Imported used vehicles will require 30-day permit from 1st January

Imported used vehicles will need a 30-day permit to drive in Malta as from the 1st of January, and vehicles missing the permit may be towed, Transport Malta has said.

In a statement, the authority explained that the required permit, will be a licence disk affixed to the wind screen, and that it would allow owners to drive imported vehicles on Maltese roads for 30 days before registering them. 

The system has been thought out to curtail abuses by owners who used to drive imported vehicles without registering or insuring them.  

Under the new rules, a resident who imports a used vehicle in Malta has to inform Transport Malta by the first working day after its arrival, whereby a 30 day permit will be issued against a fee of €20.

The statement adds that the owner needs to submit an insurance policy and a copy of the vehicle log book early on and that the importer may opt to register the car immediately instead.

Transport Malta also said that it will also check the chassis number of the imported vehicle against a police database to make sure the vehicle is not stolen, starting from 1st January, and that the administration fee for registering an imported car will increase by €5.