Compare the account you can actually open and use, rather than choosing from a general ranking of banks. Request a written fee schedule and document list for your circumstances. For application steps and immigration bank-guarantee conditions, see the bank-account opening guide.
What changed in the banks’ names and services?
Eurobank’s integration FAQ says its legal merger was completed in September 2025. Its current account pages use Eurobank Limited / Eurobank Ltd. Older references to Hellenic or Eurobank Cyprus should be checked against the instructions for the current institution and account.
Alpha Bank Cyprus’s ex-AstroBank information page describes the transition of ex-AstroBank customers to Alpha’s systems and services as in progress, with product-dependent changes and possible customer actions. Consult that page and its linked FAQs for your products.
How do the published options compare?
| Bank or product | Documented information | What to confirm before applying |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of Cyprus mobile-app route | The page describes identity-document scanning and a live selfie, acceptance of terms, a passcode and financial details. It advertises no account-maintenance fees, with exceptions for International Customers. | Eligibility for this route, the actual account and card tariff, and any additional verification. |
| Eurobank everyday accounts | Its page asks applicants to prepare a passport or ID, payslip and proof of residence address, complete an online form, then await assessment and contact. | Whether those documents fit your circumstances and what further information is needed. Submission is not approval. |
| Eurobank Basic Account | EUR 2 monthly subscription; a simple debit card is included. The page describes mobile and online banking and directs applicants to book a meeting or visit a branch. | Eligibility, covered services, charges outside the annual service cap and any premium-card cost. |
| Alpha Bank Cyprus / ex-AstroBank | A dedicated page provides systems-integration information, customer changes and linked transition FAQs. | Which instructions, channels and actions apply to your actual product. |
Sources: BoC mobile-app route, Eurobank account applications, Eurobank Basic Account, Alpha transition information.
Bank of Cyprus: alternative to app opening
The BoC page says an applicant without an original passport or identity card cannot open through the app. Its alternative form is expressly limited to an individual, permanent resident of Cyprus with no existing cooperation with BoC. For that alternative, physical attendance and the originals of uploaded documents are required to activate the account and debit card. Applications are assessed under the bank’s policies, and the bank reserves the right to reject them. Do not turn that specific alternative into a general promise of opening without residence documents. BoC conditions.
For an international account, BoC’s international account-opening instructions describe opening at an International Business Unit in person or through an approved local professional intermediary. Check the route before sending documents or arranging travel.
Eurobank Basic Account: what do the fees cover?
The published EUR 2 monthly subscription covers account opening and maintenance and the issuance, renewal and annual subscription of a simple debit card. Eurobank lists euro ATM withdrawals with no Eurobank charge; foreign-currency withdrawals are charged separately.
For specified services, charges accumulate under the tariff up to EUR 12 in a calendar year, then stop for those services for the rest of that year. They include incoming and outgoing payments up to EUR 5,000, branch cash withdrawals, branch cash and cheque deposits, standing orders and internal branch transfers; internal transfers through online banking are listed as free. For accounts opened during the calendar year, the additional-service limit is pro-rated.
Other services remain additionally chargeable without that annual cap, including currency conversion, payments over EUR 5,000, urgent outgoing payments, “OUR” charges, premium debit cards and foreign-currency ATM withdrawals. Thus, EUR 24 in monthly subscriptions plus EUR 12 for the specified services does not mean every possible account cost is capped at EUR 36.
The page describes a free-service provision for the listed vulnerable groups, while retaining charges for services outside that provision. It also says the Basic Account is for natural persons, and does not provide a chequebook, overdraft or foreign-currency account. Compare the relevant business or current-account product if you need those features. Full Basic Account conditions.
What documents and compliance questions should I expect?
Use the document list for the chosen application, rather than a universal checklist. Eurobank’s Basic Account page requires confirmation of identity, income, contact information and professional activity; existing customers must provide updated information. It may request the purpose and nature of the relationship and the economic or transaction profile, and describes periodic due-diligence updates. Published document conditions.
Before applying, ask:
- Does this product accept my residence and customer category?
- Which original documents and translations are required for my circumstances?
- How should I document income, source of funds and expected transactions?
- What verification remains after an online application?
- What happens if an application or transaction is rejected?
For immigration, follow the checklist for the specific permit. Ask the authority what financial-institution evidence it accepts. A personal anecdote about Revolut or one branch does not establish a rule for every permit or bank.
Is EUR 100,000 a transaction or deposit limit?
The Central Bank of Cyprus’s DGS page states an ordinary maximum compensation amount of EUR 100,000 per depositor per credit institution, including accrued interest, applying to aggregate deposits with that institution. The scheme covers deposits in all currencies, subject to coverage conditions and excluded deposit categories. It describes setting off counterclaims that have fallen due where the relevant right exists. CBC deposit-guarantee information.
This deposit-protection amount is not a safe threshold below which transactions avoid compliance checks, and it is not a separate EUR 100,000 allowance for each account. Ask the bank about the documentation for a planned payment instead of relying on an alleged automatic blocking threshold.
How should I handle suspicious calls?
BoC warns that fraudsters may impersonate its call centre and spoof its displayed telephone number. It says it will never ask for remote access to your device, 1bank credentials, one-time passwords or verification codes, PIN or card details. Its advice for such a call is to hang up and report it. BoC fraud warning.
The useful distinction is the request and its verification, rather than an assertion that banks never telephone customers. End a suspicious call and contact the bank through a number you independently obtain from its official website or your card.
How should I make the final choice?
Compare written quotations for the same needs: account maintenance, card subscription, ATM currency and location, outgoing and incoming payments, currency conversion, branch service and digital access. Ask business-account questions separately from personal-account questions.
For a car loan or leasing application, obtain the finance provider’s own eligibility and account requirements. Do not infer them from a bank’s reputation or from a personal current-account offer. If service fails, use the bank’s documented complaint process and keep the correspondence.