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Useful information about motoring in Cyprus
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The Law
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As in the UK, motor insurance is compulsory
by law.
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Front seat belts for driver and passenger are
compulsory. Occupants should also fasten
seatbelts in the rear if they are fitted.
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It is compulsory for all children under the
age of five to sit in the back, strapped into
a proper child car seat. Children from five
to ten years of age may occupy the front
passenger seat provided a child's seat belt
has been fitted.
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Using a mobile phone while driving is
prohibited unless using a "hands-free" unit.
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Horns must not be used between 22:00-06:00.
Hooting near a hospital is forbidden at any
time of day.
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It is compulsory to carry two red warning
triangles in the vehicle and use them to warn
other traffic when involved in an incident,
breakdown or accident.
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Speed limits
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Motorways - 100 km/h (62mph).
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Regional roads: 80 km/h, (49mph) unless
otherwise indicated.
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Built up areas (towns and villages):
50km/h, (31mph) unless otherwise
indicated.
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Speeding is penalised by a fine of
EUR5.20 minimum per kilometre per hour
over the limit.
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Driving Licences
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Cyprus accepts the driving licences of all EU
Member States and any person with a valid UK
licence may drive legally on it in Cyprus.
According to EU rulings, old driving licences
issued before 1996 do not have to be
exchanged for the new Community Model and
remain valid until their expiry.
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EU citizens with an EU licence who are
resident in Cyprus may convert their driving
licence to a Cyprus licence after six months.
The old licence will be returned to the
issuing authority. Cyprus licences are issued
via the Department of Road Transport .
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Non-EU citizens may drive on valid foreign
licences for a fixed short period (eg for
those with a US licence the period is six
months). Please consult the relevant Consular
authorities for more information.
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Road tax
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Road tax (also known as a circulation fee) is
paid annually to the 'Department of Motor
Vehicles' for the period January to December.
Road tax is approximately 60 euros per year
but depends on the vehicle engine size, with
the fee increasing with the engine size.
Payments can be made at the 'Co-Operative
Bank'. Remember to take your Vehicle
Registration Document.
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MOT or Vehicle Roadworthiness
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The Department of Road Transport (DORT)
roadworthiness test must be carried out on
any car older than four years and then at two
year intervals thereafter. The roadworthiness
tests are not required for motor bikes.
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The test includes an emissions check and
checks of suspension, brakes, steering,
lights and tyres.
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If your address and vehicle ownership are
registered with the Department of Road
Transport you should receive notification by
post that a test is due. Do not rely on this;
if you have not received a written reminder,
you should visit the office and start the
process yourself; driving without a valid
roadworthiness disc can lead to prosecution
and not receiving a reminder is not an
acceptable excuse.
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You will receive a receipt from the D.O.R.T.
Take this and the registration documents to
an authorised control centre. A website is
coming soon listing the addresses of all the
control centres and we will provide a list on
our site when it is made available. However
there are plenty of them around. After tests
are complete, and if the car has passed, you
will receive a copy of the results, one for
the emissions and one for all other tests.
The testing centre will send these results to
the DORT and the roadworthiness disc will be
sent to you. The disc must be displayed on
your windscreen.
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Importing your car
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If you wish to transfer a used private
vehicle to Cyprus from an EU Member State you
are required to furnish proof of 12
consecutive months residence outside the
Republic of Cyprus. prior to becoming a
Cypriot resident. You will also need to
present evidence of permanent residence in
the Republic.
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The term 'used vehicle' means a vehicle which
has been driven for more than 6,000 Km (3,800
miles) and is more than six months old when
it enters the Republic of Cyprus, calculated
from the date of the first registration of
the vehicle in whichever country.
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Excise duty is payable on imported vehicles,
(amount varies). However it is possible to
avoid this in certain circumstances. The
requirements for avoiding excise duty when
transferring a vehicle to Cyprus are
explained below.
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1.
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You must have owned and used the vehicle from
your place of normal residence for at least
six months prior to taking up residency in
Cyprus.
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2.
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You must have acquired the vehicle under the
general conditions of taxation applicable in
the Member State and it must not have
qualified for any relief from or refund of
any duty, excise duty or VAT (as evidenced,
for example, by production of the invoice,
the receipt for the purchase of the vehicle
and the title of ownership).
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3.
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The vehicle must arrive in the Cyprus within
12 months of the date you take up permanent
residence in Cyprus.
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4.
