Crossing between North and South Cyprus: checkpoints, documents and practical advice (2026)

What the Green Line is

The European Commission describes the Green Line as the ceasefire line that has separated the two parts of the island since 1974 and states: "The line is not an external border of the EU." Canada's travel advice says Cyprus has been divided de facto since 1974. The Republic of Cyprus Customs page says the term "Green Line" refers to the ceasefire line that divides the island and was first drawn in 1964.

The TRNC structure and the crossings as listed from the TRNC side are covered on government, districts and crossings. The Turkish names used for crossings here are explained, with the people and the language, on Turkish Cypriots: people, history and language; this page does not repeat the phrasebook.

Step by step: questions to settle before you cross

This is a list of questions, not instructions for any person. Each one points to what the sources say; none of them decides whether you may cross.

1. Which travel document will you carry? The FCDO sets passport expiry at least 3 months after the day a British traveller plans to leave Cyprus; for other nationalities look up your own government's advice. The sources do not name one document that suits everyone.

2. What visa or status applies? Regulation 866/2004 sets conditions for third-country nationals; the FCDO gives a 90-day visa-free period for British citizens and says time in the north counts towards it. See the scenarios section.

3. Which crossing point? The FCDO says any crossing point can be used to move between north and south, except that only pedestrians can use Ledra Palace and Ledra/Lokmaci Street. The directory below gives names as sources print them.

4. Is it open and suitable for you? This page states no opening hours, because we did not verify any from a current official source. Confirm hours and whether the point takes vehicles or only pedestrians before you set out.

5. Do you carry the originals? The FCDO advises UK residents of Cyprus to carry residency documents issued by the Republic of Cyprus when entering and exiting. Regulation 866/2004 says all persons undergo at least one identity check by the Republic of Cyprus.

6. Have you allowed for checks on both sides? The TRNC Public Information Office reported in 2015 that, under a new practice at TRNC land crossings, visa slips and stamps are no longer used and the person shows an ID document and is registered. That is a 2015 report of the TRNC side only.

7. What are you carrying? Check the customs section. The Republic of Cyprus enforces limits on goods taken from the north.

Crossing-point directory: names as the sources print them

The cards below list crossing points by the names that sources print. This is not a complete or current list, and it is not a statement that any point is open. Every card carries the status "not independently checked". We give no opening hours and no coordinates, and we give a vehicle or pedestrian designation only where a source states one: Ledra Palace and Ledra Street, pedestrians only, per the Republic of Cyprus Customs page, the FCDO and Canada.

How the lists differ. Annex I of the consolidated Regulation (31 August 2015) lists Ledra Palace, Ledra Street, Lefka-Apliki, Deryneia, Agios Dhometios, Astromeritis-Zodhia, Kato Pyrgos-Karavostasi, Kato Pyrgos-Kokkina and Kokkina-Pachyammos. The Customs page of 25 November 2021 lists Ledra Palace, Ledra Street, Agios Dhometios, Pergamos, Strovilia, Astromeritis-Zodhia, Kato Pyrgos-Karavostasi, Lefka-Apliki Kato and Deryneia, followed by Pyrgos-Kokkina and Kokkina-Pachyammos, and says the last two were "not opened yet". Later amendments were not checked.

Name pairs. UNFICYP prints some pairs itself, for example Ayios Demetios/Metehan, Astromeritis/Zodhia, Pyrgos Limnitis/Yesilirmak and Lefka/Aplici. The TRNC Public Information Office item of 4 June 2021, about crossings reopening after the COVID closure, lists nine Turkish-side names: Ledra Palace, Beyarmudu, Akyar, Metehan, Bostancı, Lokmacı, Yeşilırmak, Derinya and Aplıç. Matching Beyarmudu to Pergamos, Akyar to Strovilia, Bostancı to Astromeritis-Zodhia and Derinya to Deryneia is our reading of the lists; no single source we read prints each of those pairs together.

Service hours that are not crossing hours. The Customs page gives weekday availability windows for veterinary, agriculture and public health inspections at crossing points. These are inspection-service windows, not opening hours of the crossings, and we do not reproduce them. The Customs page of 2021 also predates today's check, so any point may since have opened, closed or changed its rules.

Walking from central Nicosia

UNFICYP says the crossings opened since April 2003 include three in Nicosia, at Ayios Demetios/Metehan, Ledra Palace and Ledra Street. Canada lists the same three under Nicosia as Agios Dhometios, Ledra Palace (for pedestrians only) and Ledra Street (for pedestrians only).

The FCDO says only pedestrians can use Ledra Palace and Ledra/Lokmaci Street, and that any crossing point can be used to move between north and south. The Republic of Cyprus Customs page also marks both as for pedestrians only. These sources do not say who may cross on foot; that still depends on nationality, status and route of arrival, as set out below.

Not found in the sources checked, and therefore not stated: walking routes and distances, step-free access, queue times, opening hours, and what each side asks of pedestrians on a given day. We did not verify the accessible route at either point. If you rely on a wheelchair, a pushchair or a mobility aid, ask the authorities before travelling.

Driving, rental cars and insurance

The FCDO warns that cars hired in the Republic of Cyprus often have no insurance cover in the north of the island, and says a vehicle will not be allowed through a crossing without the correct insurance documents. It adds that at some crossing points it is possible to buy car insurance for the north, and it names Agios Dometios. We do not assume that any policy, rental or personal, transfers from one side to the other; read the policy wording and ask the insurer or rental company in writing.

