UK license to Cypriot license Help please

[sueb]

Please can anyone tell me the procedure of exchanging your license?

What to do when you go to the transport office? Polis Road Paphos office.

Have got the form printed. Recent experiences please as they will have changed since I did mine last year. Asking for a friend.

Many Thanks

Sue b

[mike strand2]

Definitely at the transport offices (Mesogi road). I do recommend getting there well before 8am when they start processing. Take a Deli ticket on the RH door post and wait. Of course you must take along your UK licence that hasn't expired, a utility bill (for CY address), MEU1 or MEU3 yellow slip plus passport. If I've forgotten anything I do apologise in advance, for as you will be aware, whatever doc's you are asked to take along, they nearly always dream up another (just to annoy!)

BTW, they take the photos, so you don't have to take any yourself.

[Galini]

Also have a couple of photocopies of the old licence, passport,MEU, utility bill etc as they wanted these when we exchanged ours. People without the copies were sent away and had to return and queue again on another day !

[trevnhil]

That is a shame about having to go back another day... When I changed mine ( although it was 7 years ago) I had no copies either. I doubt the layout of the offices will have changed, and in the end office on the right is a photocopier.. I just did my own copies

[CharleyB]

The website www.cyprusdriving.net provides all the information you need to know about changing your license.

[Lucie]

Absolutely dreadful experince there today. Tried to change the driving licence, spent 3 and half hour in the heat, and achieved nothing. There is no system, nobody knows what the person at the next desk is doing. Worse than in a third world country.

[Dominic]

Got mine done last week.

What you need:

1. Completed forms
2. Passport
3. Yellow Slip
4. Driving License.
5. Six months of bills. Nobody looked at these but I was told I needed them.
6. Copies of 2 - 5 above.
7. 40 euros.

When you get to the place, go to the left hand door, as the first person you need to see is in the Driving Instructors Office. I went to him at about 10:30. There was a small queue outside, but I wasn't there too long. As you go in, keep walking down the corridor it is the last door but one on the right, and does have a sign outside.

Once finished with him, he will stamp a form which you must keep. He won't want any of your paperwork though.

In my case, he told me I needed two photographs, and to go to main reception. I didn't need any photographs. In fact, when I tried to give them the photographs I went away and took, the front desk were puzzled.

Anyway, you may be able to sneek into the main entrance by continuing down the corridor to the end, and going through that door. Alternatively, come back another day.

Now, on to part 2, you need to get into reception, get a ticket, and wait to be photographed. I turned up at about 8:30. There was already a queue at the main gate, some of whom had been there since 7. Most people had been given a ticket though. There was also a note pad and pencil outside, so I wrote my name on that. After a while, a lady came out and give tickets to all the people who had written their names on the pads. My number was 33. Somebody waiting outside had the number 01. On that basis, I drove home, loaded the car up with green waste, then went back to the driving centre. An hour had passed, and the number was now on 20. So I took the waste to the dump and returned. The number was now on 22/ What was puzzling was that there were 5 people sat inside (social distancing) yet there were 9 numbers between the current one and mine. Presumably some people had given up.

Anyway, I eventually snuck in and sat down. Once questioned by the lady I showed my number and was deemed sufficiently near to be allowed to stay there. About an hour or so later I found myself gravitating towards the desks, as I was fairly certain I was up next. The official lady appeared and wanted to know what I was doing. I explained I was told to come here and give them my photos. She told me to go to the driving instruction man, but I showed her the stamped form, and she took my items off me. She then told me to sit down again.

about 15 minutes later my number was actually called! So I went up and paid my fees, and handed over the paperwork. I was then told to sit on the photography seat. I did this and eventually the official lady took my photo, and gave me my form back, which I had to hand back to the lady who had taken my papers and money. NB: after you have had your pictures taken, do not return to your seat in reception, otherwise you will be queueing for another eternity. Instead, stay where you are, and when the lady has finished dealing with whoever she is dealing with, hand her the form back. She will tell you to come back in 25 days to pick up your license, and give you some temporary papers, which you must keep, and you are done.

When you go back to pick up your license, just tell them you are picking up the license. They should just give it to you without having to queue. This is what I saw when I was waiting, anyway.

So, key tips for dealing with reception:

1. get there early if you have already had yourform stamped.
2. get a ticket, then see where you are in the line.
3. Find a shady place, and wait. You don't have to stand in line once you have your ticket.

