Holders of Foreign licences must take lessons to get TRNC licence

[kiplet]

In Cyprus Today Newspaper .
Comments please ?

[kiplet]

Targeted at Driving licenses.

[13roman58]

It must be April 1st.
So you have to forget all of your experience and learn to drive like an idiot!

[gates]

No some idiots can drive. Now they going to teach you how to to drive holding a phone in one hand fag in the other while trying to control your kids jumping in and out front seats on the wrong side of the road.

[laptatony]

This applies only to the first time you apply to exchange your driving licence for a TRNC licence...exceptions for those who hold a Turkish driving licence.

[kiplet]

Anyone know what date this comes into force ?

[come_on_aylin]

Anyone know what date this comes into force ?

According to the CT the new rules were published in the official gazette on November 15th and will be in place for 180 days. So I guess that means they are already in force until May 15 2023.

[wanderer]

RNC driving licence applications suspended following new regulation



The TRNC are introducing a new procedure for Foreigners wishing to apply for a TRNC Driving Licence, described below. The Regulation was approved and published on 31st October, but it has not yet been implemented. Currently the Tax Office have suspended their new licence application service, until the new procedures are finalised. Any Foreigner (except Turkish Citizens) wishing to apply for a new TRNC licence must wait until the new process commences.

​

Once we have further information about the location and opening hours of the Driving Licence Renewal Unit we will update this post.



Taken from ''Resmi Gazete'', issued 31 October:

For 180 days from the date of entry of this (Amendment) Regulation,
the following rules are to be applied to foreign driving license holders :


(1) A person holding a valid driving license issued in a foreign country needs to have obtained a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus within the period specified in paragraph (3) of Article 45
Article 45 paragraph 3 states that this is within 1 month of losing visitor status in the TRNC.


(2) A valid driving licence issued in a foreign country other than the Republic of Turkey.
person needs to;


(A) Apply to the Driver's License Renewal Unit by submitting their current
driving license and pay the fee for a 5 (five) year TRNC driving license.

(B) Attend a driving school within one week from the date of application. The applicant must take driving lessons for a minimum of five days, where eight hours are day-time and two hours are night-time lessons.
These lessons are to be under the supervision of a driving school instructor and the vehicle used needs to one provided by the driving school.

(C) At the end of the five-day training period, the driving school will issue a signed and stamped document declaring that the lessons have been completed.
(Ç) The applicant needs to take the document obtained from the driving school and submit it together with the receipt received from the Driving Licence Renewal Unit and apply for a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus driving licence within one month.

​

2. This Regulation shall enter into force from the date of its publication in the Resmi (Official) Gazette.

[waddo]

So just wait for the 180 days to pass then go exchange your UK license for a TRNC one. It's good to see that mainland Turks - those who drive on the other side of the road - don't have to take a test, brilliant idea that is.

[alphamike]

So just wait for the 180 days to pass then go exchange your UK license for a TRNC one. It's good to see that mainland Turks - those who drive on the other side of the road - don't have to take a test, brilliant idea that is.

I read somewhere recently, no idea where, that tougher regs could be coming in after the 180 days.
Agree re mainland Turks being exempt, absolutely barmy.

[jofra]

A point highlighted in

This applies only to the first time you apply to exchange your driving licence for a TRNC licence...exceptions for those who hold a Turkish driving licence.

As a "swallow" property owner whose TRNC driving licence expired September 2021 (unable to come since October 2020 due to Covid and other illness), I'm hoping that renewals will not be a problem - I obtained mine when some "requirement"(?) on property owners appeared in 2018; previously I drove with my UK licence only. So - what next....?

[waddo]

Tougher regs!!!!! Police will be forced to wear seat belts when not on the phone and driving?? Parking on the pavements will be treated as abandoned and vehicles will be towed away and crushed? There is so much that could be done but won't be, unless it can drag in more money for the Government, same thing in lots of countries as well - UK road tax on electric vehicles is coming!!

Still waiting for the NEW driving license to be released but guess funding for that project was spent elsewhere?

Still rather live here and still love it.

[Brinsley]

£5 International driving licence bought at most P.O.'s lasting 3 years should cover frequent visitors from the UK.
My concerns are some drivers from 'right-hand side' Countries find it difficult at times to adjust to left-hand road driving. Seen a few near misses on TR plates.

[snd1966]

Unfortunately the island's population has got larger and they are trying to reduce the carnage on the roads.
They have an agreement with Turkey who financially support them, in the past British settlers were treated differently but I assume no agreement on British driver's licences therefore we have to abide by the rules. A bit off subject but years ago in beyti the immigration police came in around midnight and asked foreign nationals for their papers. Were we asked? No as they must of assumed we were British we were holiday makers but surely this was wrong too. The only problem I can see is they will be unable to cope with the applications and in hindsight maybe they should of started with all nationalities under 30 and over 70 and certain countries where licences may not be the real thing. Most British who work or reside here should already hold licences therefore it doesn't even effect us yet.

[13roman58]

No mention of a "test" just a piece of paper stating that you have completed the (hours) of the course.

[kedikat2903]

When you’ve applied and handed in your U.K. license do they keep it or will you get it back?

