About North Cyprus · Driving licence
Driving licence in North Cyprus: visitors, residents and the official checklist
As of 28 October 2026, the TRNC Public Information Office (PIO) FAQ states that a tourist's driving licence is valid for 90 days from the date of entry, and that within 30 days after visitor status expires the person must apply for a TRNC driving licence. This page sets out what the PIO FAQ, the Traffic Department page and the Tax Department form and checklist say, with their limits. It is an independent information guide, not an official government service and not legal advice. NORTHEA is not an official body.
Checked 28 October 2026 against the sources named in the text and listed below. Positions of parties are attributed to them.
Visitors: the 90-day rule and the later 30-day period
According to the TRNC Public Information Office (PIO) FAQ, a tourist's driving licence is valid for 90 days from the date of entry into the country, and at the end of the 90 days the visitor status expires. The FAQ then says that within 30 days of the expiry of the visitor status the person must apply to get a driving licence in the country. The Turkish version of the FAQ words the same two points in the same order. For getting around by shuttle, taxi, bus, ferry and rental car, see getting around North Cyprus.
These are two separate things in the FAQ text: a validity period for the foreign licence (90 days from entry) and a deadline to apply for a TRNC licence (30 days after visitor status ends). The FAQ does not say that the foreign licence remains valid for driving during the later 30 days, so this page does not either. The FAQ itself does not name licence types, nationalities or an international driving permit. The PIO transport page separately says short-term visitors can drive non-commercial vehicles with global licences, including those from Türkiye, the EU and the UK, and the PIO page for foreigners says tourists may drive on a valid own licence approved by the TRNC Immigration Police Officer at the port of entry; neither mentions an international driving permit. Confirm your own case with the Traffic Department.
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Residents, workers and students: the pathway the FAQ describes
According to the PIO FAQ, Turkish citizens who enter with a residence permit, work permit or student permit may not drive with a Turkish driving licence after the day they receive that permit, and must apply to the Driving Licence Department. It adds that a person with a disability noted on the licence is sent to the Health Board, and that the licence is converted into a TRNC licence according to the Health Board report. For the permits themselves, see the page on residence permits and the page on working in North Cyprus.
For third-country citizens with a residence, work or student permit, the FAQ describes a preparatory exam based on questions from the TRNC Land Roads Traffic Rules book on road rules and traffic signs, taken after applying to the Driving Licence unit and paying the legal fees specified by law. A person who passes is given a learner's licence (the Turkish text says öğrenci ehliyeti), then takes lessons with a driving school instructor, and after the course may apply for a TRNC driving licence on payment of the fees in the law. The FAQ describes this path for third-country citizens only; this page does not extend it to anyone else.
Training hours are worded differently in the two language versions. The English FAQ says lessons for at least 5 days, 8 hours a day and 2 hours at night. The Turkish FAQ words it "8 saat gündüz 2 saat gece olmak üzere en az 5 gün" (as worded). Because the two texts can be read differently, and because the regulations on driving schools could not be opened for this page, confirm the required hours with the authority before booking lessons.
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The Tax Department application form and document checklist
The Tax Department forms page lists a driving licence application form (the Turkish page calls it Ehliyet Yenileme Formu, with Excel and PDF downloads). The English PDF, titled Application Form for Motor Vehicle Driving Licence or Learner Licence (Form Tr. 7T), carries no printed date. Its embedded file properties show a creation date of 25 July 2013, and the Turkish PDF's properties show 19 July 2013, so both are older documents and the requirements may have changed. Check the current list with the authority.
The checklist sorts documents by what the applicant wants: a first learner licence, a first driving licence, renewals, and exchange of a foreign licence by origin (Turkish, European Union, other countries), plus extra items for heavy vehicles. It names only those origins; it does not say how a licence from a particular country is classified or whether an exam or lessons apply to an exchange. The English form states that it was prepared according to the 1974 Motor Vehicles Road and Traffic Law (21/1974), while the Turkish form cites articles of the 1974 Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic regulation, so the two forms word the legal basis differently.
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Who handles what, as the pages state it
According to the Traffic Department page on the Ministry of Transport site (bub.gov.ct.tr), checked on 28 October 2026, the department lists a Driving Licences line (Sürüş Ehliyetleri) with the number 228 86 92 and a Vehicle Registration (Araç Kayıt) line, 227 27 58. It prints a main telephone number of +90 392 601 15 50 and the email address info.trafik@gov.ct.tr. It also lists a Driver Instructor Exam Commission Presidency that issues exam notices. The page did not describe licence application or renewal steps.
