If you are in Cyprus under EU temporary protection, you do not have to exchange your Ukrainian driving license at all: EU Regulation 2022/1280 requires Cyprus to recognize valid Ukrainian licenses for as long as your protection lasts — currently until 4 March 2027. If you live in Cyprus on any other basis — a work permit, study, family reunification — the opposite applies: Ukraine is on Cyprus’s list of countries whose licenses convert to a Cypriot one without any driving test, and after 185 days of residence you are obliged to make that exchange at the Road Transport Department (RTD). This guide covers both situations, plus what to do about an expired or lost Ukrainian license, the exact documents, the fee, and how long the process takes.
Do you have to exchange your license under temporary protection?
No. Regulation (EU) 2022/1280 obliges every EU member state, Cyprus included, to recognize a valid Ukrainian driving license held by a beneficiary of temporary protection without an exchange, without an international driving permit, and without a certified translation — the European Commission’s guidance confirms this covers even old-style licenses printed only in Cyrillic. Carry an identity document (passport or your temporary protection residence document) alongside the license, because authorities may ask for it to confirm who you are.
The recognition is tied to the temporary protection scheme itself: the regulation ceases to apply the day after temporary protection ends. The Council of the EU extended temporary protection until 4 March 2027 (Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1460, adopted in 2025), so that is the current horizon. In September 2025 the Council also adopted a recommendation on transitioning out of temporary protection, so expect the rules around the end date to keep evolving — check before relying on a date that is many months away.
One honest caveat: recognition under the regulation is an EU-law right, but day-to-day encounters (car rental desks, some insurers) do not always know it. If you hit resistance, the European Commission’s Q&A page on Ukrainian driving documents is the reference to point to.
Can you exchange voluntarily while under temporary protection?
Yes — and for some people it is worth doing. Cyprus’s official information for displaced persons from Ukraine states that after six months’ stay, beneficiaries of temporary protection are entitled to convert a Ukrainian license into a Cypriot one directly, without examinations.
The trade-off is real, so weigh it:
- For exchanging now: a Cypriot license is a standard EU-model license, valid across the whole EU, and it does not stop working when temporary protection ends. You remove the March 2027 cliff entirely.
- Against: the RTD sends the original foreign license to the issuing country’s competent authority as part of the conversion — you do not keep your Ukrainian license. If you expect to return to Ukraine, ask the RTD and the Ukrainian embassy what that means for you before surrendering it.
What if you live in Cyprus without temporary protection?
Then the exchange is not optional. Ukraine is on the notification list under Cyprus’s Driving License Law of 2001 — the list of third countries whose licenses are recognized as equivalent to the Cypriot one — and holders of licenses from listed countries are obliged to exchange them after a six-month stay in the Republic.
The practical shape of that rule:
- First 185 days: you can drive in Cyprus on your valid Ukrainian license as it stands.
- After 185 days of normal residence: you must convert it to a Cypriot license at the RTD. There is no theory test and no practical test — it is a paperwork exercise.
“Normal residence” means at least 185 days in Cyprus; as a non-EU citizen you will need to show your Alien Registration Certificate and residence permit at the RTD.
What if your Ukrainian license has expired?
For temporary protection beneficiaries, the EU rules are forgiving. Ukraine extended the administrative validity of driver documents that expired during martial law, and Article 5 of Regulation 2022/1280 obliges member states to honor that extension for documents that expired after 31 December 2021 — so a license that ran out in, say, 2023 is still treated as valid while your protection lasts. Licenses that expired before 2022 are not covered; for those, expect to deal with renewal through Ukrainian channels or a fresh Cypriot license.
For the RTD exchange route (non-temporary-protection residents), the procedure assumes a valid license. If yours has expired, be prepared for the RTD to want confirmation from Ukraine before converting it — the embassy certificate described below is the standard tool for that.
What if your license is lost or stolen?
Two routes, depending on your status.
Under temporary protection: Article 6 of Regulation 2022/1280 lets the member state where you live issue a temporary EU-model driving license, valid for the duration of your protection, after it verifies your driving entitlements with the Ukrainian authorities — including via Ukraine’s Diia digital license where the state accepts it. No driving test is required, but the state may ask for a medical fitness check for car and motorcycle categories, and must require one for lorry and bus categories. Whether and how the Cypriot RTD operates this Article 6 procedure is not published on its website — contact the RTD directly before assuming it is available.
Any status: the Embassy of Ukraine in Nicosia issues a certificate of the validity of a Ukrainian driver’s license — an official confirmation of your license data and categories drawn from Ukrainian registers. It is the document to reach for when your physical license is lost, expired, or questioned. Reported processing time is around ten days; confirm the current fee, appointment system, and document list with the embassy before going.