[waddo]

16 years ago when I got my first TRNC license they only wanted to see my UK one, don’t know if it is the same now but even if they take it you only need to apply for a new one to replace your “lost” one! You will still need your UK one if you drive in the Southwhere the rules and regulations appear to change with every cup of coffee that is drunk there!

[Soner]

When you’ve applied and handed in your U.K. license do they keep it or will you get it back?

No reason for them to keep your UK License. Applied for TRNC License last year and UK license was given back.

[RJW]

Uk issued International driving licences are only issued for a year .

[benjaminbutton]

Just a thought. If the Authroities REALLY wanted to do something creative and imaginative 2023 they could always do the obviously. MAKE US DRIVE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. Lets face it, legal and illegals are pouring into the country, most of whom walk around the supermarkets with calculators, changing roubles into TL, anyone else coming from European countries would feel right at home, and others coming from some African countries, well it doesn't bother them one way or another from what I can see.

I realise there is the slight hiccup of steering wheels being on the wrong side, but then you have the biggest money maker of the decade.............. Make it illegal to drive a car with steering wheel on the RHS. All the other problems will pale into insignificance!!!!!!

Just a thought.

[Mowgli597]

This about sums it up - everybody’s out of step except us!

[PoshinDevon]

Just a thought. If the Authroities REALLY wanted to do something creative and imaginative 2023 they could always do the obviously. MAKE US DRIVE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. Lets face it, legal and illegals are pouring into the country, most of whom walk around the supermarkets with calculators, changing roubles into TL, anyone else coming from European countries would feel right at home, and others coming from some African countries, well it doesn't bother them one way or another from what I can see.

I realise there is the slight hiccup of steering wheels being on the wrong side, but then you have the biggest money maker of the decade.............. Make it illegal to drive a car with steering wheel on the RHS. All the other problems will pale into insignificance!!!!!!

Just a thought.

Trying to introduce legislation forcing the population to purchase LHD vehicles will cue mass protest and will not happen.

[waddo]

It's not that many years ago that the law changed here to prohibit the importation of LHD vehicles - however, around the same time there were lots of long wheelbase vehicles imported for use as taxi's for the hotel industry, so I guess that law never made it past the governments wish to make more money out of importation?

In any case as it does not seem to matter which side of the road people drive on here or on which side of the vehicle the steering wheel is, there is no gain to be made by attempting to change now - the same applies in the UK and other places where road camber would also have to change and I can't see any government trying to solve that one. At least here there would be no real need to change many of the road signs informing of speed limits and cancellations of the same, it's all a guess anyway.

[benjaminbutton]

It was mean as a joke P in D and Waddo, but obviously fell on stony ground. I was just musing on a list of things they could try and raise funds on and the above was a last resort and most ridiculous I could think of !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TRNCli]

... there is no gain to be made by attempting to change (which side of the road we drive on) now ... where road camber would also have to change and I can't see any government trying to solve that one.

Dear Waddo. I know I'm taking this thread off-topic, but I'm a little confused by what you wrote. By "road camber", I presume, in this case, you mean the camber on the bends. I can only think this would have to change if more camber is needed, say, before the bend than after the bend. Can you enlighten me?

[waddo]

TRNCLi, Sorry, busy today and no real time to explain in "Layperson's" terms so I offer you this for further enlightenment and ask that you not only view it as applicable to the roads in the TRNC but also to those in countries where driving on the left would have to change to driving on the right - https://testbook.com/question-answer/th ... 5e5e579114

A difficult thing to overcome when you approach a corner that is cambered to the wrong side of the road and you would find yourself being forced either off the road or into oncoming traffic! Enjoy.

[TRNCli]

A difficult thing to overcome when you approach a corner that is cambered to the wrong side of the road and you would find yourself being forced off the road

I appreciate you're busy today and moreover it must be frustrating to explain such things to a "layperson", but I'm still in the dark as to why, if we were to drive on the other side of the road, the camber would have to be changed on bends. As you know, the camber (or banking) at bends is to try to balance the centrifugal and centripetal forces ... and, regardless of the direction of the traffic, the outside of the bend is the same. I can only think it becomes significant for the reason I outlined in msg 25.

[benjaminbutton]

I wonder what they did many years ago, (one of the Scandinavian countries) at a certain time of the day/evening all traffic stopped and all vehicles then moved over to the other side of the road. I can remember BBC making a Panorama/News programme of it.

[waddo]

An adverse road camber is where the road slopes downwards towards the outside of the road.
On a corner, approaching a left-hand bend, the left-side of the road will be higher than the right outer-edge of the road. On a right-hand bend, the road slopes downwards out towards the left side. Adverse road cambers can be particularly hazardous to motorcyclists, cyclists and to a perhaps slightly lesser extent, car drivers.
Most roads in the TRNC are not subject to any type of camber and at best some of them are type A cambers (where the centre of the road is the high point and both sides have a slight slope away from the centre to allow for rain drainage) so changing from RHD to LHD would not have a great effect.

In other countries where correct camber has been applied it would cause problems - ask any motorcyclist about how dangerous an adverse camber corner can be!!

It is never frustrating to me to attempt to explain things to others, I will keep at it till it is understood and the use of "Layperson" may have been the wrong word to choose, if so my apologies!