The PIO FAQ attributes its driving licence text to the Traffic Department and tells applicants to apply to the Driving Licence Department or unit. The Tax Department hosts the application form and checklist, and the form has a box to be filled in by the public authority for the fee charged and a receipt number. None of the opened pages states which office takes payment, holds the exams or collects the licence in practice, so this page does not say. For other offices, see the page on government offices for expats.
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Ministry of Transport regulations index
The Ministry of Transport regulations page (bub.gov.ct.tr/BAKANLIK/MEVZUAT) lists, without dates, a Regulation on driving training permit and driving licence health, a Regulation on the principles and criteria for driving schools and instructors, a Regulation on procedures for licences, exams and driving licence inspectors, a Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Regulation, and the 1974 Motor Vehicles Road and Traffic Law. Only these titles were read.
This page states no licence class list, no training-hour provision taken from a regulation, and no fee amount. The Tax Department form has a blank space for the class and the fee charged, and the PIO FAQ refers only to fees stipulated in the law. Confirm classes, fees and training hours with the authority.
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Practical notes
- This page is an independent information guide, not an official government service, and it is not legal advice. NORTHEA is not an official body. It does not promise that any licence will be issued.
- The Tax Department application form and checklist are PDFs that print no date. Treat them as older documents and confirm the current list. The English and Turkish PDFs differ in small details, such as the white photo background and the heavy vehicle note.
- No fee amounts, driving school lists, school prices, opening hours, office addresses or recognition of a TRNC licence in any other place appear here. Where a number appears, such as a telephone number, it is quoted from the page named and was checked on 28 October 2026.
- The PIO FAQ pages show only a 2024 copyright line and no update date, so their currency is unknown beyond the check date above. For arrival and entry rules see the page on how to get to North Cyprus; for the permits that decide which pathway applies, see the residence permit page linked in the text.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive in North Cyprus with my foreign licence as a tourist?
According to the TRNC Public Information Office FAQ, a tourist's driving licence is valid for 90 days from the date of entry into the country. The FAQ does not say which nationalities or licence types it covers, so confirm your own licence with the Traffic Department. The PIO transport page separately names licences from Türkiye, the EU and the UK for short-term visitors driving non-commercial vehicles.
What happens after the 90 days?
The PIO FAQ says visitor status expires at the end of 90 days and that within 30 days after that the person must apply for a TRNC driving licence. It words this as an application deadline and does not say the foreign licence stays valid for driving during those 30 days. Confirm with the authority.
I am a Turkish citizen with a residence, work or student permit. Can I keep driving on my Turkish licence?
The PIO FAQ says such persons may not drive with a Turkish driving licence after the day they receive the permit and must apply to the Driving Licence Department. A person with a disability on the licence is sent to the Health Board, per the FAQ.
How do third-country citizens with a residence, work or student permit get a TRNC licence?
The PIO FAQ describes a preparatory exam on road rules and signs, a learner's licence for those who pass, lessons with a driving school instructor, and then an application for the TRNC driving licence on payment of the fees in the law. The FAQ describes this path for third-country citizens only.
How many hours of lessons does the FAQ require?
The English PIO FAQ says lessons for at least 5 days, 8 hours a day and 2 hours at night. The Turkish FAQ words it "8 saat gündüz 2 saat gece olmak üzere en az 5 gün" (as worded). The two wordings can be read differently, and the regulations were not opened, so confirm the hours with the authority.
Which documents does the Tax Department checklist list to exchange a foreign licence?
The checklist lists two photographs, a passport with valid immigration or a TRNC ID card, and then by origin: a Turkish licence approved by the Embassy, a European Union licence (original and copy), or another country's licence with a Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved translation. The PDF carries no printed date, so confirm.
Which number does the Traffic Department page list for driving licences?
The Traffic Department page, checked on 28 October 2026, lists a Driving Licences line printed as 228 86 92 and a main telephone of +90 392 601 15 50. Numbers can change, so check the page before calling.
Sources
- TRNC Public Information Office: Frequently asked questions (English)
- TRNC Public Information Office: SSS (Turkish)
- Traffic Department page, Ministry of Transport (bub.gov.ct.tr)
- Ministry of Transport: Mevzuat (regulations index)
- Tax Department: Forms (Formlar) page
- Tax Department: Application Form for Motor Vehicle Driving Licence or Learner Licence, English PDF (Form Tr. 7T)
- Tax Department: Ehliyet Yenileme Formu (Tr), Turkish PDF (file properties July 2013)
Questions about North Cyprus?
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