Driving licence and car

Steps

Licence

1. Drive with your European licence. The Department of Road Transport (Τμήμα Οδικών Μεταφορών, TOM) recognises it as equivalent to the Cypriot licence; you may, if you wish, exchange it after 6 months of residence in Cyprus, but it is not compulsory. Exchange remains necessary in case of loss, theft, damage or an offence committed in Cyprus (EU rules).
2. To exchange it, go in person to the driving examiners' office of your district with form TOM 7D and the documents below; you must reside in Cyprus at least 185 days a year. Your old licence is sent back to the country that issued it.
3. Renew it in Cyprus once resident: it then follows Cypriot rules (duration, medical check).

Car from another EU country

1. Prove its EU status: T2L or T2LF document, or the plates and the original registration certificate from the previous country. Without this proof, the car is treated as coming from a non-EU country (customs duties and VAT).
2. Clear it through customs at any district customs office within 10 working days after this verification, with the original registration certificate (second-hand car) or the EC certificate of conformity (new car). If the car counts as new (see "Costs and timelines") and you are transferring your residence to Cyprus, customs may place it under temporary admission for one month: within that period you file an "official declaration" with the purchase invoice showing the VAT already paid, so as not to pay it twice.
3. Request the CO2 emissions certificate (TOM 119, on request with form TOM 118) from the TOM vehicle inspection service: customs requires it for a second-hand car. Also have the technical inspection done at an approved centre (IKTEO) or at the TOM inspection service (ΚΕΜΟ), "where applicable". A left-hand-drive car also requires an individual approval (SVA, TOM 139B).
4. Register it at the TOM district office (form TOM 6A signed by a technician of the inspection service): €150 registration fee. The first road licence (άδεια κυκλοφορίας, the annual tax) is issued at registration and is valid until the end of June or the end of December; you then renew it online at rtd.mcw.gov.cy, provided you have a valid technical inspection. Amount: see "Costs and timelines".
5. Insure it: third-party liability is compulsory; you can choose an insurer from any EU country authorised in Cyprus.

Documents

• Licence (exchange): form TOM 7D, a recent photo of 45 × 35 mm, alien registration certificate (original and copy), passport (original and copy of the identity page), foreign licence (original and copy of all pages), translation by a translator approved by the Press and Information Office if it is neither in Greek nor in English, proof of normal residence in Cyprus; certificate of physical fitness at age 70 and over or for heavy goods and bus licences.
• Car (customs): original foreign registration certificate and plates (or T2L/T2LF), purchase invoice, EC certificate of conformity for a new car, CO2 certificate TOM119A for a second-hand car.
• Car (registration at the TOM): form TOM 6A, customs TEL 72A where applicable, invoice or packing list with two revenue stamps of €1.71, technical inspection certificate where applicable, CO2 certificate (TOM 119), foreign registration certificate (translated if it is neither in Greek nor in English, with two stamps of €1.71), foreign road licence if there is one, SVA approval (TOM 139B) for a left-hand drive, insurance certificate.

