Guides/Life in Cyprus guides
Cyprus Driving Licence for Expats in 2026: Exchanging a UK or EU Licence, Deadlines and the Test
A new resident of Cyprus has a driving-licence decision to make within about six months, and the answer depends on where the licence came from. A UK licence must be exchanged for a Cyprus one within six months of becoming resident, and GOV.UK says no test is needed. A licence from another EU member state stays valid and the exchange is optional. A licence from another country can be exchanged, again after a six-month stay, only if the Cyprus Commissioner of Motor Vehicles has recognised that country, and otherwise the holder starts from a learner licence and takes the Cyprus test. Cyprus drives on the left, and a vehicle needs at least third-party insurance. This guide reads Law 94(I)/2001 as consolidated on CyLaw, the Road Transport Department's (RTD) own procedure pages (last modified 3 November 2026) and the GOV.UK guidance for UK licence holders (all read on 6 November 2026), and turns them into a deadline example, a document checklist and a table of how long a Cyprus licence lasts.
Cyprus driving licence: which foreign licence you can use and for how long
The rules differ for a visitor and for a resident, and within residents by the country that issued the licence. The table sets out the position under the Driving Licence Law and the RTD's exchange page.
| Your situation | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Visiting, licence from an EU member state | The licence is recognised in Cyprus and has the same force as a Cypriot one (Article 19). |
| Visiting, licence from another country | A temporary visitor of up to 30 days may drive on a valid foreign licence, and a visitor with a valid international driving permit may drive while the permit stays valid (Article 45). |
| Resident, EU licence | You may keep driving on it. The RTD says an EU licence holder may exchange it after a six-month stay if they wish, so the exchange is optional. |
| Resident, UK licence | GOV.UK: “You must exchange your UK licence within 6 months of becoming a resident in Cyprus”, without a test. |
| Resident, licence from a country the Commissioner has recognised | The RTD says holders are obliged to exchange it after a six-month stay. Recognition under Article 20 lasts for up to six months. |
| Resident, licence from any other country | It cannot be exchanged. You apply for a learner licence and take the Cyprus examination. |
“Resident” has a statutory meaning here. The Law defines habitual residence as living in a place for at least 185 days in a calendar year because of personal or professional ties, and the RTD asks for proof of normal residence with the application. That is a separate test from tax residency, which has its own day counts; they are set out in how Cyprus tax residency works. The residence document you need for the licence comes first: the yellow slip (MEU1) for EU citizens, the pink slip for non-EU visitors or the Category F permit.
Exchanging a UK driving licence in Cyprus: the six-month deadline and the documents
GOV.UK's guidance for UK licence holders living in the EU says that in Cyprus you must exchange your UK licence within six months of becoming a resident, and that you can do so without taking a test. The exceptions are licences from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, whose holders may need to take a test. People who became residents before 31 December 2020 had to exchange by 7 July 2021, so that date no longer applies to anyone arriving now.
A worked deadline: a British retiree who settles in Cyprus on 1 February 2027 is six months from becoming a resident on 1 August 2027, so the application should go in before then, and because the RTD asks for the alien registration certificate and proof of residence, the residence paperwork has to be finished first. Leaving the exchange until July risks missing the deadline if the registration is delayed.
The RTD's exchange page lists the documents. The application and documents must be presented in person at the local District Driver Examiner Office.
- The application form TOM 7D.
- One recent photo, 45 x 35 mm.
- The alien registration certificate (foreigners) or identity card (Cypriot returnees), original and photocopy.
- The passport, original and a photocopy of the first page with your details.
- The foreign driving licence, original and a photocopy of all pages. The page notes that the licence is sent to the competent authority of the issuing state, so you do not keep the UK licence.
- A translation of the licence unless it is in English or Greek. A UK licence needs none.
- A health certificate if you are 70 or older, or if the licence includes lorry or bus categories (C, C+E, D, D+E, C1, C1+E, D1, D1+E).
The exchange page states no fee. The RTD's general information page quotes €40 for an ordinary driving licence, so budget about that and confirm the amount at the counter. Under Article 11 of the Law, a licence issued in exchange for a foreign one carries a mark showing that origin, repeated on every renewal.
Cyprus driving licence for EU citizens: keep it or exchange it
Article 19 of the Law recognises a licence issued by an EU member state, with the same force as a Cypriot licence. A person may hold only one EU licence at a time. For an EU holder who has moved to Cyprus, the Commissioner may apply Cypriot rules on the licence's validity period, minimum age and medical fitness (Article 19(2)), and Article 10 lets the holder ask for a Cypriot licence in place of the foreign one once habitually resident. The RTD frames it as the holder's choice: after a six-month stay an EU holder “may, if they wish” exchange.
Because Article 19(2) lets the Commissioner apply Cypriot validity and medical rules to the EU licence of a resident, some holders exchange to have one local licence on file. For reference, Cypriot paper-type licences cease to be valid on 19 January 2033 whatever expiry date they show (Article 3). The registration needed before any exchange is covered in our yellow slip guide.
Cyprus driving licence from outside the EU: recognised countries and the test route
Under Article 20 the Commissioner may, by a notice published in the Official Gazette, recognise the licence of any country, for as long as it is valid and in any case for no more than six months, if the country's conditions for issuing it are no weaker than the Cypriot ones. Article 11 then lets the Commissioner replace a licence from a recognised country with a Cypriot licence of the same category for a habitual resident. The RTD's page does not print the list of countries, and this guide does not reproduce one from third-party sites, because the list is in the notice and can change. Before surrendering a licence, ask the District Driver Examiner Office whether your country is recognised.
