Cyprus Professional Driving Licence
(Vocational Driving Licence).
Large Goods Vehicles (LGV)
Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCV)
Taxis
To drive a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) or a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) for hire or reward or in the course of a trade or business requires a Cyprus Professional Licence.
The fact that your driving licence may entitle you to drive a vehicle in the LGV or PCV category, it does not entitle you to drive the vehicle for hire or reward or as part of your trade or business.
A professional licence requires training to obtain a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) under EU Directives.
It came into force on 10th September 2008 for bus and coach drivers and on the 10th September 2009 for lorry drivers.
A CPC consists of different parts and continuing training. The ages for driving different categories of vehicle can also vary depending on the training received. Until a driver has a full CPC he will be restricted to driving within National boundaries.
In order to maintain their Driver CPC, all category C and D licence holders (including C, C1, C1E and D, D1, DE, D1E) will be required to undertake 35 hours Periodic Training every 5 years.
It is a complicated subject and there are several exceptions and 'Grandfather Rights' etc. They are contained in the EU directives. The links for those are at the bottom of the page.
I have given a brief outline on this subject below.
Large Goods Vehicles (LGV) is the name now given for what used to be called Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV).
In Cyprus the licence catagory is 'Φ' until harmonization.
| Description | LGV | Minimum age | |
| Class 1 (Artic) | C+E | 18 years |  |
| Class 2 & 3 (Rigid) | C | 18 years |  |
| <7.5 Ton lorry | C1 | 18 years |  <=7500 |
| <7.5 Ton lorry with trailer | C1+E | 18 years |  <=12000kg |
Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) is now the name given to what used to be called Public Service Vehicles (PSV).
In Cyprus the licence catagory is 'Λ1' for small passenger vehicles used for tourists, for example Landrover Tours.
The Λ2 catagory is for other PCV's until harmonization.
| Description | PCV | Minimum age | |
| Mini Bus | D1 | 21 years |  => (1+8) |
| Small Coach | D1 | 21 years | <=(1+16) |
| Coach | D | 21 years |  <=7500 |
| Small Coach with trailer | D1+E | 21 years |  <=12000kg |
| Coach with trailer | D+E | 21 years |  |
The Cyprus 'T' Catagory is used for Taxis.
| Description | Category | Minimum age | |
Taxi
The number of taxi licences
issued are restricted | B | 21 years
+
Two years with a full driving licence |  <=(1+8) <=3500kg |
Any transaction that you require in relation to professional licences will have to be made in person at the Department of Transport (DoRT). Speak with the Officer who deals specifically with these applications. It will take more than one trip.
If you already hold a professional driving licence for groups LGV and PCV you may exchange it. (Not Taxi).
Providing:
a) The licence was issued by an EU member state,
b) It is valid,
c) You have reached the minimum ages.
d) The details of your Licence have been translated into Greek by the Ministry of Information.
If your Licence is in English a translation may not be required. Check with your local DoRT Office.
The professional licence test is in Greek and involves:
A theory examination covering:
- Knowledge of mechanics and your vehicle.
- Road traffic law and signs.
- Driving scenarios eg what to do in event of breakdowns.
- A practical driving test.
- Drivers hours and safety
To obtain a licence, application has to be made in person at the Department of Transport (DoRT).
Various Documents and photographs are required to obtain a Cyprus professional licence, including a completed T.O.M. 211(12/02) application form only available in Greek. For a printable form PDF format click here.
Those of you already driving LGV's and PCV's should be aware that in the past enforcement of the rules may have not been rigorously enforced, mainly due I suspect, to a lack of training and therefore knowledge.
Police Officers from Cyprus have attended Training Courses in the UK over the last couple of months (March 2009). These courses covered the law relating to all aspects of this subject including tachographs and drivers hours. You can expect that they will be keen to start to use their new found knowledge.
EU Directives:
The rules governing LGV and PCV licences in Cyprus as with all of the EU now comply with EU directives.
To download a copy of the current directive 2003/59/EC regarding professional licences (.pdf) Click here.
This gives full details of the training requirements and skills needed for a certificate of professional competence (CPC).
For a full list of current EU driving licence categories and ages - Download a copy of Directive 91/439/EEC (.pdf) Click here.
For a full list of EU driving licence categories and ages applicable from 19th January 2013 - Download a copy of Directive 2006/126/EEC (.pdf) Click here.
