Importing Your Car to North Cyprus
May 15, 2009 by Essential Ed
Filed under North Cyprus Living, Relocation
A subject which is often confusing for many! Rules here in North Cyprus change from time to time, so if you are thinking of bringing a vehicle with you if you are relocating to North Cyprus then you would be wise to do your homework first.
At the time of writing we can give you some pointers as to the process and what things to look out for in terms of assessing the viability and financial aspects of hauling a few tonnes of metal across the ocean!
It is worth noting at this juncture that if you are looking at buying a car in North Cyprus, there are plenty of options but cars here are not particularly competitive in price due to import taxes and trade restrictions in place due to the countries economic isolation. Instead of perhaps panicking at the additional expense of buying a car here, it might be personally advantageous to look at importing your existing vehicle, or, you may feel buying is much less hassle to navigate than importing, so the choice is yours to make depending on your personal preference.
It would also perhaps be prudent to speak to those in the know if you are looking to import a car to North Cyprus and they are the Customs Department in Lefkoşa. They can provide you with the most up to date information available, as rules and regulations can change at any time without notice. You can call 
them on +90 392 2283116 or +90 542 853 0977 for any issues which require clarification.
Whilst doing your initial homework also speak to one of the companies specialising in shipping to North Cyprus. They can advise on costs of container storage and shipment, but note that prices can differ from one month to the next sometimes, due to the costs of oil and world economics. We have known prices for shipping the same vehicle type to double from one month to the next!
For those of you who may be trying to see if it is possible to bring a car into North Cyprus if you are just visiting, then to save you trawling through the rest of this article we will say early on that yes, it is possible. You have to have proof of valid registration from your home country and then you can keep the car here for three months, once you have bought additional insurance for North Cyprus to cover the vehicle.
So, if you are looking at relocating your beloved motor along with you to Northern Cyprus you need to firstly be aware of the rules in place with regard to the vehicle itself:
- the car or four wheel drive vehicle you intend to bring must be less than 5 years old on entry to North Cyprus (note – classic cars obviously do not come under this category!)
- the vehicle must have valid road tax
- the vehicle must have an up to date MOT certificate or equivalent depending on its country of origin.
Once you have established that the above requirements fit your vehicle you need to think about the other costs 
involved with importing into the TRNC. The following costs will apply in taxes and duties based on the type of vehicle you bring into the country:
- value of the vehicle based on the price of the used car according to the Glass Motoring Guide (the leading European provider of used vehicle prices and values) – www.glass.co.uk
- engine capacity.
These costs all need to be paid within the first year of your vehicles arrival into North Cyprus. Costs are calculated and billed in Turkish Lira and must be paid with a guaranteed cheque or cash. So, you need to do some sums based on the Glass estimation of the cars value before deciding if it’s worth doing.
Vehicles which are arriving from Europe will be liable to 40.4% tax on the value of the car. Those which are arriving from non-European countries are liable to 65.12% tax on the value.
On all cars being brought into the country there are one off charges involved and these are different depending on the engine capacity. Vehicles under 1600cc are charged 1,200USD, cars between 1600cc and 2000cc are charged 3,600USD and finally, cars over 2000cc are charged 3,600USD. Be careful also about importing double cab 4×4 pick-ups as the rules are unclear and they can be classed as commercial vehicles and there are different regulations that apply.
There you have it then, not easy perhaps, and of course, taxes are calculated and set by the TRNC customs department, so it may be advisable to speak with them for their estimation first rather than relying on your own results – just to be on the safe side!
Don’t forget that importing a classic car to North Cyprus is a different kettle of fish entirely in terms of costs and the requirements for aging the vehicle correctly. More on that in a future article!