Having lived here getting on for 26 years with our daughter being born here and educated through the Cypriot state system, and myself being involved in much inward investment in the Cypriot economy, we have in the main thoroughly enjoyed the experience of life in Cyprus.

However, every so often we have to deal with government departments, and cannot but wonder, what they have bothered to learn in the last 22 years since they joined the EU.

We needed to re-register one of our vehicles and went off to the road transport department (TOM) at their Palodia offices in Limassol. All was going well. We arrived at reception and had the application form and all docs checked, all OK and sent off to another office to have additional info completed on the form by one of their officials. We got the obligatory stamp and were sent back to reception.

All docs checked again, incidentally by the same person we had originally met and who had already checked everything before sending us off to where we had just returned from with the proverbial stamp.

‘Where are your ARC cards?’

‘We’ve given you our passports which you said were OK and sent us off, now you want ARC cards.’

‘Yes.’

I had mine but my wife’s was at home. No persuasion changed the decision.

Next day (slightly less than 24 hours later), we return with wife’s ARC card which we present at reception, albeit to a different person than the day before. What’s this we were asked? Chucked the card back at us. Checked all the documentation and proceeded to stuff all our documents into a large envelope.

Then came the payment. We could not pay by phone. Cash or card were the only options. A piece of paper was produced, and we were told to write down our card number and expiry date. Duly followed the instructions and the piece of paper was put into the envelope and stapled shut. ‘You’ll be phoned in a few days when we’ve taken the money from your card, and you can come and collect your documents.’ On asking how much, we were advised we would be told when they phoned.

On the way home and reflecting on what had just happened, and what we had just done. we asked ourselves, surely this cannot be correct?

We have just given all our car documents (Registration Doc/MOT/Insurance Certificate) over to a complete stranger, even though one working for the government, not to mention our card details.
Is this the protocol of an established EU country, GDPR is completely out of the window, not to mention the potential financial scam opportunities?

Your paper itself has gone to lengths to make people aware of the increase in financial scams on the island and yet here is a government dept operating in such a slapdash irresponsible way.

Ken Jarvie