Road tax Cyprus 2026. How to renew your road tax?
June 3, 2017
Ian Westwood
June 3, 2017
Ian Westwood
Road tax or circulation licence, known by many different names around the world, is a mandatory annual fee (tax) you must pay to legally operate a motorised vehicle on public roads.
Road tax in Cyprus is calculated based on the vehicle’s engine size (CC), fuel type, age, weight, and emissions level. The proof of payment of the road tax is a road license, which indicates the date of its issue and the month of expiry (see the photo below).
Circulation License or Road Tax in Cyprus can be renewed throughout the year online, at banks, and at the district offices of the Road Transport Department of the Ministry of Transport of Cyprus.
What you need to know and have with you to renew your road tax
1. To pay your road tax online, you will need:
2. Click here to open the Cyprus Road Transport Department‘s page in a separate window.
You will see the following options:
3. Enter the car’s registration plates, the owner’s reference number, and the desired period of cover.
4. Put your card details, make the payment, and either print the road tax or save it to a device.
Attention:
When you cannot renew your road tax in Cyprus
If your MOT (technical inspection of your vehicle) has expired, you will not be able to renew your road tax (find more).
MOT details are recorded in the Road Transport Department database, and an expired MOT automatically invalidates your road tax, regardless of its expiry date. In this case, you may be fined for both offences during an inspection. You can learn more about MOT in Cyprus here.
Road tax in Cyprus is paid annually and can be renewed between January 1 and March 11 without penalties. After this period, a penalty of €10 plus 10% of the road tax amount applies. Additional sanctions may be imposed if the tax remains unpaid for the entire year.
Road tax can be paid for a full year, 9 months, 6 months, or 3 months. However, when paying for shorter periods, it is important not to miss the next renewal deadline. The government usually allows approximately two months for renewal of the next period.
For example, if your Circulation Licence expires on June 30, you can renew it for the following six months between July 1 and September 8.
Please note that paying road tax in two six-month instalments increases the total annual cost by approximately 10% compared to a full annual payment made at once.
If you fail to renew your road tax within 1 year and 70 days, the vehicle registration will be cancelled, and the outstanding road tax will become a civil debt payable by the owner.
If you do not intend to use your vehicle, for example, while staying abroad for an extended period, you may apply for a refund of the unused portion of your road tax during the next renewal period.
If the vehicle has been scrapped and is no longer in use, you must submit a TOM98A declaration form and the relevant certificate to the Road Transport Department to stop future road tax charges.
If you plan to leave Cyprus for an extended period, you must contact the Road Transport Department or a Citizen Service Centre and complete form TOM12B.
In the form, you must specify where the vehicle will be kept during your absence in case an inspection is required. Once the procedure is completed, the unused portion of the road tax for the relevant period may be refunded.
Road tax rates in Cyprus depend mainly on the vehicle’s first registration date, engine size, CO2 emissions, and, in some cases, the age of the vehicle.
Road tax rates for the vehicles registered before January 1, 2014
To calculate the road tax amount for your vehicle, multiply the engine displacement (cc) by the tax rate corresponding to the required category.
For motorcycles with an engine displacement from 1 to 1450 cc, the tax rate is € 0.04272 per cc. In 2014, Cyprus increased road tax rates for many vehicles.
The increase for passenger vehicles and motorcycles was:
The calculation method for pickup trucks and larger vans was also changed.
For commercial vehicles:
Additional surcharges could also apply, with the maximum annual tax capped at €299.
For vehicles first registered between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018, road tax is based mainly on CO2 emissions.
In March 2019, Cyprus introduced new environmental taxation rules aimed at reducing pollution and discouraging the use of older, high-emission vehicles.
At the same time:
Road tax is now calculated based on CO2 emissions and vehicle age.
Vehicle age is important because it determines the vehicle’s Euro emissions category (Euro 3, Euro 4, Euro 5, Euro 6, etc.).
CO2-Based Road Tax Rates
The maximum annual road tax is capped at €1,500.
Imported used vehicles registered after January 1, 2019, may also be subject to additional charges depending on age and fuel type.
In Cyprus, Road Tax, MOT, and car insurance are all connected through one administrative system. To renew your road tax, your vehicle must already have both a valid MOT certificate and active insurance coverage.
Vehicles older than four years must pass an MOT inspection every two years. Once the inspection is completed, the certificate is automatically recorded in the Road Transport Department (DoRT) system. If your MOT has expired, you will not be able to renew your road tax.
Every vehicle in Cyprus must have at least Third Party insurance coverage. Your insurance policy details are also uploaded to the government database and checked automatically during the road tax renewal process. Without valid insurance, road tax payment will not be possible.
Road tax is the final step in the process. When you renew your road tax online, the system automatically checks that both your MOT and insurance are valid before processing the payment.
You can calculate your vehicle insurance with Pitsas Insurance here.