Exchanging a UK driving licence in Cyprus

Last verified 22 August 2026

Both sides of Cyprus drive on the left, both are relaxed about visitors using a UK licence, and both expect residents to swap to a local one. That is where the similarity ends: the process, the deadlines and even whether you sit a test differ by side, and getting the timing wrong in the south can cost you a test you didn’t need to take.

Visiting: your UK licence works on both sides

As a visitor you can drive throughout the island on a valid UK photocard licence, in the south for the length of your visit and in the north for the period granted on entry. If you still hold an old paper licence, upgrade to a photocard before travelling; paper licences raise questions at hire desks and police stops that a photocard never does. No International Driving Permit is needed for a photocard holder on either side.

South: exchange without a test, but mind the deadline

The Republic of Cyprus exchanges UK licences without a driving test under the post-Brexit arrangements, but at the time of verification the exchange had to be made within six months of becoming resident. Miss that window and you fall into the ordinary third-country process, which means theory and practical tests in a country where you have already been driving for months. Of all the paperwork deadlines a new arrival faces, this is the one most worth a calendar reminder.

The exchange itself happens at the Department of Road Transport. Bring your original UK licence, which is surrendered, your passport, proof of residence (the pink slip or registration certificate and evidence of your address) and passport photographs. The fee was €40, waived for over-65s, and the Cypriot licence arrives within a few weeks, with an SMS when it is ready. Once exchanged you hold an EU licence again, valid across the Union, which for many British residents is quietly one of the better perks of Cypriot residence.

North: lighter touch, different logic

The north recognises UK licences generously for visitors, and residents are expected to swap to a local licence once a residence permit is issued, with the clock starting when the permit does. How demanding that swap is depends on your licence’s origin: UK licences have long been treated favourably, and in practice the exchange runs through the district police, often arranged via a local driving school, with at most a short check on signs and rules rather than a full test. Sources differ on the exact requirements by nationality, so ask at the point of application rather than assuming.

Be aware of what the northern licence is: valid in the north and recognised in Turkey, and nowhere else. It does not replace your UK licence for driving elsewhere in the world, which is one reason residents in the north keep their UK photocard current rather than surrendering it. That is also the practical difference from the south, where the exchange upgrades you to an EU licence; in the north, the local licence is an addition rather than a replacement.

If you live on one side and drive on the other

A common situation for readers of this site: resident in the north, driving south regularly, or the reverse. Your local licence from either side is accepted for driving across the line as a visitor would be treated, and the insurance you buy at the crossing matters far more than which licence sits in your wallet. The details of that are in our guide to taking a hire car across the border, and the same insurance logic applies to private cars.