Road tax in Cyprus: how much, renewal and paying online

Road tax in Cyprus is the yearly circulation tax of a vehicle, paid when you renew its circulation licence with the Road Transport Department. For a car registered since 2019 it depends on CO₂ emissions: the WLTP figure is divided by 1.30, and each slice of grams is taxed at its own rate, from €0.50 a gram up to 120 g/km to €10 a gram above 180 g/km. The tax is capped at €1,500 a year and electric cars pay none. A typical family car with a WLTP figure of 182 g/km pays €120 a year. You can pay yearly, or in two six-month or four quarterly instalments that cost 10% more over the year. The fee is due within 70 days of the licence expiry date; after that it rises by €10 plus 10%. A newly registered car also pays a €150 registration fee.

• Up to 120 g/km: €0.50 a gram
• 120–150 g/km: €3 a gram
• 150–180 g/km: €5 a gram
• Above 180 g/km: €10 a gram

The slices add up: a car at 160 g/km pays 120 × €0.50 + 30 × €3 + 10 × €5 = €200 a year.

Start from the WLTP CO₂ figure on the registration certificate, divide it by 1.30 and round down, then add up the slices. The results match the car import calculator.

• WLTP 130 g/km: 130 ÷ 1.30 = 100 g/km. 100 × €0.50 = €50 a year.
• WLTP 182 g/km: 182 ÷ 1.30 = 140 g/km. 120 × €0.50 = €60, plus 20 × €3 = €60. Total €120 a year.
• WLTP 234 g/km: 234 ÷ 1.30 = 180 g/km. €60 + 30 × €3 = €90, plus 30 × €5 = €150. Total €300 a year.
• Electric car: no road tax.

Paid in two six-month instalments, the €120 car pays 55% twice: €66 each time, €132 a year. Paid late, a €120 annual fee becomes €120 + €10 + €12 = €142.

Registration costs €150. Older emission standards add a one-off surcharge: nothing for Euro 6; for Euro 5b diesel €50; Euro 5a €100 petrol or €250 diesel; Euro 4 and older €300 petrol or €600 diesel.

From outside the EU a car usually pays 10% customs duty (0% for cars of Japanese or UK origin with proof of origin) and 19% VAT, unless you move here and owned it for at least six months. A nearly new car from the EU pays Cypriot VAT unless you paid VAT there and move here. See the car import calculator.

A petrol car, Euro 6, with a WLTP figure of 182 g/km, bought outside the EU for €20,000 including freight and insurance to Cyprus. The figures match the car import calculator.

• Customs duty: 10% × €20,000 = €2,000.
• VAT: 19% × (€20,000 + €2,000) = €4,180.
• Registration fee: €150. Euro 6 surcharge: none.
• Road tax for the first year: €120.
• Total in the first year: €6,450.

If you move your normal residence to Cyprus, owned the car for at least 6 months and lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, duty and VAT can be relieved. You then pay the €150 registration fee and road tax: €270 for this car.

When people say car tax in Cyprus, they usually mean the annual road tax: the circulation licence fee the Road Transport Department charges by the car's CO₂ emissions. The other car tax is what you pay once when you import a car: customs duty and VAT where they apply, and the registration fee, which we handle as part of car registration. You can pay car tax in Cyprus online on the Road Transport Department's road tax renewal service, as long as the car has a valid roadworthiness (MOT) certificate.

Road tax is paid when you renew the vehicle's circulation licence with the Road Transport Department (RTD). The first licence is issued at registration and runs to June or December.

Pay road tax online. Renewal is done on the RTD online service, rtd.mcw.gov.cy, under Road Tax Renewal. You need the registration number and the last three digits of the owner's reference number: ID card, company registration, passport or alien registration number, shown at point C.9 of the registration certificate. Renewal is completed only when, after payment, the screen with the renewed registration certificate, the registration number and the month and year of validity appears. For help call the RTD on 22 80 70 00.

What you need. The RTD renews the licence only if the vehicle has a valid roadworthiness (MOT) certificate and, for commercial vehicles, a valid A, D, E or road-use licence where one applies.

Annual, six-month or quarterly. The annual road tax can be paid in two six-month instalments of 55% each, or four quarterly instalments of 27.5% each, so paying in parts costs 10% more over a year.

When it is due and what late payment costs. The fee must be paid within 70 days of the licence expiry date; for a licence that ends on 31 December, that is 11 March. For 2026 the law moved the date to 31 March 2026. After that, the road tax rises by €10 plus 10% of the annual, six-month or quarterly fee. If a licence is not renewed for one year and 70 days, the vehicle's registration is cancelled and the unpaid road tax becomes a civil debt.

Not using the car? Declare it immobilised online or at an RTD district office, a Citizen Service Centre or a postal service point (KEPO), using form TOM 12B. Immobilisation starts on the first day of the following month and no road tax is due while it lasts; you end it simply by renewing the licence. Driving an immobilised vehicle is an offence.