Cyprus
The laws most likely to catch a visitor off guard. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Driving in the U.S. too?The free LawLert iPhone app alerts you when you cross into a U.S. state where a law you track differs. It doesn't cover other countries yet.Get the free appCannabis
Cannabis is illegal in Cyprus, and possessing any amount is an offence — there is no small-amount allowance. Using it is a separate offence in its own right. Thirty grams of cannabis, or three plants, triggers a legal presumption that you intended to supply it to someone else, and that charge carries a far heavier maximum; you would have to persuade a court otherwise.
Simple possession: up to eight years for herbal cannabis or resin, and up to twelve years for oils, extracts and other isolated cannabinoids. Possession with intent to supply, which 30 grams or three plants is presumed to show, carries up to life imprisonment. Using cannabis is a separate offence.
§ Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Health — Pharmaceutical Services: Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law of 1977 (Law 29/1977); quantity presumption added by Law 91(I)/2003Verified Aug 21, 2026
Medications
Confirm your prescription medication is legal with the Republic of Cyprus embassy and carry it in original packaging with your prescription; some home-country medications may be illegal in Cyprus.
Unlawful medication may be confiscated or result in criminal charges.
§ US State Dept — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026
Customs & Cash
Declare EUR 10,000 or more (or equivalent in other currencies or gold) between Cyprus and any non-EU country; no declaration needed to/from another EU country.
Fines for failure to declare or incorrect declarations.
§ Australian DFAT Smartraveller — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026
Imports & Customs
Strict controls apply to items bought in northern Cyprus when crossing south (food/goods may be quarantined); live animals including pets cannot be moved between north and south.
Items may be confiscated; fines possible.
§ Australian DFAT Smartraveller — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026
Driving
Car insurance bought in the government-controlled south is NOT valid in the Turkish Cypriot-administered north; buy separate insurance at the UN buffer-zone crossing points.
Driving uninsured in the north may bring arrest if the vehicle is damaged and costs can't be paid.
§ US State Dept — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026
Traffic moves on the left in Cyprus — the opposite of most of Europe; look both ways carefully before crossing.
§ US State Dept — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026
Photography & Drones
Cyprus regulates drone use, including which drones can fly without a licence and where and when they may be flown.
§ Australian DFAT Smartraveller — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026
Photographing military installations or anything of security interest is strictly forbidden throughout Cyprus; obey 'no photography' signs — police and military on both sides enforce this.
Arrest possible; strictly enforced on both sides.
§ US State Dept — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026
LGBTQ+ Safety
Same-sex sexual relations are legal in Cyprus, and there are no legal restrictions on same-sex relations or LGBTQ+ events in either the Republic of Cyprus or the Turkish Cypriot-administered north; societal discrimination can still occur.
§ US State Dept — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026
Public Conduct
Buying, selling, or renting property without the owner's consent is a crime in Cyprus, and intending to buy disputed property in the north is also a crime — officials may treat property pamphlets as evidence of intent.
Criminal proceedings possible; arrests have occurred over land-registry documents.
§ Australian DFAT Smartraveller — CyprusVerified Jul 26, 2026