Is it cost-effective to export your car to Cyprus?
When moving to Cyprus, you will want to save as much money as you can. The cost of transporting your car from the UK is frequently far cheaper than replacing it. It is undoubtedly something worth seriously considering given that people utilize right-hand drive vehicles, similar to those in the UK.
If your car may be imported into Cyprus, you must first determine whether it is worthwhile to send it there. The price of importing and shipping must then be compared to the price of buying a new vehicle in Cyprus. Due to the paperwork, some experts advise against it, but with a competent vehicle shipping business like Ship Cars Ltd guiding you, the actual process of exporting your car to Cyprus is not too tough.
Cyprus’s Laws and Customs: A Guide
For the sake of avoiding issues and delays, learn the truth about exporting your car to Cyprus.
This handy reference guide was put together by us to serve as a quick reference for everything from the paperwork you’ll need to the services you may choose from once you get there to the charges you can anticipate bearing when your car gets to Cyprus. This guide should include all the information you require, but if not, please contact us through email or give us a call, and we would be pleased to assist you.
An Important Note on Cyprus’s Import Rules, Duties, and Taxes
Only a guideline should be derived from the data on this page. Customs procedures are subject to change, thus before arranging for the export of their vehicle, all vehicle owners must make sure they are in compliance with Cypriot Customs import criteria. Any customs issues brought on by failing to follow the rules and legislation of the Cypriot authorities are not the responsibility of Ship Cars Ltd.
Arrangement of your Shipment
It can be challenging to arrange your shipment’s Customs needs in Cyprus, but with the help of our dependable local agents, we will give you all the shipping and Customs papers you need to properly import your car into Cyprus.
We only require the following documentation from you to satisfy UK Customs’ export regulations in order to arrange the shipping of your vehicle from the UK:
- A duplicate of your car’s V5C or logbook, which is the license paperwork. To complete customs clearance and registration in Cyprus, you will need the original V5C / Logbook, thus you should keep it.
- We will also require a copy of the bill of sale or invoice for the vehicle you recently bought if the V5C / Logbook is not in your name.
- If you want us to arrange for the collection of your car in the UK with an insured driver, a copy of a current MOT certificate will be required. We can provide a collecting service via car transporters or a fully enclosed collection truck if your vehicle does not have a current MOT or if you would just prefer.
Reaching Cyprus
When your vehicle arrives, an agent from our company will get in touch with you to arrange a time for delivery and go over the registration and customs clearance options that are available to you. We will give you a copy of the Bill of Lading for your shipping to Cyprus after your car has been dispatched from the UK. Additionally, we will reaffirm the vessel’s estimated arrival date and provide complete contact information for our local agent, who will help you with customs procedures when you arrive.
Port fees and shipping line fees
There are some regular fees that you should be prepared to pay when your car arrives in Cyprus. These fees are charged by the port and a local agency to handle your car at the port and to complete the necessary formalities for customs clearance. Following is a list of approximate prices for certain common services:
Charge and Tax
If you are moving from the UK to Cyprus and transferring your “normal residency,” you are allowed to bring in one vehicle duty- and tax-free as long as you meet the requirements listed below:
Before moving to Cyprus, the car must have been owned and used by you in the UK for at least six months.
You must import the automobile within a year of moving to Cyprus for your primary residence.
Prior to shipping, the car must be in “Free Circulation” in the UK. For example, no duty or tax should be owed on the car or should be reclaimed from UK Customs when the vehicle is exported from the UK.
If the importer of the car holds a valid driving license and lived outside of the EU for a continuous period of 12 months before relocating to Cyprus, they are eligible for import duty and tax savings.
In Cyprus, you can register an automobile of any age if you’re moving there, but after that, ownership cannot be transferred for three years. If the car is certified as being of UK origin, it is feasible to import it from the UK to Cyprus with relief from import duty even if you are not moving your place of abode there.
The exporter or the vehicle’s maker issues a “statement of origin” indicating that the vehicle is eligible for preferential Customs tariff treatment. If the importer is in possession of all the facts necessary to establish the vehicle’s provenance, proof in some circumstances may be relied on “importers knowledge.”
Without a change of address and with proof of UK origin, there is no obligation to pay; however, VAT at 19% is.
There is a charge of 10% and a VAT of 19% that must be paid if a vehicle is imported without a transfer of residence and is NOT of UK origin.
Bringing Your Car Over
When your vehicle reaches Cyprus, you have a choice between two import choices. We are happy to outline both of these choices in this article, along with the specific paperwork you will need to have Customs clear and register your car, as well as the costs you can anticipate. In order to import your vehicle into Cyprus, you must ensure that you have all the necessary paperwork. Our agents will help you with this process and will be by your side every step of the way.
Importing Your Car Permanently
While our agents will provide you with all the help you need to get ready to clear your car, Cypriot import laws demand that the importer of the car appear in person at their local Customs offices to produce the required paperwork for clearance to be completed.
You must personally deliver the following papers to the nearby Customs offices in order for them to clear your car through customs. The offices of Cypriot Customs are in Limassol and Paphos.
- The vehicle’s original V5C (Logbook).
- You will also need to submit a copy of the invoice or bill of sale covering the purchase of the car if you recently purchased it and the V5 / Logbook is not in your name.
- A duplicate of the Bill of Lading for the transport of your car from the UK to Cyprus.
- This paperwork will be made available to you soon after your car leaves the UK and well before it gets to its final destination.
- C1040 Customs form.
