Cyprus on an Indian Licence 2026: Left-Hand Roads, 1949 IDP

If you hold an Indian licence and are planning a holiday in Cyprus, you can hire and drive a car there. Bring a 1949 international driving permit from your RTO to go with the licence. And there is good news on the road itself: Cyprus keeps to the left, exactly as India does, so the steering wheel sits on the side you know.

The answer for Indian citizens

Nothing in the official advice says an Indian licence alone is refused. The safe reading is still to carry the permit, for three reasons:

• India and Cyprus both joined the 1949 Geneva Convention in 1962, so the permit your RTO issues is the model Cyprus recognises.
• The UK government’s permit table lists the 1949 IDP for Cyprus.
• Global Affairs Canada tells its own travellers to carry an IDP there.

The permit cannot be issued once you have left India, so apply in time. At the rental desk, show three documents together: the Indian licence, the IDP and your passport.

Familiar side, unfamiliar rules

Driving on the left removes the biggest risk most tourists face in a new country. Roundabouts flow clockwise and overtaking happens on the right, as at home. What differs is the way the rules are enforced. The UK Foreign Office names three offences that carry heavy penalties in Cyprus:

1. drink-driving
2. not wearing a seatbelt
3. using a mobile phone while driving

Treat all three as firm rules. Everyone in the car should belt up, back seat included, and the phone should be in a holder, not in your hand.

A different alcohol picture

Here the numbers can mislead. Cyprus allows 0.05% blood alcohol for most drivers, which is higher than the 0.03% in India’s Motor Vehicles Act. But drivers who are young or recently licensed are held to 0.02% in Cyprus. If you passed your test recently, you fall into that group. For everyone else, the higher figure is not an invitation; a meze dinner with wine is best followed by a taxi.

Speeds

Motorways in Cyprus run at up to 100 km/h, lower than the 120 km/h on Indian expressways. In towns and on rural roads, read the posted signs, since limits change often between villages. The mountain roads up to the Troodos are narrow, steep and full of bends. Give yourself extra time there, use a lower gear on the descent, and do not overtake on blind curves. Villages on those routes are close together, and each one brings a lower limit, parked cars and people walking in the road. Plan mountain drives for daylight: the bends are hard to read after dark, and a missed sign on a village approach is easy when you are tired at the end of a long day.

Crossing to the north

Cyprus is divided, and many visitors want to see the north. Before you drive a hire car across, ask the rental company in writing whether its insurance covers you there. The Foreign Office warns that cars hired in the Republic often have no insurance cover in the north. If the answer is no, you will need separate cover for the north or should leave the car on the southern side.

Collecting the car

Keep the first drive simple. Check that the IDP details match your licence, walk around the car and photograph any scratches, and confirm what the insurance covers before signing. Most visitors land at Larnaca or Paphos; plan the route to your hotel while still parked.

Emergency numbers

India’s 100, 101 and 108 do not work here. In the Republic of Cyprus, dial 112 for any emergency, or 199 for police and roadside help. In the north, the police number is 155. Save all three before you set off.

The Cyprus driving guide has the full rulebook. For trips with more than one country, run each through the driving permit checker, and the speeding fine calculator gives a rough idea of penalties.

Sources

• GOV.UK, international driving permit table (Cyprus: 1949 IDP): gov.uk
• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Cyprus safety and security (heavy penalties; hire cars often uninsured in the north; 112): gov.uk
• Global Affairs Canada, Cyprus travel advice (traffic on the left; carry an IDP; 199, 155, 112): travel.gc.ca
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Cyprus profile (100 km/h motorway; 0.05 g/dl general, 0.02 g/dl young or novice): who.int
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (India 1962, Cyprus 1962): treaties.un.org
• India, Motor Vehicles Act 1988 s.185 (0.03%): indiacode.nic.in