Driving in Malta: swapping your licence and registering your car

The first roundabout is the one that tells you where you are. You look right out of habit, the cars come from the other side, and a local driver waves you through with a patience that surprises you. Driving in Malta means driving on the left, on small roads, with a few administrative steps to respect if you stay.

Can you drive in Malta with your foreign licence?

With a licence from the EU or EEA, you can drive as long as it is valid in the country that issued it. Exchange is optional. Once you are resident, Maltese rules on penalty points, suspension and cancellation apply to you.

Non-EU licences are different. A licence from outside the EU can be used for 12 months from your last entry into Malta. Swiss licences count as non-EU until you swap them, so the same 12-month limit applies. British licences have been in that category since 1 January 2022; see moving to Malta from the UK for the exchange agreement between Malta and the UK.

How do you exchange your driving licence in Malta?

The exchange is useful if your licence is about to expire or has no end date, since a Maltese licence will then be renewed in Malta.

1. Wait until you have 185 days of residence in the last 12 months.
2. Apply at Transport Malta: form DRV 030 for EU and EEA licences, at the offices in Paola, Ħal Lija or Gozo. Cash is not accepted.
3. Wait for verification with the issuing country.
4. Finalise when Transport Malta calls you: you hand in your original licence and leave with a temporary document; the card follows by post or is collected.

You bring the form, a passport photo, a copy of your Maltese residence card, your valid licence, and proof of 185 days if your card is newer: tax return, employer's FS3 statement, Jobsplus engagement, a lease or deed signed before a notary or lawyer, or a certificate from an educational institution. A medical certificate is needed only if your licence is expired and you are over 70, or have a heavy-vehicle or bus category.

Cost: €7 per year of remaining validity for a valid licence. For an expired or open-ended one: €80 for ten years under 60; between 60 and 70, €7 per year to the year you turn 70 plus €10 for the card; from 70, €29.25 for five years. Renewal of a Maltese licence is €80 for ten years, and Transport Malta posts the renewal form 8 to 12 weeks before expiry.

How do you register a car in Malta?

If you stay in Malta with your car, it must be registered within 30 days of arrival. The fine is €30 for each day of delay, and an unregistered, untaxed car can be seized.

1. Ask for a temporary 30-day permit (form VEH 64) no later than one working day after arrival.
2. If you are moving your residence, apply before paying for the Transfer of Residence exemption from registration tax (form VEH 007). The car must have been registered in your name for at least 24 months before you move and still be in your name; you must have lived outside Malta for at least 24 months running; and you must apply between two months before and twelve months after you start residing, and within 30 days of the car's arrival. One exemption per person. A fee of €100 applies if it is granted.
3. Get the valuation and tax on the valuation website and print it.
4. Bring the car for inspection at Transport Malta, A3 Towers, Paola, with the printout and the original registration document. No appointment is needed for a private car.
5. Register and pay. Inspection is €55 and registration €15, plus the registration tax and the first road licence. Payment is by bank card or bank draft, never cash.
6. Insure the car at least third party. Driving uninsured is illegal.

What does the annual road licence and the VRT test cost?

The road licence is paid every year in the month fixed by the first letter of your plate: A, M or Y in January, B, N or Z in February, and so on. You pay online or through your insurer. The amount depends on CO2 emissions, fuel and age. For a petrol car, the law gives €100 a year up to 100 g/km and €125 from 101 to 130 g/km for the first five years, up to €525 above 250 g/km, and the cost rises with age, to a maximum of €1,125. Transport Malta's simulator gives the exact figure for your car.

The roadworthiness test (VRT) is due four years after first registration, then every two years, and every year once the odometer exceeds 160,000 km. A private car test costs €30.27 including VAT since 2023, plus Transport Malta's admin fee. A car arriving from another EU country with a valid test is treated as up to date, unless Transport Malta asks for a new one.

What are the traps of driving in Malta for newcomers?

• Missing the 30 days. The fine runs daily and the car can be seized.
• Selling an exempt car. If you sell in Malta a car imported with the transfer-of-residence exemption, the registration tax becomes due on its market value.
• The 7-month rule. A non-resident can keep a foreign car for up to seven months in twelve without registering it. Once you hold a Maltese residence card, it no longer applies.
• A nearly new car. Under 6,000 km or under six months old, VAT is due in Malta.
• Cars from Great Britain. Only a car registered in Northern Ireland counts as coming from the EU. Anything else is an import from a third country, with customs clearance.
• Cars from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland. They come from outside the customs union and must pass customs and the Maltese test before registration.
• Cash. Transport Malta does not take it.

What is driving in Malta really like?

Beyond the paperwork, driving in Malta is a skill of its own. Roads are narrow, parking is scarce in Sliema, St Julian's and Valletta, and traffic at school-run hours is heavy. Public car parks run by Transport Malta are free, and an attendant may expect a small tip, though it is not compulsory. Satellite navigation sometimes sends you down streets too narrow to be practical, particularly in Gozo, so read the road signs and be ready to reverse.

Many new residents decide not to import a car at all. A used car bought in Malta is already registered, and the Maltese bus network and the Gozo ferry cover a lot of ground. Do the sums before shipping your car, because registration tax is based on the car's value on the Maltese market, not on what you paid. The online valuation tool will show you the tax before you commit.

What about insurance and fines?

Third-party insurance is the legal minimum, and you will need the certificate for registration. Penalty points apply to residents, and the penalties for using a phone while driving are heavy. The alcohol limit is low, so the safest rule is not to drink and drive. Keep your documents in the car and make sure the registration and insurance addresses match your lease. For habits such as speed limits, ferries and holidays, see daily life in Malta.

What changes are coming?

The new EU driving licence directive (2025/2205) brings a digital licence and a 10 to 15-year validity. Malta must transpose it by 26 November 2028 and apply it from 26 November 2029. Until then the current rules stand.

For daily habits on the road (50 km/h in built-up areas, 80 km/h elsewhere unless signed, seat belts, strict phone rules, narrow roads in Gozo), see daily life in Malta.