Cyprus parliament extends deadline for vehicle license renewal to March 31

The Cyprus House of Representatives has unanimously approved an urgent legislative proposal to extend the vehicle license renewal deadline to March 31, 2026. This decision follows technical failures on the Road Transport Department's (RTD) website on March 11, the original deadline, which prevented many citizens from renewing their licenses on time. The legislation includes a retrospective clause effective from March 11. This allows the government to refund fines and additional charges to motorists who paid after the deadline due to system errors. The extension was proposed by Alekos Tryfonides of DEPA, with support from the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Communications and Works. While the extension aims to protect citizens, it faced minor criticism regarding the implications of offering such reprieves. Standard late penalties usually consist of a €10 fee plus 10% of the annual license cost.