If it is not, the route is the one a new driver takes: a learner licence, then the examination. The next section sets out how that works.
How the Cyprus driving test works: learner licence, examination and certificate
| Step | What the Law and the RTD require |
|---|---|
| Age | Learner licence for category B from 17½ (RTD). The full licence for category B is issued from 18 (Article 6). |
| Learner licence | Form TOM 7D, two photos, identity document, a certificate of successful preliminary examination and proof of habitual residence. A health certificate if 70 or older. |
| Validity of the learner licence | Two years under Article 12(2) of the Law; the RTD's learner-licence page still says one year. Ask at the counter which applies. |
| Driving with a learner licence | A learner aged 18 or over may drive only with a front-seat passenger who is over 25 and has held a valid licence for the same category for at least five years (over 30 if the learner is under 18). The car carries the learner sign front and back. |
| Before the first examination | A first-time candidate must hold a learner licence for at least 21 days (Article 22). |
| The examination | A test of knowledge of road rules, road safety and behaviour, oral or written, plus a practical driving test (Article 23). |
| The licence | The certificate of competence is attached to the application for the licence (Article 30). The RTD quotes €40 for an ordinary licence. |
Booking is the bottleneck. In June 2026 the RTD urged learner licence holders to book the practical test online immediately after receiving the permit because demand for appointments stays high (Cyprus Mail, 2 June 2026), so build the waiting time into a plan that depends on having a licence.
Cyprus driving licence validity and renewal by age
For cars and motorcycles (categories AM, A1, A2, A, B, B1 and BE) Article 3(2) of the Law sets the validity of a licence the Commissioner issues by the age of the holder at the date of issue.
| Age at issue | Validity | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| Under 55 | 15 years | Issued at 40: valid until age 55. Issued at 52: valid until age 67. |
| 55 to 69 | Until age 70 | Issued at 58: 12 years. Issued at 66: 4 years. |
| 70 or older | 3 years | Issued at 72: valid until age 75, with a health certificate. |
A retiree who exchanges at 62 can therefore expect a licence running to age 70, and then a health certificate and three-year renewals. The exchange page does not say whether an exchanged licence follows the same periods, so ask when applying. The lorry and bus categories run for five years under the same Article.
Driving in Cyprus after the licence: left-hand traffic and insurance
Cyprus drives on the left, as the United Kingdom does, a point the Cyprus Mail's visitor guide to driving in Cyprus stresses for drivers arriving from right-hand-traffic countries.
Insurance is not optional. The Motor Vehicles (Third Party Insurance) Law, 96(I)/2000, forbids using a motor vehicle on a road without a valid third-party liability policy, and third-party cover is the legal minimum. Fully comprehensive cover is a commercial choice beyond it.
The practical order for a new resident is residence registration, licence exchange, insurance, then the car. The guide to moving to Cyprus from the UK covers the rest of a British move, and our UK State Pension and S1 guide the healthcare side for British retirees. The full sequence is in our moving to Cyprus checklist.
Where new residents are buying: nine projects across Limassol, Paphos and Larnaca
Apartment · StudioThe Collection
Limassol · Historical Centre
ApartmentLimassol Park
Limassol · Trachoni
Apartment · PenthouseGAIA Residences
Limassol · Potamos Germasogeias
Apartment · PenthouseBronte
Paphos · Kato Paphos
ApartmentOtello Apartments
Paphos · Universal
Apartment · CommercialBel Air Gardens
Paphos · Geroskipou
Studio · ApartmentPlus 82
Larnaca · Downtown
ApartmentPlus 86
Larnaca · Faneromeni
ApartmentPlus 75
Larnaca · Kiti
Cyprus driving licence: questions new residents ask
A visitor can. A resident must exchange it for a Cyprus licence within six months of becoming a resident, according to GOV.UK, and no test is needed. Check the position for Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man licences, which may need a test.
No. A licence from an EU member state is recognised and the RTD says holders may exchange after a six-month stay if they wish. You may hold only one EU licence at a time.
A visitor with a valid international driving permit may drive in Cyprus while the permit stays valid (Article 45 of the Law). Visitors without one may drive on a valid foreign licence for a temporary visit of up to 30 days. A resident needs a Cyprus licence, not a permit.
The RTD's exchange page states no fee. Its general information page quotes €40 for an ordinary licence. Confirm the amount at the District Driver Examiner Office.
No. The RTD says the foreign licence is sent to the competent authority of the issuing state, so the exchange replaces it.
Fifteen years for a car licence issued under age 55, until age 70 if issued between 55 and 69, and three years from age 70 (Article 3). Cypriot paper-type licences cease to be valid on 19 January 2033.
The left, as in the United Kingdom.
Yes. Third-party liability insurance is required by law to use a vehicle on a road. Comprehensive cover is optional.
Sources, all read on 6 November 2026. The Driving Licence Law 94(I)/2001 as consolidated on CyLaw (Greek text): Articles 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 16, 19, 20, 21 to 23, 30 and 45. The Road Transport Department's pages on exchanging a foreign licence, the learner licence (both last modified 3 November 2026) and the ordinary licence. GOV.UK, driving in the EU: UK licence holders living in the EU. The Motor Vehicles (Third Party Insurance) Law 96(I)/2000. Cyprus Mail, A guide to driving in Cyprus. Rules and fees change, so confirm them with the District Driver Examiner Office before surrendering a licence. Cyprus VIP Estates assists investors in choosing new developments; legal and immigration advice comes from licensed professionals.
