Paphos Life

UK licence holders who live in the EU or EEA

If you are currently using a UK driving licence and live in an EU or EEA country, from 29 March 2019 you cannot use an IDP to guarantee that your UK licence will be recognised in that country.

If you wish to continue to drive, you should exchange your UK licence with a local licence, where this option exists.

While the UK is a member of the EU, UK driving licences are directly exchangeable for EU and EEA country licences. From 29 March 2019, in the event that there is no EU Exit deal, this licence exchange arrangement will stop. Instead you will need to re-take your driving test in the EU country where you live to be able to carry on driving there.

If you exchange your licence, you will be able to re-gain your UK licence when you return to live in the UK, provided you passed your driving test in the UK or a designated country.

Morning it would probably be best to do this when you arrived to stay on Cy as many who still use a UK driving license do not have a UK address, should a more serious problem arise then you could have a problem, it is very easy to change your UK license to a Cypriot one, done this 18 years ago.

On this day,
I also changed from UK licence to Cypriot licence in Feb. 2002.
I remember it very well, as we were in Transport Dept building
in a large queue waiting to change licences when someone shouted
to me...………" Well done sir, I saw you on TV last night, it was a great
thing you did ".


* My neighbours house had a fire in the kitchen area ( TV had blown up )
and smoke was pouring out the doors. I grabbed the garden hose at rear of house

( the kitchen was at the rear ) and with the help of another neighbour, with another
garden hose we extinguished the fire...…………. long before the arrival of the Fire Service.
The street was full of media crews, and Omega managed to interview me, I gave details
of what I & another neighbour had done. The interview was broadcasted that same night
and obviously 1 other person in Transport building had seen it.


The reason for the late arrival of the fire service was due to them having to clean most of their
equipment at the Fire Station after attending a triple fatality of a tractor overturning with 2 youngsters
and their uncle on board.