We have compiled this quick reference guide covering everything from documentation you will need, to what options are available to you at destination and the costs you should expect to pay when your vehicle arrives in Cyprus. We hope this guide covers everything you need and if you have any questions please give us a call or contact us here and we will be happy to help.

Important Note on Cyprus car Import Regulations, duties and taxes

The information we show on this page is meant as a guide only. Customs formalities can change, and it is the responsibility of all vehicle owners to ensure they satisfy Cypriot Customs import requirements before arranging the shipment of their vehicle. AutoShippers cannot be held responsible for any customs problems arising from failure to abide by the laws and regulations of the Cypriot authorities.

Please take time to read the Cypriot Governments guidelines on importing a vehicle into Cyprus.

Cyprus Government Car Import Regulations from The UK.

Please feel free to call us on 0800 3890784 for any further information.

Arranging Your Shipment

Customs requirements in Cyprus can be tricky but, together with our trusted local agents, we will provide you with all shipping and Customs documentation needed to successfully import your vehicle into Cyprus.

For us to arrange shipment of your vehicle from the UK we will simply need the below documentation from you to meet UK Customs’ export requirements:

• A copy of the licence document (V5C / Logbook) for your vehicle. You should retain the original V5C / Logbook as it will be needed to complete Customs clearance and registration in Cyprus.
• If you have recently purchased the vehicle and the V5C / Logbook is not in your name, we will also need a copy of the invoice or bill of sale covering your purchase of the vehicle.
• A copy of a valid MOT certificate will only be needed if you would like us to arrange collection of your vehicle in the UK using an insured driver. If your vehicle does not have a valid MOT, or if you would simply prefer, we also offer a collection service using car transporters or a fully enclosed collection vehicle.

Arriving in Cyprus

When your vehicle has been shipped from the UK, we will provide you with a copy of the Bill of Lading covering your shipment to Cyprus. We will also reconfirm the anticipated arrival date for the vessel and provide full contact details for our local agent who will assist you with customs formalities on arrival. Our agent will contact you when your vehicle arrives to coordinate arrival and discuss options available to you in respect of both Customs clearance and registration.

Port and Shipping Line Charges

When your vehicle arrives in Cyprus there are some standard costs you should expect to pay in relation to fees levied by the port and local agent in respect of handling your vehicle at the port and for the completion of customs Clearance formalities. An indication of costs for these standard services can be found below:

Duty and Tax

If you are transferring your 'normal residency' from the UK to Cyprus, you are permitted to import one vehicle into the country that is exempt from any duty or tax, provided you meet the following criteria:

• You must have owned and used the vehicle in the UK for a period of at least six months before transferring your residence to Cyprus.
• The vehicle must be imported within 12 months of you transferring your normal residence to Cyprus.
• The vehicle must be in 'Free Circulation' in the UK prior to shipment. i.e. no duty or tax must be outstanding on the vehicle or should be reclaimed from UK Customs on export from the UK.

Import Duty and Tax relief is available for a vehicle if the importer has a full driving licence and had residence outside of the EU for a continuous period of 12 months before transferring residence to Cyprus.

If transferring residence, you can register a car of any age, but then ownership cannot be transferred for a period of 3 years from the date of registration in Cyprus. If you are not transferring your residence, it is possible to import a vehicle from the UK to Cyprus with relief from import Duty if the vehicle is certified as UK origin.

A “statement of origin” stating that the vehicle qualifies for preferential Customs tariff treatment is issued by the exporter or the manufacturer of the vehicle. In some cases, proof may be based on “importers knowledge” provided that the importer has all information to prove the origin of the vehicle.

If you import a vehicle without transfer of residence, and can prove UK origin, there is no duty payable, but VAT is payable at 19%.

If you import a vehicle without transfer of residence, and it is NOT UK origin, there is duty payable at 10% as well as the VAT at 19%.

More details can be found on the Republic of Cyprus Customs & Excise Department website here.

