Car Accident in Cyprus: What to Do, Step by Step

A car accident is stressful anywhere, and in Cyprus the rules changed in 2026. If anyone is hurt, call 112 or 199. If it is a minor bump with no visible injuries, the law now expects you to tell your insurer, swap details, take photos and then move the cars out of the way, rather than wait in the road.

Below we go through what to do at the scene, when the police must come, how Cypriot insurers handle claims, and what to do with a hire car or an uninsured driver. Rules and practice can change, so details here were checked October 2026.

What should you do first?

1. Stop and switch on your hazard lights. Never drive off from an accident you are involved in.
2. Check for injuries. If anyone is hurt, call 112 or 199. The call goes to the police, who send an ambulance or the fire service as needed. Do not move injured people unless they are in immediate danger, for example from fire or traffic.
3. Get everyone out of the car and to a safe place away from traffic, if nobody is hurt.
4. Put out your warning triangle a sensible distance behind the scene.
5. Call your insurer's accident or assistance line. The number is on your insurance certificate or in your insurer's app. Most Cypriot insurers run a 24-hour accident care service as part of motor cover.

Remember that traffic in Cyprus drives on the left, as in the UK, and most cars are right-hand drive. If you are used to driving on the right, take extra care when you set off again, especially at roundabouts and junctions.

When must you call the police, and when is it a minor bump?

This follows guidance from ROADPOL, the European Roads Policing Network, and Cypriot insurers. The police no longer attend minor collisions as a matter of course. If they do come, write down the officer's name or number: insurers' claim forms ask for it.

What is the 2026 move-your-car rule?

A 2025 change to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Law first allowed drivers to move their cars after a minor collision. Because it relied on everyone agreeing, cars were still left in the road while drivers waited for an insurance assessor. A further amendment, approved by Parliament in April 2026 and published in the Official Gazette on 21 April 2026, turned this into a duty.

When it applies: no visible injuries to anyone, police attendance is not needed, the cars can be moved without towing or causing more damage, and moving them is reasonable in the circumstances.

What you must do, in this order:

1. Notify your insurer immediately, before you move anything.
2. Swap details with the other driver: full names, insurance policy numbers, driving licence numbers, vehicle details and phone numbers.
3. Take photos of the vehicles in their final positions, the registration plates, all visible damage and the surroundings (road signs, traffic lights, road markings).
4. Send the photos to the person your insurer tells you to, and share them with the other party.
5. Move the cars off the road to the nearest safe place, without parking illegally or blocking traffic.

Failing to follow these steps can bring a fine of up to €1,000 on conviction, and so can encouraging or pressuring a driver not to move. The Insurance Association of Cyprus has said everyone involved has a duty to move their car, and police have confirmed that insurance representatives cannot stop you. Insurers must accept your photos and statements when handling the claim.

Moving your car is not an admission of fault, does not count as leaving the scene and does not breach your policy. You keep your right to claim later, including for injuries that only show up afterwards.

The rule does not apply to government vehicles, uninsured vehicles, or where a driver has left the scene. In those cases stay put, call the police and follow your insurer's instructions.

What details and photos should you collect?

Even when you do not have to move your car, collect the same information:

• Full names, phone numbers and addresses of the other drivers
• Registration numbers of all vehicles
• The other driver's insurer and policy or certificate number
• Driving licence numbers
• Make, model and colour of each car
• Names and phone numbers of any witnesses
• Date, time and exact place

Photograph the cars from several angles, the damage, where the cars ended up, skid marks, and the road layout and signs. Keep the photos to the accident itself, and do not post them online. If you cannot take photos yourself, your insurer can tell you who may take them for you.

Stay calm and polite, and do not admit liability or blame anyone at the scene. Fault is decided later by the insurers, and by the courts if necessary.

Do Cypriot insurers use the European accident statement?

The European accident statement (also called the "agreed statement of facts" or "friendly settlement") is a joint form both drivers fill in and sign, used widely in many EU countries. We found no sign that it is standard practice in Cyprus. Cypriot insurers instead use:

• their own 24-hour accident care or assistance service, which you call from the scene; and
• their own motor claim form, which you fill in afterwards. These forms typically ask for the circumstances, a sketch of the accident, witnesses, damage and injuries, whether the police investigated and whether the accident care service attended.

