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MoveToCyprus— Moving to Cyprus, without the guesswork

Driving and bringing a car

Exchanging a foreign licence — including whether yours is exchangeable. Plus importing a car, buying locally, and the fact that Cyprus drives on the left.

Last updated 23 July 2026

First, the thing that catches everyone out

Exchanging a foreign licence

The mechanics below are confirmed on the Road Transport Department's own page.

Who can exchange
Holders of an EU licence, or of a licence from a country on the Commissioner's "notification" list of recognised countries. If your country is not covered, exchange is not available and you would need to take a test — see the warning below about which countries these are.
Residence test
You must reside in Cyprus for at least 185 days. Non-EU citizens also present their Alien Registration Card and residence permit.
Optional or obligatory
Holders of a licence from a notification country are obliged to exchange after a six-month stay. EU-licence holders may exchange but do not have to.
Documents
Application form TOM 7D; a 45×35 mm photo; ID or ARC; passport; and your original foreign licence (all pages) — which is sent back to the issuing authority. A translation is needed unless the licence is in English or Greek. Apply in person at the District Driver Examiner office.
Medical certificate
Required if you are 70 or over, or your licence covers heavy categories (C, C+E, D, D+E and the C1/D1 variants).

Is your licence actually exchangeable?

A core of 17 countries recurs, near-identically worded, across independent relocation sources: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, the UAE, the USA and Zimbabwe (plus all EU/EEA licences, which are recognised by law regardless). Some sources add Qatar, China, Morocco and Montenegro — those four appear on only one cluster of sources, so treat them as unconfirmed.

United States
Exchangeable without a test — on every list. High confidence.
Russia
Exchangeable without a test — on every list. High confidence.
Israel
Most likely a re-test, not an exchange — an Israeli licence appears on none of the recognised-country lists. Confirm with the TOM office, but plan for a Cypriot test.
United Kingdom
Probably exchangeable, but confirm — post-Brexit the UK is a third country and the enumerated lists omit it, yet current 2025–2026 relocation guides say a UK photocard licence can be exchanged without a test. Not confirmable against the Gazette notification, so verify with the TOM office.

The exchange fee is consistently reported as €40, free for applicants aged 65 and over — three independent sources agree, though it is not stated on the official page, so treat it as indicative rather than confirmed.

Bringing your own car

The customs vehicle pages branch by origin — EU, non-EU, UK and Japan — and the headline rates are now published in English:

Import duty (non-EU car)
10% of the customs value, for a passenger car new or used. EU-origin vehicles that qualify are relieved of duty.
VAT
19%, charged on the customs value plus the duty.
Excise on cars
None — no excise or consumption tax is imposed on motor vehicles brought into Cyprus (the old registration tax was abolished).
  • The car must have been owned and used for at least 6 months before you move.
  • You must have had your normal residence outside the EU for at least 12 months beforehand.
  • It must be imported within a window of 6 months before to 12 months after the move.
  • For 12 months after clearance under relief the car may not be sold, hired out, lent, pledged or transferred.

This mirrors the household-goods relief in Moving and logistics. Temporary driving on foreign plates before clearance is allowed for roughly a month under Form C.104O. Confirm the current conditions with customs before shipping.

Buying, insuring and taxing a car locally

Given the shipping cost and the disposal lock-in on imported cars, buying locally is often simpler. For typical used-car prices, see the cost calculator.

Road tax (circulation licence)
Based on CO₂ emissions and engine size, running from around €10 to well over €1,000 a year; electric vehicles are currently fully exempt. Paid annually or in instalments (instalments cost a little more).
Insurance
Third-party from around €180 a year, comprehensive €1,000 and up. Insurance is checked electronically when you renew road tax — without valid cover, the renewal is blocked. An MOT is also required.
Where
Renewals and licences are handled at Road Transport Department district offices, Citizen Service Centres or postal points.

Common questions

Can I drive on my foreign licence, and when must I exchange it?
You can drive on it initially, but if it is from a country on Cyprus's recognition list you are obliged to exchange it after a six-month stay; EU-licence holders may exchange but do not have to. Exchange requires 185 days' residence, form TOM 7D and your original licence, which is sent back to the issuing country.
Can I exchange my licence, or will I have to re-test?
US and Russian licences are consistently exchangeable without a test. An Israeli licence is on none of the recognised-country lists, so plan for a re-test. A UK licence is probably exchangeable but not certain post-Brexit — confirm it. There is no single published list because the law delegates it to a Government Gazette notification, so verify your own case with the District Driver Examiner (TOM) office. The fee is reported as €40, free for those 65 and over.
What does it cost to bring my own car?
For a non-EU car, official customs rates are 10% import duty on the customs value plus 19% VAT on the value-plus-duty; there is no excise on cars. But if you are moving your normal residence to Cyprus, one private car can come in free of both under transfer-of-residence relief — provided you owned and used it for at least six months, lived outside the EU for at least twelve, and do not sell it for twelve months after clearance. Confirm the relief conditions with customs before shipping.
Is it cheaper to buy locally than to ship a car?
Often, once you factor in shipping and the disposal lock-in that comes with the import relief. Buying locally avoids both. Road tax runs from about €10 to over €1,000 a year depending on emissions and engine size, with EVs exempt.
What do insurance and road tax cost?
Third-party insurance starts around €180 a year and comprehensive from about €1,000; road tax is emissions- and engine-based, roughly €10 to €1,000-plus a year, with electric vehicles exempt. Valid insurance is required to renew road tax, and an MOT is also needed.

Sources

This page is based on the following sources. Cyprus rules change — check the originals before acting on anything important.