How to convert a foreign driving licence to a Cypriot one
Checked: no change to the rule has been established since the check
In short
- Who it applies to
- Anyone holding a licence issued by an EU country or by a country named in the Commissioner's notification, who has lived in Cyprus for at least 185 days. Licences from other countries are not converted.
- What it costs
- €40 for issuing the licence. The translation is paid separately where the licence is not in English or Greek: it is done by the Press and Information Office through authorised translators.
- How long it takes
- The department states no processing time. What it does state is that the check and approval of the conversion happen in person, and the licence itself is issued later at a district office.
- Where to apply
- In person at a District Driver Examiner Office (Επαρχιακά Γραφεία Εξεταστών Οδηγών) — that is where the conversion is approved. Issuing the licence itself is also possible at RTD district offices, at ΚΕΠ centres and at the Postal Service's ΚΕ.ΠΟ.
- If your case differs
- The foreign licence is taken and sent back to the authority of the issuing state — you do not get it back. If you are 70 or older, or the licence covers lorry and bus categories, a certificate of physical fitness is required.
Deadlines and conditions
| Condition | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| at least 185 days of residence in Cyprus | The licence exchange page of the Road Transport Department, the note on «συνήθη διαμονή»: a foreign applicant must have lived in Cyprus for at least this long. |
| the fee for issuing the licence is €40 | The document accompanying application ΤΟΜ 7Δ, point 1 — «Χρηματικό ποσό (τέλος) €40». |
| a recent colour photograph, 45×35 mm | The licence exchange page of the Road Transport Department and the accompanying document: one recent colour photograph, height by width. |
| from the age of 70 a medical certificate is required | The licence exchange page of the Road Transport Department, the notes: a certificate of physical fitness is required from this age, and also for categories C, C+E, D, D+E, C1, C1+E, D1, D1+E. |
| a student also needs a certificate of attendance covering at least 6 months | The licence exchange page of the Road Transport Department: a foreign student additionally produces a certificate of study at a higher education institution covering this period. |
| a Cypriot car and motorcycle licence is valid for 15 years | The document accompanying ΤΟΜ 7Δ, point 7 — the administrative validity of the plastic licence for car and motorcycle drivers. |
| for lorry and bus drivers it is 5 years | The same point — for lorry and bus drivers. |
Your case
If the licence was issued by an EU country
Conversion is possible but not required: after six months in Cyprus you exchange the licence only if you wish. The procedure and the fee are the same.
If the licence was issued by a country named in the Commissioner's notification
Conversion is compulsory after a six-month stay. The licence is recognised as equivalent to the Cypriot one, but only up to that point.
If the country is neither in the EU nor in the notification
No conversion is available: the department converts only the two groups above. What to do instead the page does not say — that has to be asked at the district examiner's office, and we have not verified it.
The department does not publish the list of countries whose licences it recognises
What that means in practice:
- EU countries are named directly — there is no question there
- for everyone else the answer lies in the Commissioner's notification, whose text is not on the site
- so “recognised or not” is answered at the district examiner's office, not on the internet
- other guides publish country lists without citing the notification — there is nothing to check such a list against
- the foreign licence is taken and sent to the issuing state: not a deposit, not a formality
Sources
- Road Transport Department, “Foreign Driving Licence Conversion”www.mcw.gov.cyThe procedure itself: who may convert, the full list of documents, the 185 days of residence, the medical certificate from 70, the in-person requirement and the six-month rule.
- Accompanying document to application TOM 7Dwww.mcw.gov.cyThe €40 fee, where to apply and where the licence is issued, the validity periods (15 and 5 years) and the rule about an authorised representative with a certified photograph.
- Road Transport Department, contact pagewww.mcw.gov.cyAddresses and phone numbers of the five district offices, including separate numbers for driving examiners, and the explicit statement that citizens are served only there.