Importing Your Vehicle

There are two different import options available when your car arrives in Cyprus. In this guide we are pleased to provide information for both of these options together with details of documentation that will be needed to Customs clear and register your vehicle as well as charges you should expect to pay. Our agents will be on hand to assist you in making sure you have all the correct documentation to import your vehicle into Cyprus and will be there to provide you with all the assistance you need every step of the way.

Option 1. Permanently Importing Your Vehicle

While our agents will provide all the assistance you need in preparing to clear your vehicle, Cypriot import regulations require the importer of the vehicle to attend their local Customs offices in person to present the necessary documentation for clearance to be completed.

To Customs clear your vehicle you will need to present the below documentation to the local Customs offices in person. Cypriot Customs offices are located in Limassol & Paphos.

• The Original V5C (Logbook) for your vehicle.
• If you have recently purchased the vehicle and the V5 / Logbook is not in your name, you will also need to present a copy of the invoice or bill of sale covering your purchase of the vehicle.
• A copy of the Bill of Lading covering shipment of your vehicle from the UK to Cyprus.
  We will provide you with this document shortly after shipment from the UK and well in advance of your vehicle arriving at destination.
• Customs form C1040.
  Our agents will provide you with this form and while they can partially complete it for you, as the importer of the vehicle it will need to be signed by you before it is submitted to Customs.

When you present the above documentation at the local Customs office, Cypriot Customs will issue you with a copy C72A form confirming your vehicle has been Customs cleared. The C72A form will need to be presented to our agent so that your vehicle can be released to you and it will also need to be presented to the Cypriot Inland Transport Department for your vehicle to be registered.

Once you have received your vehicle from our agents, you will have a period of 10 days (from the date on your C72A form) to complete the registration process so your vehicle can remain permanently in Cyprus and be used on Cypriot roads.

Option 2. Temporarily Importing Your Vehicle

If you are importing your vehicle into Cyprus on a temporary basis, you can import and use your vehicle on its existing registration plates for up to a maximum of 6 months. The process for temporarily importing your vehicle, and the documentation you will be required to present to Customs, is the same as is detailed in Option 1 above. The C1040 form is simply used to apply for your vehicle to be imported temporarily rather than applying to import on a permanent basis. If you are permitted to import on a temporary basis you will not need to register your vehicle on to Cypriot number plates but must ensure your vehicle is re-exported from Cyprus before the expiry if the authorised temporary import period.

Authorisation to temporarily import a vehicle into Cyprus is granted solely at the discretion of Cypriot customs. If you intend to ship your vehicle and use it in Cyprus for a temporary period, we strongly advise that you speak to Cypriot customs for advice and guidance before arranging shipment.

To be able to driver your vehicle temporarily in Cyprus you will need;

• A valid certificate of registration and road licence of the origin country
• A valid driving licence of the origin country (or an international driving licence)
• Valid vehicle insurance from a company registered and operating in Cyprus.

When temporarily importing a vehicle into Cyprus you are not permitted to lend, sell or otherwise dispose of it, and must only use if for your own private needs.

How Much Does It Cost to Tax Your Vehicle in Cyprus?

Much like here in the UK you will be required to pay annual ‘Circulation Tax’ to drive your vehicle on Cypriot roads. The amount of circulation tax you will pay will depend on the type of fuel your vehicle uses, its age and Co2 emissions much like road tax here in the UK.

Circulation tax for imported vehicles is charged at a higher rate than vehicles originally purchased in Cyprus. We will be happy to provide information about the annual tax that will be payable on your vehicle in Cyprus and we will simply need to know: Either, the registration of your vehicle, or your vehicles year of manufacture, the fuel type and Co2 emissions - this can be found on your vehicles V5C.

Registering Your Car For Use on Cypriot Roads

Please note that, unless you are importing your car under a transfer of permanent residence to Cyprus, it is only possible to register a car in Cyprus that is less than 5 years old.

The ageis counted from the “Date of First Registration” up the date of arrival at the port in Cyprus. To clarify, the vehicle should be less than 5 years old on the date of its arrival.

For the registration of your vehicle, you must present the V5C and a recent roadworthiness certificate must be issued in Cyprus. Also, to be considered as being of UK origin, the vehicle must have a reference shown on the V5C for “Type Approval Number” (point K) This shows that a Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) has been issued deeming the whole vehicle to be of UK origin.

