Cyprus road tax, MOT and car insurance: the rules

Transport in Cyprus Checked: 27 October 2026 Changed: 14 August 2026

In short

Who it applies to: Owners of cars and light vans on Cypriot plates. Taxis, rental cars, lorries and buses are inspected more often — this page is about a private car.
What it costs: The MOT is €43 at a private centre, and a retest within 30 days is €10. Road tax is based on CO2 emissions, or engine size for older cars; online renewal shows the exact amount, and an electric car pays nothing. The insurer sets the price of insurance.
How long it takes: Road tax is paid for a year, half a year or a quarter, and you have 70 days after the period ends to pay. The first MOT is due 4 years after the car was first used, then every 2 years.
Where to apply: Road tax — online on the Road Transport Department site (Τμήμα Οδικών Μεταφορών). The MOT — at a private ΙΚΤΕΟ centre; a state centre tests cars only where your district has no suitable ΙΚΤΕΟ. Transfers and laying a car up are handled at the department's district offices, at ΚΕΠ and at ΚΕΠΟ.
If your case differs: Driving without valid third-party insurance is a criminal offence: up to a year in prison or up to €3,000, and the court takes away your licence. Since 2026 an insurer may not refuse renewal or raise the price on age alone, and must explain a refusal or increase in writing 3 months before the policy ends.

Your case

If the car is on Cypriot plates and you drive it

Three things must be valid at the same time: paid road tax, an MOT certificate (from the fourth year) and insurance. Start with the MOT: without a valid certificate road tax will not be renewed. Road tax is renewed online for a year, half a year or a quarter; paying in parts costs more.

If you are buying a used car in Cyprus

The transfer is made on form ΤΟΜ 9Γ signed by seller and buyer, with the signatures certified by an official; if both come in person with ID, it is done on the spot. You need the registration certificate, an original policy in your name and the fee. If the car has no valid MOT, you sign form ΤΟΜ 120Α stating that you know this.

If the car will be off the road for a long time

Apply to have the car laid up (ακινητοποίηση) — online or at an office. Road tax stops from the first day of the following month, and months already paid are refunded. Without the application the tax keeps adding up; after a year and 70 days unpaid the registration is cancelled and the arrears become a civil debt to the state. To drive again, you simply renew road tax with a valid MOT.

If your insurer refuses renewal or raises the price

Age alone cannot be the reason. The insurer must explain a refusal or increase in writing. If the explanation does not satisfy you, first complain in writing to the insurer; with no answer or an unsatisfactory one, complain to the Financial Ombudsman (Χρηματοοικονομικός Επίτροπος) or the Superintendent of Insurance.

Deadlines and conditions

a car MOT at an ΙΚΤΕΟ costs €43Law 1(Ι)/2007, Table, Part Β as amended by Ν.231(Ι)/2025 (published 19.12.2025): Μ1 and Ν1, «Έλεγχος» — 38 to the centre + 5 to the state = «43». The fee is fixed: charging less or more is not allowed (Road Transport Department Technical Instruction 9/2021).
at a state centre it is €46Law 1(Ι)/2007, Table, Part Γ as amended by Ν.231(Ι)/2025: state centre (Κ.Ε.Μ.Ο.), Μ1, «Έλεγχος» — «46». A car may be taken there only if the district has no suitable ΙΚΤΕΟ (art. 9(2)).
a retest costs €10Law 1(Ι)/2007, Table, Parts Β and Γ: Μ1, «Επανέλεγχος» — 8 + 2 = «10»; Ν.231(Ι)/2025 did not change the retest.
the retest must be within 30 days at the same centreLaw 1(Ι)/2007, art. 7(3): a vehicle that failed may be retested «μόνο εντός των επόμενων τριάντα (30) ημερολογιακών ημερών στο ίδιο Ι.Κ.Τ.Ε.Ο.», otherwise a full test and the full fee.
the first MOT is due 4 years after first useMotor Vehicles Regulations 1984, Fifth Schedule, Table A, item 1, as amended by ΚΔΠ 90/2018: Μ1 — «Τέσσερα χρόνια από την ημερομηνία κατά την οποία χρησιμοποιήθηκαν για πρώτη φορά».
then every 2 yearsSame item: Μ1 — «και στη συνέχεια κάθε δύο χρόνια». Taxis — every year (item 6), rental cars — at 2 years, then every year (item 7).
road tax must be paid within 70 days after the period endsLaw 86/1972, Annex I, Part I, para 11(β): the tax «πρέπει να καταβάλλεται το αργότερο εντός εβδομήντα (70) ημερών από την ημερομηνία λήξης της άδειας κυκλοφορίας». Not renewed for a year and 70 days — registration cancelled (art. 23Α(1)(β)(v)).
half a year costs 55% of the annual tax, a quarter 27.5%Law 86/1972, Annex I, Part I, para 11(α): the annual tax may be paid in two half-yearly or four quarterly parts, each «55% ή 27,5%» of the annual amount. Paying in parts costs 10% more overall.