If you drive a car registered in another EU country and have a European accident statement in the glovebox, you can fill it in as an extra record, but follow your own insurer's instructions. Do not sign any statement or release you do not understand, especially one handed to you by the other driver's insurer.

How do you claim from your insurer?

1. Report the accident to your insurer as soon as possible, even if you think the other driver was at fault. Under the 2026 rule you must notify it before moving the car.
2. Fill in its claim form and send it with your photos, the other driver's details and any police officer's details.
3. Wait for its instructions before arranging repairs. Your insurer will either pay under your own cover, minus any excess, or pursue the other driver's insurer.
4. Keep copies of everything you send and receive.

If the other driver was at fault, their insurer pays for the damage. For injury claims, get legal advice before accepting an offer: law firms warn that early offers often cover repair and medical costs but little or nothing for the injury itself. Claims based on negligence are generally subject to a three-year limitation period. Our guide to car insurance in Cyprus explains types of cover, excesses and complaints.

What about roadside assistance?

Roadside assistance usually comes through your car insurer, either included in the policy or sold as an extra. Use the same 24-hour number to arrange a tow if the car cannot be driven. If you are not sure whether you have it, check your policy now, before you need it.

What if you crash a hire car?

• Call the hire company's emergency number (it should be on the key fob, the windscreen sticker or the rental agreement) as well as 112 or 199 if anyone is hurt.
• Follow the same steps at the sceneDetails, photos and, where the conditions are met, moving the car.
• Check your excess. Basic rental cover often leaves you paying a significant amount towards any damage; extended cover reduces this.
• Mopeds and quads: GOV.UK warns that hire firms usually provide only third-party cover, so you pay for any damage to the vehicle, and refusing to pay can lead to arrest.
• Never hand over your passport as a depositWhich GOV.UK says is illegal.
• The north: cars hired in the Republic often have no insurance cover in the north. Check with the hire company before crossing, and buy separate cover if you go.

What if you or someone else is hurt?

Call 112 or 199 for an ambulance, or go to the nearest 24-hour A&E at a public general hospital. Our guide to out-of-hours doctors and A&E in Cyprus lists every A&E and its phone number.

Get checked even if you feel fine: whiplash and other injuries can appear later. Keep every medical report, prescription and receipt, and photograph your injuries. You will need them for any insurance or legal claim, and the Motor Insurers' Fund asks for medical certificates with injury claims.

What if the other driver is uninsured or drives off?

The Motor Insurers' Fund compensates people injured, or whose property is damaged, by uninsured or untraced drivers. It is funded by the insurance industry and later tries to recover the money from the driver responsible. Uninsured driving is a real problem in Cyprus: industry estimates put the number of uninsured vehicles at around 80,000, and the Fund received 1,725 claims in 2025.

If the other driver is uninsured:

1. Call the police immediately and say an uninsured vehicle is involved.
2. Do not move your car under the move-your-car rule: it does not apply to uninsured vehicles.
3. Tell the Motor Insurers' Fund before you repair anything, so it can inspect the damage. Your insurer or the police can give you its details.
4. Claim with your vehicle registration document, insurance certificate and other supporting documents, plus all medical certificates and reports if you were hurt.

If the other driver drives off (hit-and-run):

1. Note the registration number if you can, plus the make, colour and direction of travel, and ask witnesses to stay or give their numbers.
2. Report it to the police immediately, or within 48 hours at the latest.
3. Tell the Motor Insurers' Fund without delay so it can investigate.

If the other car is registered abroad, record the vehicle and its insurance details. Depending on the case, the claim is handled by the Cyprus Motor Insurers' Bureau or the Motor Insurers' Fund. For accidents in other EU countries, you claim on your return through the foreign insurer's representative in Cyprus; the Cyprus Information Centre on 22 807168 can give you their details.

What are the timelines for reporting?

What to do next

1. Save 112, 199 and your insurer's 24-hour accident line in your phone today, and keep a warning triangle in the boot.
2. Check your policy for roadside assistance, your excess and named drivers; our car insurance guide explains what to look for.
3. If you need legal help after an injury, see our guide to finding an English-speaking lawyer in Cyprus.
4. Make sure your licence is valid for living here: see exchanging your driving licence in Cyprus.
5. Driving in winter? Read our tips for driving in Cyprus in the rainy season, and keep your car's MOT up to date.