TRNC and Turkey simplified the exchange of driver’s licenses: the document will be returned to the owner

The TRNC and Turkey have updated the rules for exchanging driver’s licenses to reduce bureaucracy and speed up the procedure. The changes concern the amendment of Article 6 of the agreement on mutual recognition and exchange of licenses signed by the parties in 2019.

The amendments were formalized on December 30, 2025, in Lefkoşa: the document was signed by the TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transport Erhan Arıklı and the Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia Ali Murat Başçeri.

The main change is that after the exchange, the driver’s license will no longer be “taken into” the system: it must be returned to the owner. Along with the license, the person will be issued an official act/protocol stating that on the territory of the respective country one may use that country’s driver’s document.

It is уточняется that the updated rules will enter into force after the completion of the necessary internal procedures by both parties and official notification through diplomatic channels.