Show all conditions (14)

for cars registered after the 2019 amendment the tax is capped at €1,500 a yearLaw 86/1972, Annex I, Part I, para 8(α)–(β) (Ν.47(Ι)/2019): for cars registered after that amendment — €0.50 per g/km up to 120, €3 from 120 to 150, €5 from 150 to 180, €10 above 180; the annual tax «δεν υπερβαίνει τα χίλια πεντακόσια ευρώ (€1.500)».
a transfer needs a policy in the new owner's name for at least 3 monthsRoad Transport Department page «Μεταβίβαση», item 3: «πρωτότυπου Πιστοποιητικού Ασφάλισης, στο όνομα του νέου ιδιοκτήτη διάρκειας τουλάχιστον 3 μηνών».
the transfer fee is €8.54Road Transport Department page «Μεταβίβαση», item 4: «Καταβολή 8.54 Ευρώ».
driving uninsured carries a fine of up to €3,000 or up to a year in prison, plus losing your licenceLaw 96(Ι)/2000, art. 3(4)(α): on a first conviction — up to a year in prison or a fine of up to «τρεις χιλιάδες ευρώ (€3.000)» and disqualification from holding a licence; again within two years — up to two years and up to €6,000.
the insurer must explain a refusal or increase in writing 3 months before the policy endsLaw 96(Ι)/2000, art. 3Β(1) (Ν.71(Ι)/2026, in force from 14.08.2026): the reasons for a refusal or increase «παρέχεται γραπτώς τουλάχιστον τρεις (3) μήνες πριν από τη λήξη της σύμβασης».
the insurer has 15 working days to answer a written complaintLaw 96(Ι)/2000, art. 3Γ(2): if the insurer does not answer a written complaint «εντός δεκαπέντε (15) εργάσιμων ημερών» or the answer does not satisfy you — you may go to the Financial Ombudsman (Χρηματοοικονομικός Επίτροπος) and to the Superintendent of Insurance.

Whether insurance is needed while the car is laid up

The law requires insurance for using a vehicle and says nothing directly about a car laid up on application. Whether to suspend the policy, and what happens to your no-claims record, ask your insurer before you apply.

Sources

Road Transport Department, “Road licence”www.mcw.gov.cyOnline renewal; renewal only with a valid MOT certificate; cancellation after a year and 70 days and the debt becoming a civil debt.
Road Transport Department, “Transfer” and “Laying up”www.mcw.gov.cyTransfer: ΤΟΜ 9Γ, a policy in the new owner's name for at least 3 months, €8.54, ΤΟΜ 120Α without an MOT. Laying up: ΤΟΜ 12Β, from the first of the next month, refund of the remaining months.
Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Law 86/1972 — consolidated text (cylaw)www.cylaw.orgAnnex I, Part I: tax scales (paras 1, 8), €0 for electric cars (para 2), 55% / 27.5% parts and 70 days (para 11); art. 23Α — cancellation.
Vehicle Technical Inspection Law 1(Ι)/2007 — consolidated text (cylaw) and Ν.231(Ι)/2025www.cylaw.orgFees €43 / €46 / €10 (Table, Parts Β and Γ), retest within 30 days at the same centre (art. 7(3)), choice of a state centre (art. 9(2)).
ΚΔΠ 90/2018 — Motor Vehicles Regulations, Fifth Schedulewww.cylaw.orgTable A «Συχνότητα ελέγχου»: cars — at 4 years, then every 2 years; taxis — yearly; rental cars — at 2 years, then yearly.
Motor Vehicles (Third Party Liability Insurance) Law 96(Ι)/2000 — consolidated text (cylaw) and Ν.71(Ι)/2026www.cylaw.orgArt. 3 — compulsory insurance and penalties; arts. 3Α–3Γ (2026) — no refusal on age alone, written reasons 3 months ahead, complaint to the insurer and the Financial Ombudsman.