Send parcel to Cyprus

Nicosia or Lefkosia? How to write a Cypriot address

They are the same city, and the same goes for all the others: Limassol is Lemesos, Larnaca is Larnaka, Paphos is Pafos. The first form is the international one, the second is the transliteration from Greek that appears on road signs and in official documents. Either is fine on the label, couriers know both. What matters is to write in Latin characters and not in the Greek alphabet. The postcode has four digits and on its own already tells you which district the recipient lives in: the thousands digit identifies the area, central Nicosia starts with 1, Limassol with 3 and 4, Larnaca with 6 and 7, Paphos with 8. An example: "Georgios Papadopoulos, Leoforos Makariou III 45, 1065 Lefkosia, Cyprus, tel. +357 ...". Almost every town has its own avenue named after Archbishop Makarios, so the postcode is what rules out any mix-up. The service covers addresses in the Republic of Cyprus, that is the districts of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Famagusta with Ayia Napa and Paralimni.

Does a parcel to Cyprus go through customs?

No, goods travel in free circulation exactly as they do to Greece or Spain: no customs declaration, no duties, no invoice to attach for parcels between private individuals. The exceptions are the usual excise categories, alcohol and tobacco, which follow their own rules. The parcel does have to cross the sea, though, and this is what really sets Cyprus apart from a destination on the mainland: after sorting in Italy the parcel either flies to Larnaca or continues by ship, and in the second case it passes through the port of Limassol, the island's main commercial harbour. From there distribution is quick, because distances on the island are short and every major town is little more than an hour from the capital.

British sockets and driving on the left: what should I know when shipping appliances?

From its British period Cyprus has kept driving on the left and the three-pin rectangular sockets used in the United Kingdom. The voltage is the same as in Italy, so a coffee machine, a blender or a lamp bought in Italy works without any problem. All it takes is an adapter, and those are sold everywhere on the island. Anyone sending an appliance as a gift does well to warn the recipient or to put the adapter straight into the parcel. For cars the same principle works the other way round: spare parts for Italian cars, which are very common on the island, arrive from Italy with no mechanical differences, but anyone ordering headlights or wing mirrors needs to remember that Cypriot models are right-hand drive and should say so when ordering.

Who receives parcels from Italy in Cyprus?

Limassol is one of the world's largest ship management centres, with dozens of companies running fleets from offices overlooking the sea, and in recent years technology and financial services firms have joined them: their offices and the residential towers that have grown along the seafront order Italian furniture, kitchens, marble and ceramics. Tourism fills Paphos, Ayia Napa and Protaras with hotels and restaurants that buy espresso machines, kitchen equipment, pasta, oil and wine. Cypriot food producers, from halloumi to the wines of the villages above Limassol to the red potatoes of Kokkinochoria, source packaging machinery and winery equipment from Italy. And then fashion: Italian brands have a loyal following in Nicosia and Limassol, and with fashion travel shoes, accessories and eyewear.

Orthodox Easter and forty degrees in August: when is the best time to ship?

The Cypriot calendar follows the Orthodox Church, and Easter often falls in a different week from the Western one, sometimes a whole month apart. Anyone sending chocolate eggs, cakes or Easter gifts needs to check the Cypriot date, not the one at home. Green Monday opens Lent with picnics and kites, 25 March and 1 April are public holidays, 1 October is Independence Day and 28 October is celebrated as in Greece. Around mid-August many businesses close for a week or two. The other factor is the heat: between July and August Nicosia easily passes forty degrees, and a parcel left for a few hours in a van or outside a door suffers. Chocolate, cosmetics, candles and delicate wines travel better from October to May, or with insulated packaging and a delivery time agreed with the recipient.