appointment driving licence

[WHL]

Well, the question was why I don't want to swap my German license and I answered it. According to EU regulations I can keep my German license and that's what I'll do. What's your problem?

I don't have any problem, I abide with the laws of Cyprus, which I am a resident,
thus I don't have to worry whether I'm totally driving legally , in case I have have an accident and have to claim on my insurance or if I am stopped by the police,
obviously you and others asking questions about getting a Cypriot license or not,
show us, you and others are not sure what or what is not required to be fully legal.

Just two points I have thought of, your current driving license should have your current address you reside at, how does that work with your German one'
secondly every driver in Cyprus needs to have certain tests when they get to 70, how does that work when you tell us your German one is for life and you dont need to take any tests, how is that compatible with your Cypriot insurance?

[trevnhil]

jeba ... It was YOU that said " The validity of my German driver license will expire (I think) next year due to some EU regulation "

So what good is an expired german license..

[jeba]

jeba ... It was YOU that said " The validity of my German driver license will expire (I think) next year due to some EU regulation "

So what good is an expired german license..

There is a difference between a driver's license and the permission to drive. The license is just proof of that you are permitted to drive. As I explained in a previous post, due to an EU regulation, older documents need to be changed for new ones. Your permission to drive isn´t affected by that - just the way you can prove that you are holding a permit. Driving without having a permit to do so is a major offence, not having the proper document as proof is a very minor one. If it saves me the hassle of re-registration in Germany I´ll happily run the risk of having to pay €10 every 10 years (or how often I´ll be caught), which I´d obviously not take if my actual driver´s permit was at stake. In the latter case I´d re-register back home and have a new licence document issued there.

[jeba]

I don't have any problem, I abide with the laws of Cyprus, which I am a resident,
thus I don't have to worry whether I'm totally driving legally , in case I have have an accident and have to claim on my insurance or if I am stopped by the police,
obviously you and others asking questions about getting a Cypriot license or not,
show us, you and others are not sure what or what is not required to be fully legal.

So far I have been driving perfectly legal as I´ll only be affected once that new EU regulation will start being implemented (which varies, depending on which year your licence was issued).

Just two points I have thought of, your current driving license should have your current address you reside at, how does that work with your German one'
secondly every driver in Cyprus needs to have certain tests when they get to 70, how does that work when you tell us your German one is for life and you dont need to take any tests, how is that compatible with your Cypriot insurance?

Your assumption that every driver in Cyprus above the age of 70 needs to have certain tests is wrong. You shouldn´t post it as a fact. Those holding a licence issued by an EU member state that doesn´t require it, dont.
German driver licences don´t carry an address, nor will they expire. Had I not changed it voluntarily for the card-format one, my old license from 1976 would still be valid. As long as I´m legally allowed to drive, I´m sure that Cypriot insurance companies will have to accept that (similar to other EU countries having to accept even those Cypriot passports which were acquired in dubious ways). I´ve never been asked for anything more than a copy of my driver licence (which has no expiry date nor address on it) nor has it ever raised any questions by police or insurance companies. For proof of address when registering a vehicle, I had to show a certificate of residence issued by the muktar.

[WHL]

I don't have any problem, I abide with the laws of Cyprus, which I am a resident,
thus I don't have to worry whether I'm totally driving legally , in case I have have an accident and have to claim on my insurance or if I am stopped by the police,
obviously you and others asking questions about getting a Cypriot license or not,
show us, you and others are not sure what or what is not required to be fully legal.

So far I have been driving perfectly legal as I´ll only be affected once that new EU regulation will start being implemented (which varies, depending on which year your licence was issued).

Just two points I have thought of, your current driving license should have your current address you reside at, how does that work with your German one'
secondly every driver in Cyprus needs to have certain tests when they get to 70, how does that work when you tell us your German one is for life and you dont need to take any tests, how is that compatible with your Cypriot insurance?

Your assumption that every driver in Cyprus above the age of 70 needs to have certain tests is wrong. You shouldn´t post it as a fact. Those holding a licence issued by an EU member state that doesn´t require it, dont.
German driver licences don´t carry an address, nor will they expire. Had I not changed it voluntarily for the card-format one, my old license from 1976 would still be valid. As long as I´m legally allowed to drive, I´m sure that Cypriot insurance companies will have to accept that (similar to other EU countries having to accept even those Cypriot passports which were acquired in dubious ways). I´ve never been asked for anything more than a copy of my driver licence (which has no expiry date nor address on it) nor has it ever raised any questions by police or insurance companies. For proof of address when registering a vehicle, I had to show a certificate of residence issued by the muktar.

You do what you like, I know for a fact that being a permanent resident of Cyprus, means you can not choose what laws suit you and which ones don't
when you get to seventy you will be required to have some tests done to carry on driving here in Cyprus, whether anyone chooses to ignore it, is up to them, they will then have the insurance company's to deal with, and as we all know, I hope you and others read every bit of the small print.
I think the main issue is being a permanent resident, and not a tourist etc. I wish you the best of luck if God forbid you have a serious accident, because we all know the insurance company's know the laws of Cyprus better then you or I do.

[andytspencer]

I changed my old German driving licence (issued in 1975) which originally without expiry date but recently changed to expire 2033 to a Cypriot one (I needed a translation into Greek and English).
I imported my UK car last year but customs would not accept the German licence without expiry date.
as far as EU licences are concerned once they expire you must convert to a local licence.

[Tuppence]

Jeba, you say that your German driving licence does not have an expiry date, perhaps you need to be sure it is still legal to use in Cyprus if you have been a resident for 2 years as a driving licence here is only valid for 15 years.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/v ... shortcut-2
Obligatory exchange of your driving licence in another EU country

You have to exchange your driving licence if:
 Your licence is lost, stolen or damaged
 After 2 years of usual residence, if you have a driving licence with an indefinite validity period (only if this is required by the national authorities in the country where you live)
 You commit a traffic offence in the country where you live

According to the Cyprus Driving website the following rules apply:
 The period of validity is 15 years from the date of issue for categories AM, A1, A2, A, B, B1, B+E.
 After reaching the age of 55 years if the driving licence holder falls into one of these categories, the licence will be renewed, valid until age 70 years.

When you reach age 70 you will have to have a medical, of sorts depending on your doctor, who will then fill in a form stating that you are fit to drive. You will then be issued with a licence for up to 3 years when you have to go through the same procedure again.

[jeba]

 After 2 years of usual residence, if you have a driving licence with an indefinite validity period (only if this is required by the national authorities in the country where you live)

That´s an unwelcome surprise. When I applied for my latest international driving licence (for travel outside the EU) I specifically asked at "my" traffic authority in Germany whether I need to swap my German licence, given that I was resident in Cyprus, and they told me that I could if I wanted to, but that it wasn´t compulsory, unless I needed another one, as only the country of residence could issue licences (except for the international ones, which could also be issued by the authority which issued the national licence). According to what you linked to, this seems to only have been part of the story, which really surprises me, as the clerk wasn´t sure and had to ask his supervisor to check. Thanks anyway, I´ll get to the bottom of it.