If you visit Northern Cyprus as a tourist, you can drive with your international driving license for up to 3 months. If you stay longer than these 3 months or have residency on the island, you need to apply for a Northern Cyprus driving license. If you continue to drive without obtaining a Northern Cyprus license, your insurance may not cover you in case of an accident and you may face multiple fines.
Foreign citizens, except for Turkish citizens, must enroll in a driving school and take an exam to obtain a Northern Cyprus driving license. This exam will be oral, asking the names of several road signs.
To prepare for the sign test, you can use the online tests below.
To obtain a Northern Cyprus driving license, you need to present the following documents:
⦁ English application form (Download English form) or (Download Turkish form)
⦁ Original passport and a photocopy of the photo page along with your current residence stamp/residency document
⦁ 2 passport-sized photos
⦁ Original and photocopy of your national driving license
⦁ Driving and theory test results (if applicable)
If you have previously had a Cyprus driving license, for new driving license applications, you need to apply personally at the Tax Office in Lefkosa. For renewals, you can have someone submit the filled and signed renewal form to the Tax Office on your behalf. The new licenses will include multiple laser symbols and a chip, along with other specifications making it impossible to duplicate. The new driving licenses will also use new internationally standard vehicle classifications.
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Temporary New Driving License Regulation in Northern Cyprus
The new temporary driving license regulation has been implemented in Northern Cyprus, and first-time driving license applicants must now apply for a driving license at a local driving school.
You will first receive a provisional license followed by a five-year license.
A booklet will be provided by the driving school, which includes the rules and signs. A theory test also needs to be passed (mostly asking the names of traffic signs).
Please read all details in the exact translation of the regulation from the Official Gazette below:
Taken from “Resmi Gazete,” issued on October 31:
For 180 days from the date of entry of this (Amendment) Regulation, the following rules are to be applied to foreign driving license holders:
(1) A person holding a valid driving license issued in a foreign country needs to have obtained a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus driving license within the period specified in paragraph (3) of Article 45. Article 45 paragraph 3 states that this is within one month of losing visitor status in Northern Cyprus.
(2) A person holding a valid driving license issued in a country other than the Republic of Turkey needs to:
(A) Apply to the Driver’s License Renewal Unit by submitting their current driving license and pay the fee for a five-year Northern Cyprus driving license.
(B) Attend a driving school within one week from the date of application. The applicant must take driving lessons for a minimum of five days, where eight hours are daytime and two hours are nighttime lessons. These lessons are to be under the supervision of a driving school instructor, and the vehicle used needs to be one provided by the driving school.
(C) At the end of the five-day training period, the driving school will issue a signed and stamped document declaring that the lessons have been completed. (Ç) The applicant needs to take the document obtained from the driving school and submit it together with the receipt received from the Driver’s License Renewal Unit and apply for a Northern Cyprus driving license within one month.
This Regulation shall enter into force from the date of its publication in the Resmi (Official) Gazette.
