Cars › MOT
MOT in Cyprus: when it's due, what it costs, how to check a car
A private car's first MOT is due four years after first use. After that it's every two years, and a test at a private centre costs €43. The RTD, gov.cy and Digital Citizen don't show a car's MOT date from its plate alone.
€43
for a private car's MOT at a private test centre, fixed by law since 19 December 2025
When
When does my car need an MOT?
A private car: four years after first use, then every two years. Once the car has been tested, the exact date is on its MOT certificate. Without a valid MOT, the car may not be driven, with one exception covered below.
4years
to a private car's first MOT, from first use
2years
between MOTs after that, for a private car
Source: Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Regulations 1984 (Table A)
Where to see your car's date is in the next section.
The details Taxis, ambulances and rental cars, cars brought from abroad, carrying the certificate, extra tests, motorcycles
Taxis, ambulances and rental cars
Taxis and ambulances (categories M1, N1 as Table A lists them): one year from first use, then every year. Cars hired out without a driver: two years from first use, then every year.
A car brought from abroad
The schedule counts from the date the car was first used. For a used car brought from abroad, ask the RTD or the test centre which date its schedule runs from.
A used car brought from another EU country
The RTD's list of documents for registering it asks for a Cyprus MOT certificate "where applicable". The RTD may instead accept that country's certificate, if it comes with the car and is still valid. It is then valid only until the date a Cyprus MOT would expire.
Carry the certificate
Keep the MOT certificate in the car and show it to the police on request.
Extra tests and roadside stops
The RTD can call a car in for an extra test or stop it on the road, and an inspector who finds it unfit can cancel the certificate.
Motorcycles
Motorcycles need an MOT too; this page covers cars.
Your date
How do I check my car's MOT date?
It's on your MOT certificate. If you're the car's first-named private owner and can use the Digital Citizen app, it can show it too (details below). You can also sign up for the RTD's SMS service, which lists MOT reminders among its topics.
The details What the app needs, the RTD account, a lost certificate
What the app needs
A verified CY Login with two-factor authentication, and you must hold the certificate itself, still valid. It shows only cars with an active certificate, owned by an individual, to the first-named owner on the registration certificate. The app's texts do not say whether an owner without a Cypriot ID card can add the MOT certificate.
The RTD account on gov.cy
gov.cy's "Display details of vehicle and driving license" needs an RTD account (its own username and password, not CY Login). You open it with your ID and your Cypriot driving-licence number. Without one, you first ask the RTD for a number by email. Log in to see your car's details.
A lost certificate
You ask for a copy on form ΤΟΜ 46Β.
The mileage
The mileage at the last test is on the certificate.
Sources (4)
Digital Citizen · gov.cy · Road Transport Department · Κ.Δ.Π. 254/2019
Buying
Can I check the MOT of a car I'm about to buy?
Not by its plate alone: the RTD, gov.cy and Digital Citizen don't show its MOT date. Ask the seller to show the MOT certificate. If it's in their Digital Citizen app, you can check it on your own phone, with their approval.
- The MOT certificatecheck the expiry date and the mileage at the last test
- Check it in Digital Citizenwith the seller's approval: a 6-digit code, or a QR code valid for five minutes
- The recall listslook for the plate in the lists for the car's make; some rows say it must come off the road at once
- Road taxask the seller to show the current licence
Sources (4)
Road Transport Department · Ministry of Transport · Digital Citizen · Κ.Δ.Π. 254/2019
How road tax is checked is on the road tax page.
The details What each official service asks for, the RTD's paid lookup, the recall lists' limits, the papers signed at the transfer
What each official service asks for
The RTD account: your ID and your Cypriot driving-licence number (without one, you first ask the RTD for a number by email). The road-tax debt search: the plate and the last four digits of an ID card. The renewal form: the plate and the last three digits of the owner's reference number, which the form says is at point C.9 of the registration certificate. The instalment form: the plate, an ID number and a date of birth. Digital Citizen: see Checking your date.
The RTD's paid lookup by plate
A paid yearly subscription for businesses and others that gives the car's technical data (for example chassis number, make and engine); no MOT and no road tax.
The RTD's English "Vehicle Check" pages are not a lookup
The first is the English version of the RTD's MOT section and reads "Under construction"; the second is a dangerous-goods page.
The recall lists' limits
The Ministry of Transport's airbag lists are by make. The first lists cover cars active on 14 November 2024, on information to 31 January 2025, and later lists have been added. The analysis behind part of them is not exhaustive, and an entry that comes from it must be confirmed with the make's distributor. The RTD's own spreadsheets are by plate, not only for airbags, last updated 6 July 2026. Being on a list does not tell you whether the recall has been done, and not being on it does not prove there is none.
At the transfer
The buyer signs a recall declaration: ΤΟΜ 371 or ΤΟΜ 372. ΤΟΜ 371 says the buyer checked: no recall is pending, or none could be found because there is no manufacturer or no known recall procedure. ΤΟΜ 372 says a pending recall is known, to be fixed in time; otherwise the MOT is suspended. A buyer of a car without a valid MOT signs ΤΟΜ 120Α to say they know it, and accepts the overdue road tax.
