Cyprus
Importing a car into Cyprus
Two things set Cyprus apart from any mainland destination: the car comes by ship, and it drives on the left. Both belong before the contract, not after it — the crossing sets the date, and which side the wheel is on sets what the car is later worth.
- Registration authority
- Τμήμα Οδικών Μεταφορών (Department of Road Transport)
- Technical inspection
- Τεχνικός Έλεγχος Οχημάτων (MOT)
- Last reviewed
Where the car comes from decides the effort
From an EU state
From an EU state no duty arises and, on a used car, no import VAT; there is no customs declaration to make. The CO₂-based registration fee remains, and if the car counts as new for tax — the threshold turns on first entry into service and mileage — Cypriot VAT must be declared.
From a third country
From Great Britain, Switzerland or Liechtenstein it is an import: declared to the Department of Customs and Excise, duty on the customs value and import VAT on top. The British market is the obvious one for Cyprus because right-hand drive is standard there — but the customs question comes with it in full.
The process, in order
The order is not arbitrary. Pull a step forward and you usually end up repeating it.
01Before buying: the wheel side and the CO₂ figure
Two facts decide the worth of the deal: whether the car is right- or left-hand drive, and what CO₂ figure the COC shows. One governs resale, the other the registration fee.
02Book the shipping
Cars reach Cyprus as roll-on/roll-off cargo, mostly through the port of Limassol. Sailings are sparser than on Mediterranean ferry routes; the booking sets the whole remaining timetable.
03Arrival and papers
At the port, shipping documents, the foreign registration certificate and the purchase contract are presented. For a car from a third country, customs clearance happens here; for an EU car it does not.
Handled by: Customs department for third-country goods
04Technical clearance
With European type approval the COC suffices. Without it the Department of Road Transport grants an individual approval, and evidence on emissions, lighting and braking must be produced.
Handled by: Department of Road Transport
05MOT test
Before registration the car is presented at an approved test station. Headlamp aim is among the items checked — on a left-hand-drive car, the point where an adjustment becomes necessary.
06Registration and plates
With the test report, the papers and the registration fee paid, the Department of Road Transport enters the car in the register. From then on annual road tax and compulsory insurance run.
Handled by: Department of Road Transport
What gets added
Without amounts, and deliberately so: official rates change, and a stale figure is worse than none. What is here is the basis of assessment — enough to calculate with, once the current rate is known.
- Registration fee
- Assessed on: By the CO₂ figure from the COC, in bands. The table is published by the Department of Road Transport.
- Does not apply: Below the lowest CO₂ band the table provides for no fee; which figure marks the line is stated there and changes with it.
- Annual road tax
- Assessed on: Ongoing, by CO₂ output; for older cars with no documented figure, by engine capacity.
- Customs duty and import VAT
- Assessed on: Only on import from a third country, on the customs value and on customs value plus duty respectively.
- Does not apply: Does not arise within the EU, as long as the car does not count as new for tax.
- Shipping
- Assessed on: A roll-on/roll-off rate by the car's length and height, plus port handling and transport insurance. On a cheap car, the largest item of all.
- MOT test
- Assessed on: A fixed fee per presentation at the test station; a retest after a defect costs a second appointment.
- Individual approval
- Assessed on: A Department of Road Transport fee plus the technical evidence it requires. Only where there is no European type approval.
- Does not apply: Not required where a COC exists.
The papers
Miss one of these and the appointment is wasted.
- The foreign registration certificate in the original.
- Purchase contract or invoice showing the price.
- Certificate of conformity (COC) with the CO₂ figure — it governs the registration fee.
- Shipping documents, in particular the bill of lading.
- The keeper's ID and residence document, plus proof of a Cypriot address.
- The MOT certificate and proof of third-party insurance.
Where the sum tips
- Left-hand traffic. Cyprus drives on the left and its used market is a right-hand-drive market. A left-hand-drive car can be registered, but its dipped beam is aimed for right-hand traffic and must be adapted — and on resale the pool of buyers stays small.
- The missing CO₂ evidence. Without a COC there is no documented figure, and banding becomes a matter of interpretation rather than arithmetic. On an older car, that is the reason to demand the COC before buying.
- The car from Great Britain. It suits left-hand traffic, but since the withdrawal it is third-country goods — a customs declaration, duty and import VAT come on top of everything else and regularly reverse the price advantage.
- The crossing as a scheduling question. Roll-on/roll-off sailings are sparse, and the booking, not the office, sets the timetable. Anyone budgeting a week because the paperwork is short has not read the shipping schedule.
How long it takes
As an order of magnitude: four to eight weeks from purchase, most of it shipping and waiting for space on a sailing. Onshore the procedure takes one to two weeks with complete papers, considerably longer without a COC.
The technical inspection
Τεχνικός Έλεγχος Οχημάτων (MOT)
Before first entry in the register, every imported car is presented at an approved test station; a valid test from the country of origin does not replace it. Afterwards the interval runs by the age of the car.
Common questions
Do I have to buy a right-hand-drive car?
No, a left-hand-drive car can be registered. Three things to weigh: the headlamps must be adapted for left-hand traffic, overtaking and gateways are less convenient, and on resale the market is narrow.
Is there duty if I buy within the EU?
No. There is no customs declaration and, on a used car, no import VAT. What remains is the CO₂-based registration fee — a national charge that has nothing to do with origin.
Is the foreign test recognised?
Not for first entry in the register. The car is presented at a Cypriot test station even where the test in the country of origin is only weeks old.
How does the car actually get to Cyprus?
As roll-on/roll-off cargo on a ship, mostly via Limassol. The price is by the car's length and height, with port handling and transport insurance on top. On a cheap car this item often exceeds all the fees combined.
This overview is not a substitute for information from the competent authority. Rates, fees and deadlines change; the office that registers the car is always the binding source.