Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

What's the latest requirement for renewing my driving licence?

two driving licence photos, copy of passport and 325tl for 3 years.did it last week,photos must be for lic

should have put photos mus.t be for licence not passport photos

Is there a difference?

Yes there is. Tried to renew mine early in this year using passport photos and was told to go back and get new one's. Yuksel even agreed that the driving license photo is different to all the others and when I went back with the new one's all was acceptable.

johnd11 wrote:two driving licence photos, copy of passport and 325tl for 3 years.did it last week,photos must be for lic

No muhtars letter?

no.

My licence is due for renewal on 30th December - does any one know how long before that I can renew as I am not out there at the end of December.

Also how long can you renew for.

We were informed that if you were over 60 and did not continue with temp residence then you would need a muhtars letter, is there anyone over 60 in that position who could confirm the requirement?

gary&shirley wrote:We were informed that if you were over 60 and did not continue with temp residence then you would need a muhtars letter, is there anyone over 60 in that position who could confirm the requirement?

No you don't need Muhtars letter ..

Everyone can now apply to renew their licence for up to 10 years. We renewed last week for 5 years for 460TL each. A considerable saving.

Where do you get the photographs done for driving licences in Girne area?

Yukcel (might be Yuksel) just follow the road down into town past the HSBC bank on your left and you will find it on your left hand side about 300 mtrs down. Parking can be tricky!!

We had ours done at the photographic shop in the main square in Girne where the taxi's park up just down from the Colony hotel.

You do not need a Muhtar's letter. I'm over 60, have not renewed my residency, rent our property but still didn't need a letter when I renewed in February.

Thanks for the replies.

It sounds like common sense is ruling, will the next crackdown be 90 days in the country and driving a local car a Cypriot licence is required?

Judging by the number of Trafik Polis roadside checks I've seen recently, it's best to obey the law on the '90 days.'
Its easy enough to get a TRNC licence, and you can get one for 10 years to avoid the hassle of queing in offices too often.

Just to clarify (or confuse?) - does the '90 days' law relate to the (total) number of days (in twelve months) presence in the country, or the total number of days driving in the country?
As an example, If I come for 47 days in Spring but only hire/drive a car for 28 days, then come again for 56 days in Autumn, again to only hire/drive a car for 28 days, (first and last fortnight in each visit) - how would the law apply in this case?

My understanding of the rules are if you drive, you need a trnc license if you spend more than 90 days in any 12 month period.
The requirement is related to time in country not time driving in country.

It goes to show that (not just the TRNC but worldwide!) the law is an ass...
To abide by the letter of the law, If I visit for only (a total of) 89 days, I can drive every day - but if I visit for 90 or more days, I need a licence even for just one day's driving......

(while in the UK, there is still a law that “all beached whales and sturgeons must be offered to the Reigning Monarch”, which initially came into force in 1322.....)

Ah well, we must do as we are told.....

But it is the law, you don't have to like it but you do have to pay the fine when you get caught. The same as if you want to drive in the South and you are an EU citizen - regardless of where you live - you have to have an EU driving license. Now the catch - if you live here permanently then you can't - by law - have an EU license once have lived outside of the EU for six months or more! The South is in the EU and they know that the North is not in the EU but you are forced to produce and EU license - which they know is not valid - before they will let you drive there. It places me in the strange position of only having one valid driving license - that is a TRNC license but I have my EU/UK driving license which I must use to drive South - arghhh!!!!

I see your point jofra, and very well made it is

I also sympathise with the Lawmakers, however...

Whilst it is relatively straightforward to keep a tally of how many days per annum you spend in the Country, I shudder to think how anyone (including You!) could be expected to track exactly how many days you spent actually driving!

...And, since we're on the subject, are we considering complete 24-hour days, or are we prepared to lump half days, and odd bits of days, and all those 30 minute trips to the shop together in order to achieve an accurate assessment of the total driving time?

I am joking, but I trust that you see my point also

Waddo - when you say that "...you can't - by law - have an EU license once have lived outside of the EU for six months or more...", do you mean that you are no longer/have lost EU citizenship? i.e., are you then 'stateless' as the TRNC is not recognised?
And Keith - I hadn't thought of counting up hours/minutes; more on the lines of 'documented' evidence as in hire-car contracts, but your points are much better - I like them - this is how lawyers survive and become rich!
While oft misinterpreted, Shakespeare's line "Let's kill all the lawyers," does have a certain appeal......

jofra, No, you have not lost EU citizenship, but you have lost the right to hold an EU driving license. When you attempt to renew your existing EU license you have to prove (confirm by signature) you have lived in the EU for the past 3 years anyway or you can not renew. Having fought with DVLA in the UK and the RoC driving offices for years over this I gave it all up a few years ago and just did as I was told originally by DVLA - and later by the police in UK and of both the North and South - so I binned all the contacts. I will try and find them all again and let you have the proof but it is a minefield and as you said earlier - the law is an ass!!! So long as you hold your UK passport then you are not stateless but if you give that up and declare you no longer wish to be a UK citizen then you become stateless. I often wonder if that also means that you would loose your Government pensions but that they would still charge you income tax - lol.

Q. What do you call 3 dead Lawyers?

A. A Start!

I think that the reasoning behind the TRNC driving licence rule may have gone like this...

Obviously the standards of tuition in TRNC are more suited to the driving conditions here, so anyone wishing to drive here should really have a TRNC licence. However, we'll make an exception for holidaymakers, 'cos nobody wants to have to take a driving test on holiday, right?

So, the period of the standard holiday Visa is 90 days, let's allow people to drive for 90 days on their existing licences - everyone staying over 90 days must be living here, so they can apply for a TRNC licence. That's it then, the job's a good 'un

But wait! What if some of those sneaky Yabancı living here realise that they can stay for 89 days, pop over the border for a day, and then come back and start another 90 days?

I know! - Let's make it '90 days in any one year, that'll stop their little games!

Everyone O.K. with that?

Good, lets go down the pub, all this thinking has given me a terrible thirst.

[quote="waddo]So long as you hold your UK passport then you are not stateless but if you give that up and declare you no longer wish to be a UK citizen then you become stateless. I often wonder if that also means that you would loose your Government pensions but that they would still charge you income tax - lol.[/quote]


You can only renounce Citizenship if you have dual nationality or seeking other nationality, if you cant prove your new nationality within 6 months you revert back back to British Citizen.