DUTY FREE CARS - CHANGING TO DUTY PAID
DUTY-FREE CARS – CHANGING THE STATUS TO DUTY PAID
Cyprus being a retirement destination for many Europeans means that many of us will have been eligible to buy a duty-free car – in some cases both partners will have their own duty-free car. The main reason for changing this status is that, if one partner dies, it makes administration of the estate very much simpler if the car is in both names. For whatever reason you choose to change the status of your car, it helps to know the procedures.
Once you know the procedure, the process is painless and the staff in both Customs and the Citizens’ Service Centres could not be more helpful.
FIRST OF ALL, YOUR CAR MUST HAVE HAD DUTY-FREE CLASSIFICATION FOR A MINIMUM OF 10 YEARS.
Step 1. Pay the Duty at the Customs Office
The information required by Customs is:
• Car registration certificate
• Passport (for some reason a Cyprus ID card is unacceptable)
• Residence Permit (Yellow Slip or Permanent Residence Stamp in your passport)
• Cyprus ID if available (!)
• Current insurance. Must be in both names and valid for a minimum of 3 months.
• Letter from the Mukhtar certifying that you are a permanent resident.
The Customs Office in Paphos is very convenient to get to. It is on Neofytou Nikolaidi, straight across the Debenhams roundabout and turning right at the large bust of Makarios. Just before the Law Courts there is a large complex of new Government offices on your left. You can park in the car park there but it is usually full and it might be more convenient to park in the surrounding streets.
You need Block E, which is the last one (just before the Courts), in the second row of buildings. This is where the cafeteria is, and you take the lift immediately opposite as you enter the building and go to the first floor. As you leave the lift there are two offices: you need the one on your right. (This is currently Mr Michael). He will do the necessary paperwork, which usually takes about two days. He will telephone when it is ready and then you collect it and pay the duty of 2 cents per cc of the vehicle’s engine capacity (€72 in our case!)
(You can of course change the duty-free status of a vehicle before the 10 years are up, but you will have to do so at the full duty on the import value, which is likely to be expensive).
Step 2. Citizens’ Service Centre
You are now clear to take all your papers, including the Customs clearance, to the Citizens’ Service Centre. The one in Paphos is on Eleftheriou Venizelou and there is a car park opposite and another slightly further up the road. The Centre is very convenient and efficient – see the Citizens’ Service Centre tab for full information. They will complete the work necessary for the transfer of the vehicle into both names in about 10-15 minutes.
The papers they will ask for are:
• Log book
• Insurance certificate in both names valid for a minimum of 3 months
• Yellow Slip/ID Card/Permanent Residence stamp in your passport
• Your newly acquired Customs Form C72.
The cost to us for this was €10.25, and the new registration document was given to us on the spot.
September 2011