North Cyprus Information

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1Where are the tourist information offices?
There are various tourist information offices in North Cyprus:

Kyrenia - in the Old Harbour
Lefkosa - by Kyrenia Gate
Famagusta - the Land Gate (the main entrance to Famagusta old town)
Ercan Airport - located inside the airport
2Do I need to bring a plug adaptor?
Most electrical plugs in North Cyprus are the 3 pin type, the same as in the UK.

Occasionally, three to two pin adaptors are necessary, however this is quite rare nowadays.
3What bank holidays / religious festivals are there?
North Cyprus observes the religious holidays of Islam and like the religious holidays in the Christian Church they are moveable feasts.

Ramadan is a period of fasting followed by three days of feasting called Kurban Bayram (feast of the Sacrifice). The date of Ramadan changes each year.

Other major holidays are:

New Years Day, January 1st.

Children's Day, April 23rd.

Labour Day, May 1st.

Youth and Sports Day, May 19th. Peace and Freedom Day, July 20th.

Communal Resistance Day, 1st August.

Victory Day 30th August.

Turkish National Day, 29th October.

Independence Day 15th November, (proclamation of TRNC in 1983).
4What currency does North Cyprus use?
The currency in North Cyprus is the Turkish Lira, which has a constantly fluctuating exchange rate. For this reason, shopkeepers and restaurant owners are fully conversant with all major currencies and bills can be paid in UK Sterling, Euros and US Dollars as well as local currency.

If you change your money into Turkish Lira in North Cyprus, you will generally get a much better exchange rate than you would otherwise get in the UK.

There are many money exchange bureaux in all of the major towns. Major UK Credit and Debit cards are widely accepted, and can be used in cash machines, however you should ensure that you inform your bank before you travel so that they do not block your card. You should also enquire about charges to use your card abroad.

Travellers Cheques as well as Scottish banknotes are not widely accepted in North Cyprus and changing them can be very difficult.
5What about medical care?
If you have an accident, or have a medical emergency, you can visit one of the state hospitals in Kyrenia, Famagusta or Lefkosa. Private hospitals are also found in most towns.

Minor cuts and bruises will be treated usually free of charge in the state hospitals. However, major medical treatment can incur a hefty bill and it is essential that you take out comprehensive insurance cover for your holiday, and that your insurance covers you for Turkey as well as Europe. Please ensure that any pre-existing medical conditions that you may have are notified to the insurance company prior to travel. Failure to notify them may well render the insurance cover null and void.

Please note that the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is NOT accepted in North Cyprus.
6Useful telephone numbers
Police: 155
Fire: 199
Forest Fires: 177
Ambulance Emergencies: 112

General Hospitals

Nicosia/Lefkosa 0392 2285441
Kyrenia/Girne 0392 815 2226/8152254
Famagusta/Magusa 0392 3662876/3665328
Guzelyurt 0392 7142125

Dialling Codes

To call a phone in North Cyprus from elsewhere you need to dial 0090 followed by either the code for landline numbers: 392 or for mobiles 542 or 533.
There are two mobile service providers in North Cyprus; KKTC Telsim which uses the 542 prefix and Turkcell which uses 533.
Mobile numbers are usually supplied with the necessary code to facilitate access.

When dialling from North Cyprus to the UK enter 0044 followed by the number required with the deletion of the initial zero.

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