Sources (4)
Road Transport Department · gov.cy · Ministry of Transport · Road Transport Department
Cost
What does an MOT cost?
€43 for a private car at a private test centre. The fee is fixed by law; a centre may not charge more or less. A re-test within 30 days at the same centre costs €10.
€43
a private car's test at a private centre
€10
a re-test within 30 days, at the same centre
The details Where the money goes, the old €35 fee, RTD test centres
Where the money goes
The fee is €38 to the centre (VAT included) plus €5 to the state. The centre's share moves with VAT; the €5 does not. The fee is paid before the test.
The old €35 fee
It was €35 until 18 December 2025.
After 30 days, or at another centre
A full test at the full fee.
RTD test centres
€46. An owner may choose one only where their district has no private centre for the car. The owner of a vehicle for disabled persons may also choose one, and its test is free. A car also goes to one after a chassis or data mismatch, or a fail there (next block). So does a car after an objection to a fail (If it fails, details). A car that missed an RTD call-in for an extra test must be presented at one.
A car sent to an RTD centre
A car with a chassis or data mismatch, or that failed at an RTD centre, is sent there.
Sources (4)
Law 1(I)/2007 · Law 231(I)/2025 · Law 64(I)/2019 · Road Transport Department
The test
Where do I take the car, and what happens at the test?
Normally you go to a private test centre licensed by the RTD. Book a time with the centre and bring the registration certificate. You get a pass or fail slip at the end of the test.
Book
Ask the centre for a time. Tests run in the order they were requested.
Bring the papers
The registration certificate, or another document showing the date of first use and the chassis number.
The test
The centre checks the car against the official list. An open recall registered with the RTD stops the test.
The result
A pass slip and an MOT certificate, or a fail slip listing the defects.
Source: Roadworthiness Law (2007) · Motor Vehicles Regulations (1984) · Road Transport Department
The RTD lists the licensed test centres by district (in Greek).
The details What the test covers, when a centre may refuse, recalls, who supervises the centres, RTD centres
What the test covers
The test covers identity (number plates, chassis number), brakes, steering, visibility, lights, reflectors and electrics. It also covers axles, wheels, tyres and suspension, chassis, other equipment (such as seat belts), and nuisance (noise, exhaust emissions, fluid leaks).
When a centre may refuse
A centre may refuse to test a car only on the grounds the law lists. These are: no registration certificate (or other document showing the date of first use and the chassis number); the fee not paid in advance. They also include a car too dirty to test, and one that cannot be driven to the test point when the centre cannot move it. Others are loose items inside that are not removed or secured, heavy smoke, and a test that cannot be done straight away. The last grounds are a risk of injury or damage, and a tampered identity.
Photographed at every test
The chassis number and the odometer (mileage) are photographed, with the date, time and place recorded on the photograph.
Open recalls block the test
The test also checks for recalls. An open recall in the RTD's system blocks it until the dealer fixes it. The owner gets an SMS if a mobile number is on record.
The slip goes to the RTD
Electronically, every day; you get the original slip.
Licensed and supervised
Centres are licensed and supervised by the RTD, which can fine them.
RTD centres instead
When a car goes to one: What it costs, details.
Fail
What happens if my car fails?
A major or dangerous defect means a fail. Minor defects are only noted, and the car passes. Fix the faults. Then return to the same private centre within 30 days of the failed test for the €10 re-test (exceptions below).
Driving a car without a valid MOT is covered next.
The details The three grades, objecting to a fail, when the car goes to an RTD centre
The three grades
Minor, major, dangerous. With minor defects only, the test counts as passed and the defects are noted as a remark. Any major or dangerous defect is a fail, with the defects on the fail slip.
Objecting to a fail
In writing to the RTD within 30 days of getting the fail slip. The car is re-examined at an RTD centre by two inspectors. The €46 fee is refunded if the objection succeeds.
When the car goes to an RTD centre
See What it costs, in its details.
Expired
Can I drive a car whose MOT has expired?
No: without a valid MOT, the car may not be driven. Its road tax counts as suspended until it has a new MOT. The one exception is driving it to a test centre or garage, under two conditions (details below).
€150
the fixed fine for driving a car without an MOT; increased by half if unpaid 90 days after the notice
Source: Law 132(I)/2020 · Law 47(I)/1997
Once a recall deadline passes, the MOT and the road tax are suspended. Under a do-not-drive order, that happens at once. You may not drive the car until it's repaired and passes a new MOT.
Source: Road Transport Department: recalls FAQ · recall notice (in Greek)
Why a road-tax renewal is refused is on the road tax page.
The details The two conditions for driving to a centre, the fine in full
The two conditions for driving to a centre or garage
The car can be driven on a public road without endangering anyone, and you can show which test centre (private or RTD) you are heading to. The law also names a repair garage, but its second condition speaks only of a test centre.
Owner and driver
Both commit the offence.
The fine in full
€150. Unpaid after 90 days from the notice being served, it is increased by half. No prosecution before 105 days after the notice is served.
The recall lists
The recall lists are under Checking a car you'll buy.
