Driving in Cyprus with a UK licence, and getting around Paphos

Good news first: Cyprus drives on the left, cars are right-hand drive and the road signs are in English as well as Greek. The catch for residents is paperwork. Once you live here, your UK licence has a six-month shelf life, and after that you need a Cypriot one.

The short version

• Residents: you can drive on a UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence for up to six months, then you must exchange a UK licence for a Cypriot one [1].
• No test for UK licences: the swap is done at a Road Transport Department district office on form TOM 7D [3][4]. Gibraltar and Crown Dependency licences can't be exchanged and need a test [1].
• An IDP won't do: the FCDO says you can't use an International Driving Permit instead of exchanging [1].
• Visitors can drive on a UK photocard licence [2].
• Buses: a Paphos bus ticket costs EUR 2 (about £1.67), a day ticket EUR 6.50 (about £5.40), and the intercity bus to Limassol EUR 5 (about £4.20) [6][8].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

Your UK licence if you live in Cyprus

The FCDO's Living in Cyprus guide is blunt. You can drive in Cyprus for up to six months on a licence issued in the UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, and to carry on driving after that, you must exchange a UK licence for a Cypriot one [1]. Apply before the six months are up, as applications can take time [1]. You also can't replace or renew any of those licences while you live in Cyprus, so you can't simply keep renewing with the DVLA from abroad [1].

This is stricter than in some EU countries. Unlike Portugal, for example, there's no bilateral deal letting UK residents drive on their British licence until it expires, so don't take advice from a friend in the Algarve.

The Road Transport Department explains why: Cyprus treats licences from the EU, plus a list of other countries it recognises as equivalent, as exchangeable. EU licence holders may swap after six months if they wish; holders from the other recognised countries, the UK among them, are obliged to swap after a six-month stay [3].

If your licence is from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man

You can drive on it for six months, but you can't exchange it. Instead, you apply for a Cypriot licence as a non-EU national, which includes a driving test [1]. Start early, as lessons and test slots take time.

What about the International Driving Permit?

The FCDO says plainly that you cannot use an IDP instead of exchanging your licence [1]. An IDP is for visitors with an old paper licence, not for residents.

Exchanging your licence, step by step

The exchange is done in person at the Road Transport Department's district office for Paphos (the department calls them District Driver Examiner Offices) [3].

1. Get your residence sorted first. You need to show "normal residence": at least 185 days a year in Cyprus, and for non-EU nationals, the Alien Registration Certificate and your residence permit [3]. Our guides to the yellow slip and biometric card and the pink slip and Category F permit explain those.
2. Fill in form TOM 7D, the application for a driving licence [3].
3. Gather your documents: a recent 45 x 35 mm photo, your Alien Registration Certificate (original and copy), your passport (original and a copy of the details page), and your UK licence (original and a copy of all pages) [3].
4. Medical certificate if needed: it's required if you're 70 or over, or if your licence covers lorries or buses (categories C, C+E, D, D+E, C1, C1+E, D1, D1+E) [3].
5. Go in person to the district office with everything, for checking and approval [3].
6. Say goodbye to your UK licence. The Road Transport Department sends the foreign licence back to the authority that issued it, so your UK card goes back to the DVLA [3].

The fee is the ordinary driving licence fee, a modest sum according to press reports in June 2026 [4], but the department's own page doesn't give a figure, so check it at the counter. Some third-party checklists say over-65s pay nothing; we couldn't confirm that on an official page.

For the wider picture across countries, see our guide to driving abroad on a UK licence.

Rules of the road

Much will feel familiar, but there are differences. The RAC's Cyprus guide lists these [5]:

• Drive on the left, overtake on the right, as at home.
• Speed limits: 50 km/h (31 mph) in built-up areas, 65 km/h (40 mph) on country roads, 80 km/h (50 mph) on national roads, and on motorways a maximum of 100 km/h (62 mph) and a minimum of 65 km/h (40 mph). Motorway speeds are well below the UK's 70 mph, so ease off.
• Drink-driving: the limit is 0.05% blood alcohol, lower than in England and Wales, and the FCDO warns of heavy fines [2][5].
• Seatbelts in every seat, front and back; heavy fines apply to drivers and passengers [2][5].
• Children under 12 and under 150 cm need a suitable seat or restraint, and under-fives can't sit in the front [5].
• Mobile phones: using one while driving brings a heavy fine [2].
• Carry a warning triangle [5].

If you hire a car, check the insurance: the FCDO notes that cars hired in the Republic often have no cover in the north, and that hire firms asking for your passport as a deposit is illegal [2]. Driving a UK-registered car? You need a UK sticker [2].

Getting around Paphos without a car

Many Brits in Paphos do run a car, especially in the hill villages. But if you live in Kato Paphos, Chloraka or the town centre, you can manage on the bus.

Local buses

The blue Pafos Buses, run by OSYPA, cover the town, the coast and many villages [6][7]. Single and day tickets are bought on the bus, with cash [6][7].

Prices are from the Pafos Buses ticket page in November 2026 [6]. Period tickets go on a personalised Motion plastic card, sold at the bus information offices [6]. Children up to five travel free, and wheelchair users, blind people and holders of the European Disability Card travel free [6]. Pensioners travel free only if they have a low-income beneficiary card, which most British retirees won't [6]. Under-12s, school pupils, university students and European Youth Card holders get half price [6].

Useful routes include the 611 between Geroskipou and the harbour, the 615 from Tombs of the Kings to Coral Bay, and the 612 and 613 to Paphos Airport [7]. Buses run roughly every 10 to 30 minutes in the day, less often at night [7].

When fares went up in Nicosia and Larnaca in August 2026, the Cyprus Mail reported no fare changes in Paphos [9].

Intercity buses and the airport

There's no railway in Cyprus, so intercity buses do the heavy lifting. The Limassol to Paphos service leaves from the Karavella terminal, takes about 1 hour 15 minutes and costs EUR 5 (about £4.20) one way or EUR 9 (about £7.50) return [8]. There are around 18 departures from Paphos on weekdays and 14 at weekends [8].

Paphos Airport is linked to town by route 612 from Tombs of the Kings and route 613 from Karavella [7]. Taxis wait outside arrivals, but agree the fare first.

Bringing it all together

If you're moving to Paphos for good, put the licence exchange on your list for the first few months, alongside residence, healthcare and the bank. Our moving abroad checklist helps keep track. And if you're unsure what the Paphos district office is asking for this month, our community group for Brits in Cyprus is full of people who've just been through it.

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Cyprus (last updated 5 February 2026)
2. GOV.UK (FCDO): Cyprus travel advice – safety and security (still current at 6 November 2026, updated 14 August 2026)
3. Road Transport Department (Cyprus): Foreign driving licence conversion (last modified 3 November 2026)
4. Politis: Driving in Cyprus – do you need a local licence? (13 June 2026)
5. RAC: Driving in Cyprus (2026, checked 8 November 2026)
6. Pafos Buses (OSYPA): Tickets (© 2026, checked 8 November 2026)
7. Guide to Paphos: Buses in Paphos (updated 2 May 2026)
8. Intercity Buses: Limassol – Paphos (checked 8 November 2026)
9. Cyprus Mail: Bus fare hike to go live in August (20 July 2026)

Keep reading

• Moving to Cyprus after Brexit: the pink slip and Category F permit
• Cost of living in Paphos vs London and the UK average
• Nightlife in Paphos
• Driving abroad on a UK licence