Rules for providers and enquiries

Participating providers may not charge subsidised families more than other families. Under the under-four scheme, a provider may raise its fees for 2026–2027 by no more than €15 compared with previous years.

The subsidy is stopped if the application contained false information, if the child stops attending, or if the family or provider breaches the scheme’s terms; amounts paid on the basis of false information are recovered. If your child leaves the nursery or moves to a public school, you must tell WBAS.

From the 2026–2027 school year, families with an approved subsidy no longer need to confirm nursery attendance separately for child benefit. Enquiries: phone 1450 or email [email protected]; the information in this article was checked as of 27 October 2026.

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Official sources

A kindergarten playroom · Photo: Gammon-m · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped, converted to WebP and resized.

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