Cyprus prepares to switch to digital driving licences and driving from age 17

Cyprus’s Department of Road Transport is preparing procedures for the implementation of the new European directive on driving licences. The rules on the island are not changing yet, but the EU-wide framework has already entered into force, and EU countries must bring their national legislation into line with it.

The main innovation is a digital driving licence on a mobile phone. It will be recognised in all European Union countries, while the familiar plastic card will not be abolished.

“The most important thing is the digital driving licence. At present, a plastic card is used, while the European directive provides for a unified system with a digital licence,” Ioannis Ioakeim explained on Omega.

The directive also establishes at European level the possibility of driving a passenger car from the age of 17, but only with a supervisor. Novice drivers will be subject to a mandatory two-year period under a special regime.

The approach to older drivers is also changing. At present in Cyprus, after the age of 70, licences are renewed every three years upon presentation of a medical certificate. The new directive shifts the focus from age to the ability to drive: checks will become more systematic, while each country will choose its own assessment method. “The new European directive assesses each case more specifically, rather than in such a generalised way,” Ioakeim noted.

For now, nothing is changing in Cyprus. EU member states must complete the main legislative changes by 26 November 2028.