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The МОТ test: governmental vehicle inspection

Each vehicle must be regularly inspected (usually once a year or every two years) to get a confirmation from an authorized institution that all its components are kept in good condition. Depending on the vehicle category, this inspection must be held by the Center of Technical Inspection of Common Use Vehicles (KEMO), or by the Center of Technical Inspection of Private Vehicles (I.K.T.E.O.).

The technical inspection that was mentioned above, as well as the I.K.T.E.O institution, its activities, and all related issues are subject to The Law on Road Transport (including technical inspection and centers of technical inspection), which was adopted in 2007 and includes all revisions to date.

The МОТ test is held to make sure that a vehicle is safe to use on the roads of the Republic of Cyprus.

There are also private centers of technical inspection, and according to the Law they are allowed to inspect the following categories of vehicle:

  1. Private vehicles of all types
  2. Lightweight trucks (gross weight under 3500 kg)
  3. Public transport vehicles (taxis and rental cars [Z]).

The authorized Centres of Technical Inspection of vehicles can be found in all of the cities in Cyprus.

The technical inspection must be passed at the authorized car repair shops (service stations). The inspection examines the following amongst others:

  1. Registration number and road license number of a vehicle, as well as its engine number and chassis number.
  2. Driver's seat.
  3. Field of vision (visibility and blind spots).
  4. Car horn (klaxon).
  5. Car windows: integrity and shade level.
  6. Safety belts (seat belts).
  7. Steering system and its adjustment.
  8. Doors and locks.
  9. Stop lights (brake lights).
  10. Signal lights (turn signals).
  11. Rear position lamps (taillights).
  12. Emergency signals (forward-facing lamp).
  13. Headlamps: high beam, low beam, fog lamps.
  14. Vehicle body.
  15. Tires.
  16. The frame (frame – chassis).
  17. Shock absorbers.
  18. Electrical system.
  19. Fuel system.
  20. Exhaust system and emissions.
  21. The braking system, including a hand brake.

 

The test is automatically performed by a computer diagnostic, and only takes about 30 minutes.

In order to request the test, you need to prepare the following:

  1. The registration certificate of your vehicle.
  2. A fee in the amount of €35,25. It must be paid in the same station where the inspection will take place.

Results of the inspection will be automatically recorded in the database of The Ministry of Transport. The owner of the vehicle receives a copy of such results (Certificate of the technical inspection), Suitability Certificate, and a receipt of payment.

If a vehicle is considered to be in an unsuitable condition, it must be repaired and passed for inspection again. Each repeated inspection costs an additional €10.

***Regular basis of ***МОT test

The MOT test must be passed on a regular basis, but its frequency depends on the vehicle type:

  1. All new vehicles initially registered in Cyprus must pass the first inspection 4 years after the registration date. After, the test must be passed once every 2 years. Personal (private) vehicles of the M1 category (up to 8 passengers including a driver), and vehicles of the N1 category (cargo up to 3500 kg) must be inspected with the same frequency as new vehicles: once in the first 4 years after their registration date, then once every 2 years.
  2. All vehicles which were registered abroad and imported to the Republic of Cyprus (used imported vehicles) must pass the inspection before their registration in Cyprus, and then inspected every 2 years.
  3. Public vehicles (such as taxis and rented cars) must be inspected once a year as soon as the notification about the mandatory inspection is received.

Notification about the technical inspection of a vehicle

The Road Transport Department sends notifications about a first technical inspection to the address that was mentioned in the registration certificate of the vehicle and in the Title Deed.

You have a limited amount of time to fulfil all requirements: this notification has a deadline. It also contains information regarding the date of the inspection, as well as the fees that must be paid. Usually, it happens a month after the first registration of a vehicle.

After the initial inspection was successfully passed, notifications about the following scheduled inspections will be sent via SMS to the vehicle's owner.

In case you have not received the mail notification or the SMS which contains the information about the obligatory inspection, you are still required to pass such the inspection, and you assume all responsibility for the fact that your vehicle has no Suitability Certificate.

What happens if your MOT Suitability Certificate is expired or absent: consequences for a vehicle's owner and driver

An expired Certificate means that the vehicle loses its suitability and cannot be used on the road. Its registration is automatically paused until the technical inspection is passed.

As soon as the inspection has been completed, the vehicle can be used on the road again, and its license automatically becomes valid.

Both the owner and driver of a vehicle that has no suitability certificate will be fined €1,700 and may also be subject to imprisonment for up to 6 months.

There are certain exceptional cases when it is actually allowed to use a vehicle without a valid Suitability Certificate; for example, when you drive it to a service station or to a car repair shop, and only if it does not pose a threat to the safety of people around.

Suitability Certificate of a vehicle

The Suitability Certificate must always be kept in the vehicle. A driver must be ready at all times to provide it upon request in order to confirm that the inspection was passed in a timely manner.

There used to be a requirement in the past to place the Certificate on the windshield so it could be visible, but that rule is currently obsolete.

Loss of a Suitability Certificate does not affect your rights to use the vehicle, and you can easily get a new copy of it in a local office of The Road Transport Department or in the Citizen Service Centers.

How do I know if a vehicle has a Suitability Certificate?

You can get information about the MOT Suitability Certificate of a particular vehicle at the local Road Transport Department – you just need to provide them with the registration number of a vehicle. Alternatively, you can use the last 5 numbers of the chassis serial number which can be found in the Certificate Title.

Antonis Theofanous

CEO at Pitsas Insurances

6th of April 2021

Limassol, Cyprus


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