The friend of Northern Cyprus shares its Daily News of Life and Times around the world
PRICE INCREASES 2013.
With effect from 25th December 2011 the Government has given us a new year’s present, an increase on several permit fees!
TEMPORARY RESIDENCY PERMIT
From 109 TL to 115 TL for a six month permit
From 216 TL to 227 TL for a one year permit.
From 433 TL to 455 TL for a two year permit.
PERMANENT RESIDENCY
This remains unchanged.
WORK PERMITS
For a six month permit from 123 TL to 130 TL.
For a one year permit from 265 TL to 278 TL.
For a two year permit from 532 TL to 560 TL.
INITIAL CAR REGISTRATION
These have been increased by 5% for a petrol powered car, 8% for diesel powered cars and 4% for electric powered cars.
CHANGE OF VEHICLE OWNERSHIP
Cars less than five years old, now commands a 307 TL charge for registration. Cars less 
than ten years old, but over five years old, is now 184 TL for registration. Cars older than ten years old, registrations have been increased to 124 TL. Remember, if you are considering buying a new or second hand car, to register it in your name as well as your spouse/partners name. This will not only save you money, but also alleviate problems if the named driver on the log book dies and the person left behind wishes to either drive the car or wishes to sell it which they cannot do until the will has gone through probate.
Don’t forget to do a will if you have not done one already!
DRIVING LICENSES
A ten year driving licence is up from 586 TL to 615 TL. [Only available to Turkish Cypriots].
A five year driving licence is up from 352 TL to 370 TL. [Only available to Turkish Cypriots].
A three year driving licence has gone up from 234 TL to 246TL
MOT Tests.
This cost has risen to 124 TL
ROAD FUND LICENCES
These have been increased by: – 0.19 kurus per kilo for petrol propelled vehicles, weighing less than 1.016 kilo’s. For diesel powered vehicles, no change.
HOUSE/CAR INSURANCE
Most expats leave the island for varied reasons, such as holidays or illness. Many insurance companies revoke your insurance if you are out of the country for three continuous months or more. Can I suggest that you make enquires with your insurance provider, ensuring such a clause is not written into your current policy. Dağlı Sigorta does not write such clauses into their policies, even if you are out of the country all year round.
BANK CARDS
Our current building society cards are due to expire in May this year. We contacted our building society in the U K via the e-mail system to request replacements, only to be told they will not be sent to us because the TRNC is an embargoed country. Our account with the building society is registered at our TRNC address and we have never experienced a problem before. The only way we could obtain replacements, was to physically go into the UK branch with our passports, as proof of ID. 
We could not ask another person to collect them on our behalf even with a written letter of authority from us. If we had a P O Box in the south of the island [being an E U member] and registered our account in that address, they would then post the cards out to us automatically.
This also applies to written correspondence as well. If your account is registered with an English address they would send the cards to that address, no problem. Someone can subsequently post them/it on to you. Fortunately we were visiting the UK for the Christmas period, so we managed to collect the new cards whilst there.
Funny that, they manage to deduct income tax from interest received, even though we live in an embargoed country.
By Trevor Hughes