Vehicles from the north. The FCDO guidance for UK nationals living in Cyprus (dated 5 February 2026) says a vehicle cannot be imported through the northern part of Cyprus and the authorities may seize it. The Republic of Cyprus Customs page says form CP 5, which allows goods including means of transport to stay for up to six months, is issued only for vehicles with foreign registration numbers, and that no CP 5 is issued for vehicles with TRNC registration plates. Goods not returned by the CP 5 expiry are, per that page, subject to confiscation.

Other statements. The FCDO says rental companies often ask for your passport as a deposit and that this is illegal. The Customs page applies the EUR 260 allowance conditions to fuel carried across and says a fuel container that does not comply is seized. We left out a 2018 second-hand press report of a per-litre fine, because the Customs page does not state it.

What the sources do not say. We found no statement in the sources about written permission from a rental agency, about ownership papers needed at a crossing, or about whether a licence from one side is accepted on the other. Those are questions for the rental company, the insurer and the authorities. For TRNC licence rules see driving licence in North Cyprus, and for dealers and registration see vehicle and boat dealers; neither is a statement about what the Republic of Cyprus accepts.

Passports and status: what the sources say and where they are silent

This page does not tell any person whether they may cross. Each group below lists what we found and what we did not. The Republic of Cyprus side applies its own rules to people crossing south; do not equate TRNC information with Republic of Cyprus immigration policy.

British nationals. The FCDO says British citizens can travel to Cyprus without a visa for up to 90 days, that the Republic of Cyprus counts time spent in the north towards the 90-day total, and that overstaying can mean a stop-list entry and refused entry for up to 5 years. It advises UK residents of Cyprus to carry residency documents issued by the Republic of Cyprus, and notes that Cyprus is outside Schengen, so visits to Cyprus and Schengen states do not count towards each other's 90-day limits.

Other non-EU nationals. Regulation 866/2004 (consolidated 31 August 2015) allows third-country nationals to cross only if they hold a residence permit issued by the Republic of Cyprus or a valid travel document with a visa if one is required, and are not a threat to public policy or security. Canada says no tourist or business visa is needed for stays up to 90 days and that a student visa is required. For other nationalities we checked no source; ask the Republic of Cyprus authorities or your own government.

Customs and goods: only the figures the sources print

The Republic of Cyprus Customs page, last updated 25 November 2021, and the consolidated Regulation text of 31 August 2015 are the sources for the figures below. They are older than today's check, and we did not confirm that they are current, so recheck every figure before travel. The FCDO says there are controls on quantities and types of goods bought in the north and taken across, that goods can be confiscated at the checkpoint and that you could be fined. Canada advises confirming the rules before crossing.

Personal goods. Both the Regulation (Article 6) and the Customs page give an exemption for non-commercial goods in personal luggage up to a total value of EUR 260 per person, and quantitative limits of 40 cigarettes and 1 litre of spirits for personal consumption. The exemption for cigarettes and spirits is not granted to persons under 17. The FCDO says the Republic of Cyprus enforces a 40-cigarette per person limit. The Customs page says moving fine-cut or other smoking tobacco from the north is prohibited and that counterfeit and pirated goods, even one piece, are prohibited.

Food, plants and medicines. The Customs page allows fresh fruit and vegetables up to a maximum of 3 kg or 3 bundles, plus 1 bouquet of cut flowers, for personal use. It allows small quantities of certain processed foods of non-animal origin for personal consumption, including olive oil, halva, jams and coffee, and says plants for planting and cuttings are not allowed. It allows medicines for personal use in a reasonable quantity for up to one month of treatment, with a declaration on Form C.P. 4. The Commission records a Decision allowing PDO Halloumi/Hellim from the Turkish Cypriot community to be traded across the line, subject to EU animal health and food safety conditions.

Pets. The Customs page states that the prohibition on moving live animals across the line includes pets accompanied by their owner. Regulation 866/2004 (Article 4) prohibits movement across the line of live animals and animal products subject to EU veterinary requirements unless lifted by Commission decision. This is the Republic of Cyprus Customs reading as printed in 2021; we did not find a later page. For the TRNC side see pets, vets and bringing animals. The FCDO also says meat, milk and products containing them cannot be taken into EU countries, a general entry note and not specific to the Green Line.

Commercial goods and anything not listed here: not covered, because we found no figure in the verified sources and do not invent allowances. Fuel carried across follows the same EUR 260 conditions per the Customs page. Cash limits, duty on other goods and the allowance for children other than the under-17 point are not stated here because we did not verify them.

Accessibility, mobile, currency, holidays and the buffer zone

Not checked: the accessibility of each crossing, mobile roaming between the two sides, which currencies each side takes at the crossing, and public holidays that affect crossing or customs services. We found no verified source for them, so we say nothing about them. For daily-life basics on the TRNC side see practical information.

The buffer zone. UNFICYP says its troops supervise the de facto ceasefire lines established in 1974 and maintain control over the buffer zone, that civil use areas may be entered freely, and that elsewhere in the buffer zone civilian movement or activity requires specific authorization from UNFICYP. Canada says crossing in both directions is only allowed at designated crossing points, that certain areas are mined, and that there is a military presence on both sides.