This form will be given to you by our agents, who may fill it out in part for you; but, since you are the importer of the car, it must be signed by you before it can be sent to Customs.
Cypriot Customs will give you a copy of the C72A form as proof that your car has been cleared for import when you show the aforementioned documents to the local Customs office. The C72A form must be given to our representative in order for your car to be released to you, and it must also be given to the Cypriot Inland Transport Department in order for your car to be registered.
You will have 10 days (starting from the date on your C72A form) after receiving your vehicle from our agents to finish the registration procedure so that it can be kept permanently in Cyprus and driven on Cypriot roads.
Importing Your Car Temporarily
For a maximum of 6 months, if you are temporarily importing your car into Cyprus, you are permitted to do so while keeping your current license plates on the car. The procedure for temporarily importing your car and the paperwork you must give to customs officials are the same as those described in Option 1 above. Instead of requesting a permanent import, the C1040 form is only used to request that your car be brought into the country temporarily. If you are granted permission to temporarily import, you won’t need to register your car with Cypriot license plates, but you will need to make sure it is exported back out of Cyprus before the legal temporary import period expires.
The decision to allow the temporary import of a vehicle into Cyprus rests entirely with Cypriot customs. We strongly propose that, before setting up shipment, you consult with Cypriot customs for assistance and guidance if you intend to ship your car and use it temporarily in Cyprus.
You’ll need these things in order to temporarily drive your car in Cyprus:
- A current copy of the origin country’s registration certificate and driving permit
- An international driving license or a valid driving license from the country of origin is a company with legitimate auto insurance that is based and registered in Cyprus.
- You are only allowed to utilize a car that has been temporarily imported into Cyprus for your own use; you are not allowed to lend, sell, or otherwise dispose of it.
How Much Will It Cost You to Tax Your Car in Cyprus?
The “Circulation Tax” that must be paid annually to operate a vehicle on Cypriot roads is quite similar to what is needed in the UK. Similar to how road tax is calculated in the UK, the amount of circulation tax you must pay will vary depending on the fuel type, age, and CO2 emissions of your car.
Automobiles that were initially bought in Cyprus are subject to a lower rate of circulation tax than imported automobiles. Simply let us know the following information, and we’ll be pleased to send details regarding the annual tax that will be due on your car in Cyprus: the year your car was built, the fuel it uses, and the amount of CO2 it emits; or your vehicle’s registration.
Registering Your Car for Use on Cypriot Roads
Please note that, unless you are importing your car under a transfer of permanent residence to Cyprus, it is only possible to register a car in Cyprus that is less than 5 years old.
The age is counted from the “Date of First Registration” up to the date of arrival at the port in Cyprus. To clarify, the vehicle should be less than 5 years old on the date of its arrival.
You must provide the V5C and a current roadworthiness certificate issued in Cyprus in order to register your car. The vehicle must also have a reference for a “Type Approval Number” (point K) on the V5C to be regarded as having UK origin. This demonstrates that a Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA), which declares the entire vehicle to be of UK origin, has been issued.
The V5C and a current roadworthiness certificate issued in Cyprus are required for the registration of your car. Additionally, the vehicle must have a reference to its “Type Approval Number” (point K) on the V5C in order to be regarded as having UK origin. This demonstrates the Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA), which certifies the entire vehicle as being of UK origin.
Before registering a vehicle, Cyprus must grant a Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) if there is no WVTA listed on the V5C. To have the car inspected, bring it to an SVA Testing Centre.
Documents needed to register a vehicle in Cyprus;
- If the vehicle is not registered to the individual importing it, provide a V5C / Registration Certificate Invoice or Bill of Sale.
- At the Ministry of Finance’s Stamp Duty Section, the documents must bear a stamp.
- After being stamped, the paperwork must be delivered to the District Vehicle Examination Centre of the Road Transport Department (RTD), which will then provide you with a certificate attesting to the vehicle’s CO2 emissions.
In addition to passing a roadworthiness test at an RTD-approved vehicle testing facility before receiving a Co2 certificate, your vehicle must also pass a test akin to a UK MOT. To ensure that you have everything you need for the testing center to issue a roadworthiness certificate, including your Co2 certificate, make sure to bring it with you. You should plan to spend about Euro 40 for the test to be finished, subject to any work that may need to be done to pass the examination. As soon as you get your vehicle’s roadworthiness certificate, you must return all the necessary paperwork to the RTD’s District Vehicle Examination Centre to formally request that it be registered.
The documentation validation and registration process should take two to three days, and you should prepare to pay about 150 euros. Although you can conduct the registration process on your own for the referred cost of roughly €190, our agents will also be delighted to assist you with the registration process. Inquire with us if this is something that would be of interest to you, and we’ll be pleased to go over your alternatives and the associated charges you can anticipate paying to have your registration handled.
Adding Your Motorbike to the Cypriot Roads Registration List
No matter their age, motorbikes, mopeds, tricycles, and quadricycles can be registered in Cyprus. As long as they are accompanied by the vehicle’s Certificate of Conformity (CoC) from the date of initial registration, this is permissible. It is considered adequate proof that a CoC has been issued if the V5C has the Whole Vehicle Type Approval in situ, as described above.
Adding Your Vintage Vehicle to the Register for Cypriot Road Use
Your car may be eligible for registration as a vintage vehicle if it is older than 25 years. It would need to have FIVA (Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens) certification of approval, a current certificate, and a statement confirming the vehicle’s specs adhere to the International Technical Code for Vintage Vehicles.