[Lucie]

Ok, here is our story.
Went there with my husband at 7am, put his name on the list – was number 20. Waited for an hour. At 8am a man came out, gave everybody on the list a number (about 40 people by that time) and took first 5 people inside. At 10am was our turn. We waited till one of the ladies on the computer was available just to be told we need copies of everything and have to see the man in the left wing. The doorman carefully opened the door for us to go to the left wing and did not let anybody in from that side.
First I persuaded a man in an office that we can use their photocopier to make a copy of the passport and the driving licence. Then we found the man responsible for the form (the man at the desk opposite him did not know that he is doing this) just to be told he needs to see the original of the yellow slip (we had just a copy). So my husband said he will go and bring the original and I should hold our position. 5 minutes later he called me he had an accident on the first crossing on the Mesogi road, probably from exhaustion he did not see a car coming from Tsada. Waited another hour for the man from the insurance company and went home. Next try is next week as Monday is our only day off.

Have seen people who missed their turn on the reception because they have been with the Driving Instructor. Have seen people who had the form stamped and hoped to get a number to get into the reception, but nobody was able to tell them if they can make it today.

[memory man]

I was very lucky when I went to change my drivers licence
from UK to Cypriot in 2002.
It was a Monday morning and there was a huge queue inside
the centre, actually there were 2 huge queues, so my wife and
I decided on 1 queue each. As I stood in the queue, a Cypriot ( I presume )
shouted at me " well done sir " " I saw you on TV last night ".
He was correct, as I had been interviewed by a local TV channel
because I had put out a house fire with a garden hose. My neighbours
TV had blown up and there was a serious fire inside. I managed to
contain the fire until the arrival of the Fire Brigade, which was a considerable
time later, due to them having to clean a lot of equipment at the station
as they had just returned from a serious agricultural accident of an overturned
tractor which killed ( I think an uncle and 2 nephews ).
Back at the MOT centre, I kept getting pushed to the front of the queue, while my
wife never moved

[mike strand2]

OMG. I feel so very sorry for you! Obviously the health precautions have changed things a bit from the 'normal' (Is it ever 'normal' there!?)

[Dominic]

You should always get your own copies down of everything before you get to anywhere that might need them.

[sueb]

Thank you all for your input!

I took a friend today. Yes got it done.

Not an easy task at all.

Dominic's account is very good on the procedure. To late for us as we had already set to go so I did not see the posting.

We arrived at 8.30 All numbers had been given out but there was a sheet of A4 paper where we placed his name on.
Then went to the top middle door to your left of the main double doors. Saw the driving examiner and got the paper signed. Yippee that done in 15.
minutes.
The point I would mention is that the friend I was with only got his yellow slip in Feb 2020. Arrived in June 2019. He had taken his last electric bill.
The driving examiner wanted a bill to show he had been in the country for 6 months. We were lucky as he accepted that it had been 6 months on his yellow slip. Feb to July. Phew a sigh of relief.
Advice for others take a bill that is new and 6 months old to cover yourself.



After waiting for a long time we were issued with a number - last 5 of the day. The time would be 11.30 ish. Only allowed 5 inside so had to wait.
Once in it took around 40 minutes. Do go in ticket order.
Plain sailing from there!

People do go and then come back. The police ( who take your photo and gives the tickets out) did tell some people they had missed their slot.
Which I think is fair to the others waiting.

All in all it was not that much different from when I got mine in May 2019. A lot hotter of course and not able to go inside to wait. Time was maybe 30 mins longer.

Do feel for the people that work there. Would say there 'must be a better' system and more staff needed.

What I noticed is that they are doing so many types of documents:
1. First driving license
2. Driving test
3 Registration of cars
4.Exchange of license and renewals
5. Update for drivers who are 70 who need a medical certificate.


Found every one to be helpful in the office and the people waiting were in the main calm.

Thanks again for your input to the question.

Warm regards Sue b

[sueb]

Lucie

So sorry to hear of your dreadful experience today.

How is your husband?

Yes I can understand how he must of felt rushing off to get the paper work. It was very hot and the long wait did not help.

Kind regards to you both.

Sue b

[Lucie]

Thank you Sue, nothing serious happened, just plastics on both cars. My husband is all right.

[mike strand2]

This procedure of course will change once the pandemic has been declared over, so new applicants please be aware. If it's done one way today, it'll be different tomorrow. Thankfully I exchanged mine in November last year & much easier back then.