Costs and timelines

• Excise duties: none on cars transported or imported to Cyprus since 22/03/2019 (law 39(I)/2019).
• VAT: a car is only "second-hand" if it is more than 6 months old since its first registration and has more than 6,000 km. Otherwise, it is "new" and pays 19% Cypriot VAT on its purchase price, even if VAT has already been paid in the previous country (general rule, customs "On payment of VAT" page). Exception for people transferring their residence: if you come to settle in Cyprus from another EU country (habitual residence = at least 185 days in 12 months), customs does not claim VAT on a "new" car when you prove that this VAT has already been paid in the country of origin (purchase invoice showing it). You file an "official declaration" with the documents at a customs office, during the one-month temporary admission if it is decided; if the conditions are not met, VAT is due (customs "Under relief from excise duties and VAT" page). For the exact conditions, see the customs guide "Transfer of normal residence".
• Customs clearance time: 10 working days after verification of EU status; during this period, you can also place the car in a customs warehouse or send it back.
• Registration fee: €150 (TOM).
• Annual road tax (τέλος κυκλοφορίας, law 86/1972, annex I, part I, consolidated text in 2026) for a passenger car registered in Cyprus since the 2019 amending law (N. 47(I)/2019), including a second-hand EU car registered today. It is calculated by CO2 brackets (combined cycle):
  • €0.50 per g/km up to 120 g/km;
  • €3 per g/km from 121 to 150 g/km;
  • €5 per g/km from 151 to 180 g/km;
  • €10 per g/km above 180 g/km;
  • cap: €1,500 per year; amount rounded down to the euro.
  • Example: 130 g/km gives 120 × 0.50 + 10 × 3 = €90.
• Annual flat amount added (ειδικό τέλος, paragraph 10(β) of the same annex): it applies to all cars, except those registered in Cyprus between 2013 and 2019 (2013 CO2 scale), zero-tax vehicles, two-wheelers of 299 cm³ at most and old vehicles: €12 if the engine is 2,050 cm³ at most and emits 100 g/km at most, €22 above 100 g/km, €32 above 2,050 cm³. In the example: 90 + 22 = €112 per year.
• Which CO2 figure? The one on the EC certificate of conformity (box 49.4, WLTP value divided by 1.30 and rounded down to the unit; failing that box 49.1) or the one on the registration certificate of another EU country, with the same conversion. You can challenge the figure used within 60 days.
• One-off surcharge at first registration in Cyprus (depending on the Euro standard, added to the first road tax): petrol €0 for Euro 6 and Euro 5b, €100 for Euro 5a, €300 for Euro 4 or older; diesel €0 for Euro 6, €50 for Euro 5b, €250 for Euro 5a, €600 for Euro 4 or older. The standard is proved by the certificate of conformity or the original registration certificate.
• Cars registered before 2019: other scales (CO2 with other rates for those registered since 2013; engine size for the oldest); the TOM states the amount at renewal.
• Payment: for the year, or in 2 instalments of 55% or 4 instalments of 27.5% of the annual tax; no later than 70 days after the licence expires (for 2026, no later than 31/03/2026). If late: +€10 and +10% of the sum due. If the licence is not renewed for 1 year and 70 days, the vehicle is deregistered and the sums due become a civil debt.
• These amounts come from the consolidated text of the law published by the TOM itself (May 2025 version), identical to those of the consolidated text up to 2026 on CyLaw. The TOM gives you the exact amount for your car at registration.
• Motorways: no tolls (EURES).

Common pitfalls

• Forgetting that people drive on the left. Your left-hand-drive car is allowed, but less convenient for overtaking and at car park toll booths.
• Importing an almost new car. Under 6 months or under 6,000 km: customs treats it as new. If you are not transferring your residence, you pay 19% Cypriot VAT on top of what has already been paid; if you are, keep the invoice that proves the VAT paid and file the official declaration in time.
• Losing the original registration certificate. It is indispensable for customs.
• Letting the 10 working days pass. Organise customs clearance as soon as the car arrives at the port.
• Living in Cyprus with foreign plates. Once resident, you risk a fine for failure to register or pay taxes.

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens: licence recognised without exchange.
• British people (including Scottish): non-EU licence. You can drive for 6 months with your British licence; to continue afterwards, you must exchange it for a Cypriot licence (GOV.UK), preferably before the end of the 6 months, with your residence permit (TOM). An international licence does not replace the exchange.
• Swiss people: non-EU licence. The TOM states that licences from countries on its recognition list ("notification") must be exchanged after 6 months of residence; this list is not published on its website and Switzerland's presence on it is to be confirmed with the TOM (+357 22 807 000).
• Car from the United Kingdom or Switzerland: imported from a non-EU country: customs duties (10% for a passenger car, on the customs value, i.e. the purchase price plus transport and insurance) and 19% VAT calculated on the customs value plus duties, with the customs declaration form (page updated on 14/05/2021); also check the Department of Road Transport restrictions before importing.