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Each person may transfer only one vehicle,
and the person making a transfer must hold a
valid driving licence. The vehicle may not be
sold, placed for sale, hired out or
"commodated" (loaned without payment) without
the prior approval of the Director of the
Department of Customs and Excise. Vehicles
that are subject to these restrictions are
often known as 'bonded' vehicles.
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5.
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In order to qualify for relief from excise
duty, you must submit a written application
to any Customs and Excise Department and
produce the following documents:
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a.
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certificates pertaining to the
registration of the vehicle (vehicle
insurance, the purchase invoice, the
certificate of ownership, the receipt
for the purchase)
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b.
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the loading list receipt
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c.
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a valid driving licence
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d.
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supporting evidence relating to the
country of normal residence (income tax
statements, social insurance
statements, employment letters, bills,
receipts of daily expenses, water
bills, electricity bills, telephone
bills, bank account statements, etc.)
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Persons who wish to effect a transfer are
advised to contact the Department of Customs
and Excise for detailed information.
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A person who transfers a vehicle to Cyprus in
accordance with the requirements set out
above must go to the customs station within
24 hours of the arrival of the vehicle
(excluding non-working days) to settle the
customs procedure for the relief from excise
duties.
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A person who effects a transfer should
contact the Road Traffic Department for
information about the provisions on vehicle
registration tax and road tax.
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As stated above registration tax and road tax
vary according to engine size. In order to be
registered in Cyprus, a vehicle being
transferred by a European citizen must be
given a technical inspection by a private
technical inspection centre before undergoing
the relevant inspection by a state Technical
Inspection Centre.
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After the vehicle has passed both of the
technical inspections it can be registered in
accordance with the relevant legislation. A
private motor vehicle may be registered in
the Republic regardless of its age subject to
the furnishing of documentation proving that
the first registration of the vehicle
occurred in an EU Member State.
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Left-hand drive vehicles may be registered
provided the applicant has owned the vehicle
for at least 180 days before its arrival in
Cyprus and resided abroad for more than five
years before s arrival in Cyprus
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Useful information about medical expenses in
Cyprus
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The healthcare system
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The Cypriot Ministry of Health is responsible
for health care and provides state-financed
healthcare services in Cyprus. This is
centrally funded through general taxation.
Almost two thirds of permanent residents
receive state healthcare free of charge. The
doctors are good and treatment is of a high
quality. The Cyprus Health system is
different to that of other western European
countries however in that specialist
treatment and drugs may not be available
locally and could require travel to Nicosia.
There are no paramedics in ambulances.
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Primary care is freely available to all and
is provided by outpatient units as well as
urban and rural health centres. Referrals to
specialist care are made by GPs. A
significant number of individuals have a
private family doctor that they pay directly.
About 65% of outpatient services are carried
out privately. On the other hand, 65% of
inpatient care is carried out within the
public sector.
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There are five large public hospitals and
three small rural hospitals in Cyprus. In
addition, there are a considerable number of
private facilities providing care through
insurance or on a fee for service basis.
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State health care benefits are "means-tested"
and you will only qualify for free health
care if your income is below 15,400 euros per
year (about £11,150). If your income is
higher than this then you will have to pay in
part or in full for your treatment.
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If your income does exceed this amount
private medical expenses insurance (often
known as medex) is strongly recommended.
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European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
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The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) has
been introduced in many European Union
countries. EU citizens travelling within the
European Economic Area, (i.e. the European
Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and
Switzerland, for private or professional
reasons can use a European Health Insurance
Card, to simplify the procedure when
receiving medical assistance during their
stay in a Member State.
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UK Residents
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A UK resident planning to travel in Europe
should apply for the new EHIC before leaving.
The UK Health Service will issue UK residents
with a card confirming they will pay for
medical treatment while the card holder is
living or travelling abroad in the EU for up
to five years. There are occasionally errors
in the issue of cards so make sure yours is
dated correctly for five years. This is
adequate "health insurance" to meet Cyprus'
immigration requirements which means that a
person under state retirement age does not
need to have private medical insurance.
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Non-EU Resident
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If you move to an EU country, including
Cyprus, from a non-EU country you will not
qualify for the EHIC and you will need
private medical insurance in order to
register with immigration to live in Cyprus.
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We hope this information is of help to you.
It is regularly reviewed and updated and we
believe it to be entirely accurate at any one
time.
However you are strongly advised to check
your own position with the relevant Cypriot
authorities as TopQuotes cannot accept any
responsibility for loss or damage of any kind
arising from the information on this
page.
For further information contact
Department of Customs:
Tel: (++357) 22 601 657 and (++357) 22 601
658.
Road Traffic Department:
Tel: (++357) 22 807 000 and (++357) 22 807
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