In December 2023, the Road Department in Nicosia, Cyprus, carried out an action that violated EU directives - the driving licenses of over 600 Germans living in Cyprus were blocked in the system overnight.
Only those who had exchanged their German driving license for a Cypriot driving license (pink plastic card) in the past are affected. These driving licenses have been invalid since December and could be confiscated during a routine police check.
You therefore have a driver's license that is invalid. This could also be a major problem in terms of insurance
According to Cypriot law, anyone who has lived in Cyprus for more than 5 years, or who would like to extend their classifications on the island and therefore take further tests (such as for a truck or motorcycle license), must exchange their German driving license for a Cypriot one.
This procedure sounds plausible, as new driving license categories can only be obtained on official Cypriot documents.
A few cases of Germans who used dubious consultants to regain their driving license in Cyprus because their German driving license had been taken away from them, e.g. due to alcohol abuse or too many penalties in Germany, are to blame for this campaign. Some "agencies" then promised a quick and inexpensive way of obtaining an EU driving license again on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
All you had to do was book a flight, spend a few days on the island, and thanks to forged registration documents and papers by the consultants, it was possible to get your driver's license back. This illegal acquisition of a driver's license was discovered - around 60 cases became known.
Instead of investigating the 60 cases, taking action against the agencies and simply tightening up the registration documents, a few employees of the Road Department in Nicosia decided to simply block all driving licenses that Germans had exchanged in Cyprus in the past. 60 driving license tourists thus harmed over 600 Germans living on the island who had nothing to do with the matter.
The sad part of the story: in addition to numerous violations of EU directives, which Cyprus is once again ignoring, the more than 600 Germans were not informed. There were no press releases, no letters, no emails or phone calls.
If you live in Cyprus and have a Cypriot driver's license, you should definitely take action now.
Register on the Road Department's website with your details to check your account to see whether a suspension has also been submitted for you. We explain exactly how to register in our Facebook group or in the members area.
First write an e-mail with your details to roadtransport@rtd.mcw.gov.cy and CC the German embassy with the e-mail address info@nikosia.diplo.de.
We have provided a sample text in our Facebook group and in the members area. Be sure to set a deadline of 14 working days for unblocking.
In this case, you should ask your tax office for help and have them send you all documents from the last 6 months confirming that you live in Cyprus. This includes: Tenancy agreement, utility bills, water bills, fuel receipts if applicable, employment contracts, yellow slip and social security contributions. Send copies of the documents including a cover letter to:
Road Deparment
Head Quarter
27 Vasileos Pavlou
2412 Nicosia
Don't forget to set a deadline of 14 days here too.
In our member portal you will find a complete sample letter in English that you can send to the Road Department.
In this case, only a lawsuit will help - we could draw up a class action together. Discuss this in our Facebook group.
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