Source: Law 1(I)/2007 · Law 132(I)/2020 · Law 47(I)/1997
Who writes this
I'm Maximilian Berentzen. I moved to Cyprus in 2019, and I write MotorsCY for people who are new here and need to buy or keep a car.
Sources
Sources on this page (68)
Cyprus departments and public bodies
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- Road Transport Department, vehicle recalls (ΑΝΑΚΛΗΣΕΙΣ ΟΧΗΜΑΤΩΝ) · checked
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- Road Transport Department, MOT testing (Τεχνικός Έλεγχος) · checked
- Road Transport Department, Technical Instruction 6/2018, 30 November 2018 (Κατηγορίες οχημάτων που υποβάλλονται σε τεχνικό έλεγχο και συχνότητα των ελέγχων) · checked
- Road Transport Department, private test centres start testing motorcycles, 10 May 2024 (Ανακοίνωση Έναρξης Λειτουργίας Ιδιωτικών Κέντρων Τεχνικού Ελέγχου Οχημάτων για τη διενέργεια τεχνικού ελέγχου μοτοσυκλετών) · checked
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- gov.cy, vehicle and driving licence details, service record 3644 (Προβολή στοιχείων οχήματος και άδειας οδήγησης) · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, login page · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, Register Online (individuals) · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, FAQ 3 · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, FAQ 1 · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, Individuals · checked
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- gov.cy, road tax debt search, service record 3618 (Αναζήτηση οφειλών για άδεια κυκλοφορίας μηχανοκίνητου οχήματος) · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, main page · checked
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- Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, the Digital Citizen app on Google Play and the App Store, 5 December 2024 (Διαθέσιμη σε Google Play και App Store από σήμερα η εφαρμογή Ψηφιακός Πολίτης) · checked
- Digital Citizen, my documents (Τα Έγγραφά μου) · checked
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- Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, accepting and verifying citizens' digital documents through the Digital Citizen app, 31 January 2025 (Αποδοχή και Επαλήθευση ψηφιακών εγγράφων του πολίτη μέσω της εφαρμογής Ψηφιακός Πολίτης) · checked
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- Road Transport Department online system, SMS service registration · checked
- Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, airbag recall list, TOYOTA · checked
- Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, airbag recall list, SAAB · checked
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- Road Transport Department, transfer of ownership (Μεταβίβαση) · checked
- Road Transport Department, form ΤΟΜ 120Α, transfer of a vehicle without a valid MOT certificate or road tax licence (Μεταβίβαση Ιδιοκτησίας Μηχανοκίνητου Οχήματος Χωρίς Πιστοποιητικό Καταλληλότητας σε Ισχύ ή/και χωρίς Άδεια Κυκλοφορίας) · checked
- Road Transport Department, form ΤΟΜ 371, recall check declaration at transfer and MOT (Δήλωση για έλεγχο ανακλήσεων – Μεταβίβαση και τεχνικός έλεγχος οχήματος) · checked
- Road Transport Department, form ΤΟΜ 372, declaration of knowledge of pending recalls at registration or transfer (Δήλωση γνώσης για εκκρεμείς ανακλήσεις - Εγγραφή/Μεταβίβαση Οχήματος) · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, Installments Payment · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, application to reissue or replace number plates (Καταχώρηση Αίτησης Επανέκδοσης / Αντικατάστασης Πινακίδων) · checked
- Road Transport Department online system, vehicle withdrawal eligibility check (Έλεγχος Επιλεξιμότητας Οχήματος προς Απόσυρση) · checked
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Statute and Official Gazette
- Motor Vehicles (Roadworthiness Testing and Testing Centres) Law 1(I)/2007, consolidated text on CyLaw · checked
- Law 64(I)/2019 amending the Motor Vehicles (Roadworthiness Testing and Testing Centres) Law, Official Gazette No. 4702, 6.5.2019 · checked
- Law 231(I)/2025 amending the Motor Vehicles (Roadworthiness Testing and Testing Centres) Law, Official Gazette Παρ. Ι(Ι) No. 5067, 19.12.2025 · checked
- Κ.Δ.Π. 90/2018, the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amending) Regulations 2018, Fifth Schedule, Table A of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Regulations 1984, on CyLaw · checked
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- Out-of-Court Settlement of Offences Law 47(I)/1997, consolidated text on CyLaw · checked
- Κ.Δ.Π. 254/2019, the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amending) Regulations 2019, Official Gazette Παρ. ΙΙΙ(Ι) No. 5173, 23.7.2019, on CyLaw · checked
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- Κ.Δ.Π. 463/2022, the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amending) (No. 5) Regulations 2022, on CyLaw · checked
- Κ.Δ.Π. 302/2018, the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amending) (No. 2) Regulations 2018, Official Gazette Παρ. ΙΙΙ(Ι) No. 5117, 26.10.2018, on CyLaw · checked
- Κ.Δ.Π. 363/2020, the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amending) Regulations 2020, Official Gazette No. 5339, 14.8.2020, on CyLaw · checked
- Type Approval of Vehicles Law 61(I)/2005, consolidated text on CyLaw · checked
- VerifiedThe seal above a figure: traced to the law or to the department that applies it.