Business travellers and commuters in Nicosia face significant disruption on 7 January 2026 as police close a ring of central streets, ban drones and restrict parking ahead of the 18:30 opening ceremony of Cyprus’ EU Council presidency at the Cyprus Theatre Organisation (THOC). Police spokesperson Vyronas Vyronos called the event “historic” and urged motorists to avoid the area from 14:30, when full access control begins. ([cyprus-mail.com](https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/01/07/police-remind-motorists-of-road-closures-for-eu-presidency-ceremony?utm_source=openai))
The temporary lockdown affects arteries that link government offices, hotels and the financial district—Demosthenes Severis, Grigoris Afxentiou, Evagorou and Diagorou among them—raising the prospect of 45-minute detours during the afternoon rush. Two underground car parks at the former GSP stadium are also off-limits all day, eliminating more than 700 spaces normally used by business visitors.
Travellers scrambling to adjust itineraries should also double-check entry documentation: VisaHQ’s Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) lets corporate mobility teams and individual passengers secure the correct visa online, track processing in real time and receive alerts about auxiliary permits—saving precious hours that can be redirected to navigating the city’s traffic disruptions.
![Nicosia imposes extensive road- and air-space restrictions for EU-presidency opening ceremony]()
A Transport-ministry decree extends the no-drone zone for the entire six-month presidency, mirroring similar air-space bans used during France’s 2022 term. Media crews and surveying companies must apply for individual flight permissions—a compliance step mobility managers should add to their travellers’ checklists.
Hotel concierges report that airport-to-city transfer times have doubled since early morning as delegations arrive. Companies with employees landing at Larnaca or Paphos today are advised to pre-book taxis or consider the intercity shuttle, which has secured a police escort to bypass closed streets.
While the restrictions end at midnight, police warned they may re-impose ad-hoc closures throughout the presidency for ministerial meetings. Employers running “fly-in/fly-out” projects in Nicosia should therefore build extra buffer time into itineraries until at least July 2026.
The temporary lockdown affects arteries that link government offices, hotels and the financial district—Demosthenes Severis, Grigoris Afxentiou, Evagorou and Diagorou among them—raising the prospect of 45-minute detours during the afternoon rush. Two underground car parks at the former GSP stadium are also off-limits all day, eliminating more than 700 spaces normally used by business visitors.
Travellers scrambling to adjust itineraries should also double-check entry documentation: VisaHQ’s Cyprus portal (https://www.visahq.com/cyprus/) lets corporate mobility teams and individual passengers secure the correct visa online, track processing in real time and receive alerts about auxiliary permits—saving precious hours that can be redirected to navigating the city’s traffic disruptions.
A Transport-ministry decree extends the no-drone zone for the entire six-month presidency, mirroring similar air-space bans used during France’s 2022 term. Media crews and surveying companies must apply for individual flight permissions—a compliance step mobility managers should add to their travellers’ checklists.
Hotel concierges report that airport-to-city transfer times have doubled since early morning as delegations arrive. Companies with employees landing at Larnaca or Paphos today are advised to pre-book taxis or consider the intercity shuttle, which has secured a police escort to bypass closed streets.
While the restrictions end at midnight, police warned they may re-impose ad-hoc closures throughout the presidency for ministerial meetings. Employers running “fly-in/fly-out” projects in Nicosia should therefore build extra buffer time into itineraries until at least July 2026.