If no WVTA is present on the V5C then a Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) must be issued in Cyprus before registration. The vehicle must be taken to an SVA Testing Centre to be checked. If the paperwork is correct and the vehicle is found to be in proper working condition in accordance with the SVA manual, then an SVA certificate should be issued.

Documents required for registering a car in Cyprus;

• V5C / Registration Certificate
• Invoice or Bill of Sale if the car is not registered to the person importing.

The documents must be stamped at the Stamp Duty Section of the Ministry of Finance (Telephone number: 22 407834, e-mail collnic@ird.mof.gov.cy).

Once stamped, the documents will need to submitted to the District Vehicle Examination Centre of the Road Transport Department (RTD) who will issue you with a certificate confirming the vehicles Co2 emissions.

Once issued with a Co2 certificate your vehicle will also need to pass a roadworthiness examination (similar to a UK MOT) at an RTD authorised vehicle examination centre. Be sure to take all of your documentation, including your Co2 certificate, with you as it will be required by the examination centre to issue a roadworthiness certificate. Subject to any work that may need to be completed to pass the examination, you should expect to pay around Euro 40 for the test to be completed.
When you have your roadworthiness certificate you need to submit all the documentation back to the District Vehicle Examination Centre of the RTD to formally apply for your vehicle to be registered.

The registration process should take around two to three days and you should expect to pay approximately Euro 150 for the documentary certification and registration process.

While you can complete the registration process yourself for the above referred cost of around Euro 190, our agents will also be happy to provide a registration service. Simply let us know if this would be of interest and we will be happy to discuss options and associated costs you should expect to pay for registration to be completed for you.

Registering Your Motorbike For Use on Cypriot Roads

Motorbikes, mopeds, tricycles or quatricycles are able to be registered in Cyprus irrespective of their age. This is possible as long as they are accompanied by the Certificate of Conformity (CoC) of the vehicle from the date of first registration.

If the V5C has the Whole Vehicle Type Approval in place, as outlined above, then this is deemed as sufficient evidence that a CoC has been issued.

Registering Your Classic Car For Use on Cypriot Roads

If your vehicle is more than 25 years old, you may be able to register it as a vintage vehicle. It would need to be approved by FIVA (Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens) and hold a valid certificate and a declaration that the vehicle’s specifications are in compliance with the International Technical Code for Vintage Vehicles.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

How Much does it Cost to ship my Vehicle to Cyprus?
The cost of shipping depends on the type of vehicle and the shipping option that best suits your requirements, be it full container, R-Rak shared container or RoRo. There are current indicative prices for port-port shipping on all services in our Cyprus guide.

Can you Arrange the Delivery to Door?
Our services are only up to arrival port, but we will put you in contact with an agent at destination who can assist you with the whole process. Once we have confirmation that your vehicle has departed, we will send you all the required documentation and details of the overseas agent. If you haven’t heard from them within 3 days of the planned arrival we would suggest you give them a call.

Can I Take Personal Effects With Me?
You can take personal effects within your vehicle if you are shipping on a dedicated containerised service or R-Rak Shared Container service. For Cyprus R-Rak there is an additional cost of £100 to load personal effects. If you are utilising our Ro-Ro service you are unable to have personal effects in your vehicle. If any are added you risk your vehicle not being loaded and additional charges could be incurred. If you have a lot of personal effects to take with you then you can contact our sister company 1st Move International.

Does My Car Insurance Cover my Vehicle Whilst Shipping?
Your car insurance does not usually cover you for damages or loss during transit. We can offer a separate marine insurance policy which covers you from the moment that we collect or your deliver your vehicle into our care up to the point that you receive it at destination. There are three levels or insurance cover to choose from, we would never recommend shipping your vehicle without some sort of cover.

Essential Links

Cyprus Customs & Excise Department - Vehicles
Cyprus Government Car Import Regulations from The UK.
Cyprus Customs & Excise Temporary Import of Vehicles
Republic of Cyprus guide to the transfer of normal residence from outside The EU.

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