How does the exchange at the RTD actually work?
The conversion is done in person at your local District Driver Examiner Office (the RTD’s district offices). Here is the sequence:
- Meet the residence requirement. You need normal residence in Cyprus — at least 185 days — plus the documents to prove it (Alien Registration Certificate and residence permit for non-EU citizens).
- Sort out the translation. The RTD requires a translation of any license that is not in English or Greek, done by the Press and Information Office (PIO) through its authorized translators — bring the original translation and one photocopy. Newer Ukrainian plastic licenses carry Latin-script transliteration, but the field labels are in Ukrainian, so assume you need the PIO translation and confirm with your district office before queuing.
- Assemble the file. Application form TOM 7D; a recent 45×35 mm photo; Alien Registration Certificate (original and photocopy); passport (original plus a photocopy of the details page); your Ukrainian license (original plus photocopies of all pages); the PIO translation if required; evidence of normal residence.
- Submit in person at the District Driver Examiner Office for checking and approval of the conversion. Note that the RTD sends the original foreign license to the issuing country’s competent authority — this is the point of no return for keeping your Ukrainian document.
- Pay the fee. Widely reported as €40 for applicants under 65, with no fee for those 65 and over — but this figure comes from secondary sources, not the RTD’s own conversion page, so confirm it at the counter.
- Drive on the temporary permit while you wait. Reports consistently describe an immediate temporary driving permit and the plastic card arriving in roughly 15 working days, with an SMS when it is ready for collection.
Medical certificate: if you are 70 or older, or your license covers lorry or bus categories (C, C+E, C1, C1+E, D, D+E, D1, D1+E), the RTD additionally requires a certificate of physical ability.
What does it cost and how long does it take?
Budget for three possible cost lines, only one of which is even semi-documented:
- RTD conversion fee: reported at €40 (under 65) / free (65 and over) — confirm on the day.
- PIO translation: required unless your license text is in English or Greek; translator rates were not published at research time — ask the PIO or your district office.
- Embassy certificate (only if your license is lost, expired, or disputed): fee unconfirmed.
Time-wise: the in-person submission is a single visit if your file is complete, and the card reportedly follows in about 15 working days. The slow items come before the visit — accumulating 185 days of residence, the PIO translation, and (if needed) the roughly ten-day embassy certificate.
FAQ
Do I need an international driving permit to drive in Cyprus on a Ukrainian license? No. Under temporary protection, Regulation 2022/1280 explicitly removes any IDP or certified-translation requirement for as long as your protection lasts. Outside temporary protection, Ukraine is on Cyprus’s equivalence list, so a valid Ukrainian license works on its own for your first 185 days of residence — after that, exchange is mandatory.
Will I have to take a driving test to get the Cypriot license? No. Because Ukraine is on the recognized-countries notification list, the conversion is document-based — no theory exam and no practical exam. A medical certificate is needed only if you are 70 or older or hold lorry/bus categories.
Do I get my Ukrainian license back after the exchange? No. The RTD sends the original license to the issuing country’s competent authority as part of the conversion. If keeping the Ukrainian document matters to you — for example, for driving in Ukraine on visits — raise this with the RTD and the Ukrainian embassy before applying.
What happens to my Ukrainian license when temporary protection ends? The EU-wide recognition under Regulation 2022/1280 ceases the day after temporary protection ends (currently set at 4 March 2027). At that point the ordinary Cypriot rules apply to you as a resident — meaning the 185-day exchange obligation. If you are staying in Cyprus long-term, exchanging before the deadline crowd forms is the pragmatic move.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need an international driving permit to drive in Cyprus on a Ukrainian license?
- No. Under temporary protection, Regulation 2022/1280 removes any IDP or certified-translation requirement for as long as protection lasts. Outside temporary protection, Ukraine is on Cyprus's equivalence list, so a valid Ukrainian license works on its own for your first 185 days of residence; after that, exchange is mandatory.
- Will I have to take a driving test to get the Cypriot license?
- No. Because Ukraine is on Cyprus's recognized-countries notification list, the conversion is document-based, with no theory or practical exam. A medical certificate is needed only if you are 70 or older or hold lorry or bus categories.
- Do I get my Ukrainian license back after the exchange?
- No. The Road Transport Department sends the original license to the issuing country's competent authority as part of the conversion. If keeping the Ukrainian document matters to you, raise this with the RTD and the Ukrainian embassy before applying.
- What happens to my Ukrainian license when temporary protection ends?
- EU-wide recognition under Regulation 2022/1280 ceases the day after temporary protection ends, currently set at 4 March 2027. From then on, the ordinary Cypriot rules apply, meaning the 185-day exchange obligation for residents.