Cyprus is home to plenty of companies whose teams and customers are spread across several countries: shipping, finance, tech, tourism. A cloud PBX suits that well, since everyone can work from Linkus on a laptop or phone, wherever they are. To reach the public phone network with Cyprus numbers, though, the PBX needs a SIP trunk from a provider that offers +357 numbers. Here's how numbers work in Cyprus and what to ask before you sign.
How Cyprus phone numbers work
Cyprus uses a closed numbering plan run by the regulator, the Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation (OCECPR). According to the plan as OCECPR notified it to the ITU, every number except short codes has eight digits:
| Starts with | What it is |
|---|---|
| 22 | Landline, Nicosia |
| 23 | Landline, Famagusta |
| 24 | Landline, Larnaca |
| 25 | Landline, Limassol |
| 26 | Landline, Paphos |
| 9 | Mobile |
| 800 | Freephone |
| 80 (other) | Shared-cost numbers |
| 77 | Universal access numbers (one number for the whole country) |
| 50 | Corporate and virtual private networks |
Because there's no trunk prefix, a Limassol number is dialled the same way from anywhere in Cyprus, and from abroad you just add +357 in front. Set your PBX's outbound routes up for eight-digit local dialling and full international format, and store numbers as +357 in your CRM and phonebook.
Which number to choose depends on who calls you. A landline number with the right district code looks local to Cypriot customers. A 77 number gives you one national number. An 800 number lets customers call you for free. Ask your provider which ranges it can offer and what it needs from you to assign them.
Keeping your number when you switch
Cyprus applies the EU's telecom rules. Under the European Electronic Communications Code, anyone with a number from the national plan can keep it when they change provider. Once the porting date is agreed, the number must be working on the new service within one working day, and the loss of service during the switch may not exceed one working day. BEREC, the body of EU regulators, puts it the same way.
In practice:
- Sign up with the new SIP trunk provider and list the numbers you want to move.
- The new provider runs the port with your old operator.
- Agree a date, keep the old service running until then, and test inbound calls on the new trunk the same day.
Our porting guide covers the steps in more detail.
A checklist before you sign
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Numbers | Landline numbers in your district, a 77 or 800 number, a direct dial-in block for your team. |
| Porting | Do they handle the port, and can you choose the date? |
| Channels | Enough for your busiest hour. On PBXfactory the number of seats also sets how many calls your PBX runs at once. |
| International rates | If you call abroad a lot, compare per-minute prices for your main destinations. |
| Emergency calls | How 112 calls are routed and which address is registered for your office. |
| Codecs | G.711 A-law is the European standard. |
| Support | Opening hours, languages and outage response. |
Providers on Yeastar's certified list
Yeastar keeps a list of SIP trunk providers it has tested in Cyprus. Check the product column: some entries were tested with P-Series Cloud Edition, which is what you run on PBXfactory, others only with the on-site P-Series PBX. Providers tested with Cloud Edition come as a ready-made template in the PBX, so most settings are filled in for you. A provider that isn't on the list can still work over standard SIP, with more settings to enter yourself.
A PBX for an international team
Teams in Cyprus often work across languages and time zones, and Yeastar P-Series handles both. Business hours and holidays can follow different time zones for different extensions, queues and ring groups, and system prompts can play in a different language for queues, conferences and group voicemail. A team in Limassol and a colleague in another country can share one PBX, each with their own working hours.
On PBXfactory
We don't sell SIP trunks or numbers. You choose your provider, add the trunk in your PBX's admin panel and port numbers through them. Configuring trunks isn't part of our included support. Yeastar's documentation covers it, and our Setup Assist package can do it with you.