Table of Contents

• What are Personal Effects?
• What Documents are Required to Import Personal Effects into Cyprus?
  • Customs & Excise Form Aπ.2
  • Proof of Previous Residence
  • Proof of Intention to Settle in Cyprus
  • Valued Packing Inventory
  • Bill of Lading
  • Passport
• What Items Are Prohibited to be Imported into Cyprus?
• What Items Are Restricted for Import into Cyprus?
• Am I Able to Bring New / Unused Items to Cyprus as Personal Effects?
• Can I Take a Motor Vehicle With Me to Cyprus?
• Is There Anything Else I should Know?
• Shipping Furniture and Household Effects to Cyprus

What are Personal Effects?

The Republic of Cyprus Customs & Excise Department allow a person who is transferring their residence from a country outside of the EU to Cyprus to import their personal property without paying any import duties or taxes.

The items must have been in the importers possession and use for a minimum of 6 months before they move out of their home in the UK, and be only intended for their personal use. Also, the importer must have lived outside of the EU for at least 12 months before the transfer of residence, and be bringing the items into Cyprus within a period of 6 months before or 12 months after the transfer of residence.

What Documents are Required to Import Personal Effects into Cyprus?

Customs & Excise Form Aπ.2

The Republic of Cyprus Ministry of Finance form Aπ.2 must be completed to claim relief from import duties and taxes on personal effects imported into Cyprus from outside the EU. This gives Customs your details as well as the details of members of your family that are accompanying you.

On this Customs document you declare that you meet the requirements for duty/tax free import of your personal effects, and that the goods are you own personal property intended for your own use in Cyprus. Along with this document you also need to supply various other documentation to back up your claim of relief from Customs duties and taxes.

Proof of Previous Residence

To prove that the importer has had their normal place of residency outside of the EU for a continuous period of 12 months, they must submit documented proof.

Examples of acceptable proof, amongst others, are;

• Contract of sale or rental agreement from their residency outside of the EU
• Pay slips/tax returns etc
• Utility Bills

Proof of Intention to Settle in Cyprus

As well as proof of the importer’s previous residence outside of Cyprus, a UK Expat will also need to submit proof that they are intending to remain in Cyprus permanently.

Examples of acceptable proof, amongst others, are;

• Application for residency or work permit
• Contract of sale or rental agreement for their residency in Cyprus
• Employment contract

Valued Packing Inventory

This is a list, description and value of the goods that are being imported and this will need to cover all items that are being shipped. Not to worry though, we will provide you with a blank valued inventory to complete once you have made your booking with us.

You will need to present this to Customs in Cyprus for them to review before they release your personal effects shipment for delivery to your home.

Bill of Lading

Once your goods have shipped from the UK, the shipping line will confirm the sailing date and estimated arrival date. They will also provide us with the Bill of Lading, which is the transport document specific to your shipment.

This document includes the name of the owner of the goods as well as their addresses in the UK and Cyprus. We will issue an “Express Bill of Lading” which means that an original document isn’t required, and you can claim your shipment with the shipping agent in Cyprus using a copy only, which we will provide to you.

Passport

Whether you have a UK or Cypriot passport, or one issued elsewhere, we still require a good quality picture of the photo page. This must be in the same name as your shipping documents and be valid at the time of shipping.

You will be required to present your original passport after arrival in Cyprus, as well as passports of any family members that are travelling with you.

What Items Are Prohibited to be Imported into Cyprus?

There are items that you are not allowed to bring into Cyprus, and a list of these Prohibited Imports includes;

• Drugs and Narcotics
• Pornographic Materials
• New Electrical Appliances Without CE Markings on Them

Please ensure that your valued inventory is sent to us as soon as possible after booking, so that we can check that there aren’t any items that may cause issues for Customs clearance in Cyprus.

What Items Are Restricted to be Imported into Cyprus?

As well as some items that are completely prohibited to import into Cyprus, there are some restricted goods that are allowed to enter under certain circumstances or conditions, some of which will need to have duty paid before they are released. These include;

• Alcoholic Beverages
• Tobacco Products
• Drones (Certain models may require a permit from the Ministry of Communications)
• Plants (Not recommended as the import procedure is complicated, costly and can cause delays in release from Customs)

Sending your valued inventory to us as soon as possible after booking allows us to check your items for potential issues.

Am I Able to Bring New / Unused Items to Cyprus as Personal Effects?

Any items that haven’t been owned and used by the will be deemed by Customs to be “new items”. All New Items are dutiable, and duty will need to be paid before your shipment is released by Customs.

Any goods that have not been owned and used for more than 6 months, are declared separately from the items on your Customs & Excise Form Aπ.2

If you have any new items to take with you, please let us know beforehand so that we can check duty rates with our local agent in Cyprus.

Can I Take a Motor Vehicle with Me to Cyprus?

If you wish to import a motor vehicle into Cyprus as part of your transfer of residence, you are able to do so with relief from import duty and taxes if;

• you have owned and used the vehicle before moving to Cyprus for at least 6 months beforehand
• the vehicle is imported within 12 months of you transferring your residence to Cyprus
• there is no duty or tax outstanding on the vehicle from any import into the UK

You are allowed to import one vehicle per family member and there is no restriction on the age of the vehicle you are importing but, after arrival, you aren’t allowed to transfer the ownership for 3 years.

If you are importing a vehicle into Cyprus without transferring your residence, you are able to do so by paying import duties and taxes, but it must be no older than 5 years old.

If you are shipping a vehicle to Cyprus, then you will need to enlist the help of a specialist car shipping company. Take a look at the Autoshippers website where you can find details of different car shipping services and can ask for a quotation.

Is There Anything Else I should Know?

All shipments arriving from non-EU member countries are inspected, and physical inspections are usually being carried out after 3pm which is causing additional storage costs that you would need to cover.

If Customs, for any reason, do not allow you to import your vehicle as part of your transfer of residence, and it is older than 5 years old, you will not be able to import it all, even by paying import duties and taxes.

If you are travelling with a spouse that has a different surname to you, a copy of your marriage certificate will also need to be submitted to Customs.

Shipping Furniture and Household Effects to Cyprus

1st Move International have been shipping household goods and personal effects to Cyprus for more than 25 years. When you make your booking, we will provide you with all of the instructions on completing the documentation that we require to enable us to ship your shipment through Customs in the UK and Cyprus. We have a local agent in Cyprus which we have been working with for many years who will be a part of the process and will assist you in Customs Clearance and delivery if required.

Our team of international removals experts are on hand to help with any questions that you have, and to help make international removals to Cyprus as easy as possible.

For a quotation, please complete the form on this page, giving us as much information as possible. Alternatively, during UK office hours, you can call us on +44 117 982 8123 / 0800 389 0784 during UK office hours or e-mail on info@shipit.co.uk.

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