Customs sees more Greek Cypriots filling up in the north as pump prices climb
Crossing-point seizures of fuel have grown sharply, the customs department says, as drivers head north for cheaper petrol and diesel.
Growing numbers of Greek Cypriots are driving north to refuel, according to the customs department, which says the pattern repeats whenever prices in the Republic climb or are about to. Department spokesman George Constantinou told CyBC that the current wave echoes what happened in February and March.
Enforcement figures illustrate the shift: officers who once confiscated roughly 150 to 200 litres of fuel each month now take in about 500 litres of petrol and diesel combined. Constantinou called the decision "a purely moral issue" for the public and cautioned that fuel quality in the north is not supervised in the same manner as in the Republic.
Price observatory data from the consumer protection service put the national average at €1.757 a litre for unleaded 95, €1.812 for unleaded 98, €2.022 for diesel and €1.678 for heating oil. Diesel varies from €1.939 in Larnaca to €2.126 in Limassol, while unleaded 95 runs between €1.669 in Larnaca and €1.829 in Paphos and Nicosia.
What it means for residents
The gap between pumps on either side of the buffer zone is wide enough that a full tank now justifies the drive, and customs officers are watching the crossings closely as a result.
- Budget check. If you commute or run a business vehicle, compare the saving on a full tank against the time and distance involved before deciding it is worth it.
- Quality caveat. Cheaper fuel bought in the north carries no guarantee of the same oversight, so repairs could later outweigh the discount.
- Border rules. Carrying fuel across the crossing points in containers is restricted, and seizures are rising — leave the jerrycans at home.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
