Will I be called for jury service in Cyprus?
No — Cyprus has no jury system. All civil and criminal cases are decided by professional (career) judges. There's no jury-service obligation on citizens and no lay-assessor system. Structure: the District Courts try offences up to 5 years (single judge); the Assize Court tries the most serious offences (over 5 years) with three professional judges and a majority vote; civil cases are heard by a single judge. Legal basis: the Courts of Justice Law 14/1960. In short: you'll never be called as a juror in Cyprus.
📋 The rules
- No jury system exists
- Decided by professional judges
- No jury-service obligation
- Assize Court: three judges, majority vote
- Legal basis: Law 14/1960
🔓 Exceptions
- District Court: offences up to 5 years, single judge
- Civil cases: single-judge bench
- No lay-assessor system
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Because there's no jury service, there's no penalty for "failing to appear as a juror" — no such obligation exists in Cyprus. (By contrast, a lawfully summoned witness failing to appear is a different matter and can have consequences.) Beware a myth: "any citizen can be called as a juror like in the US or UK" is false for Cyprus — cases are decided solely by judges. Tip: if you receive a court summons, it most likely concerns a witness or party role, not jury service.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
Are there juries in Cyprus?
No. Cyprus has no jury system. All civil and criminal cases are decided by professional, career judges. There's also no lay-assessor system, so ordinary citizens don't take part in deciding the outcome of cases in the Cypriot courts.
Will I be called for jury service?
No. There's no jury-service obligation on Cyprus citizens, because no jury system exists. If you receive a summons from a court, it will most likely concern a role as a witness or a party to a case, rather than participation as a juror.
Who decides serious criminal cases?
The most serious criminal cases, with sentences over five years, are tried by the Assize Court, made up of three professional judges who decide by majority. The District Courts try the lighter offences with a single judge, again without any jury.
Who decides civil cases?
Civil cases are heard by a single-judge bench, that is one professional judge, without a jury. Jurisdiction is allocated by the value of the claim, between a district judge, a senior district judge and the president of the district court.
What's the legal basis?
The court structure is set by the Courts of Justice Law 14/1960. Under it, cases are decided by professional judges, with no jury system. This differs from countries such as the US or the UK, which use juries to decide certain criminal and civil cases.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “jury cyprus”
- “jury service cyprus”
- “jury system cyprus”
- “assize court cyprus”
- “judges cyprus”
- “courts of justice law cyprus”