Exchanging your driving licence in Cyprus: EU vs everyone else, and the €40 question

The mechanics are confirmed on the Road Transport Department's own page. The one question with no clean published answer — which countries qualify — is dealt with at the end.

Who can exchange

Holders of an EU licence, or of a licence from a country on the Commissioner's «notification» list of recognised countries. If your country is not covered, exchange is not available and you take a test.

Residence test

You must reside in Cyprus for at least 185 days. Non-EU citizens also present their Alien Registration Card and residence permit.

Optional or obligatory

Notification-country holders are obliged to exchange after a six-month stay. EU-licence holders may exchange but do not have to.

Documents

Form TOM 7D, a 45×35 mm photo, ID or ARC, passport, and your original foreign licence (all pages) — which is sent back to the issuing authority. A translation is needed unless the licence is in English or Greek. Apply in person at the District Driver Examiner office.

Fee

Consistently reported as €40, free for applicants aged 65 and over — not stated on the official page, so treat it as indicative.

Which countries qualify has no single published list — the law delegates the roster to a notification in the Government Gazette, not a web page, which is why the versions online (17, 18 or 21 countries) disagree. A core of 17 recurs across reputable sources: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, the UAE, the USA and Zimbabwe — plus all EU/EEA licences by law.

United States and Russia

Exchangeable without a test — on every list. High confidence.

Israel

Appears on none of the recognised-country lists — plan for a Cypriot test rather than an exchange, and confirm with the TOM office.

United Kingdom

Post-Brexit a third country omitted from the lists, yet current guides say a UK photocard licence can be exchanged. Not confirmable against the Gazette, so verify with the TOM office.

Because the recognised-country list lives in a Gazette notification rather than online, confirm your own case with the District Driver Examiner (TOM) office. The full driving picture — sides of the road, buying and insuring locally — is in the driving and cars guide.