Malta
Importing a car into Malta
Malta is an EU member, so there is no duty on a car from the single market. Three things still make the import its own case: the car comes by ship, it drives on the left, and registration tax is assessed on a value Transport Malta itself determines.
- Registration authority
- Awtorità għat-Trasport f'Malta (Transport Malta)
- Technical inspection
- Vehicle Roadworthiness Test (VRT)
- Last reviewed
Where the car comes from decides the effort
From an EU state
From an EU state there is no customs declaration and, on a used car, no import VAT. Registration tax still falls due — it is a national charge. If the car counts as new for tax because it stays under the threshold for first entry into service or mileage, Maltese VAT is added.
From a third country
From Great Britain, Switzerland or Liechtenstein it is an import declared to the Customs Department, with duty on the customs value and import VAT on top; registration tax still follows unchanged. Without European type approval, Transport Malta also requires its own approval.
The process, in order
The order is not arbitrary. Pull a step forward and you usually end up repeating it.
01Before buying: estimate the tax
CO₂ output, vehicle length and age all enter the registration tax. Transport Malta publishes the calculation; without that estimate the purchase price is only the smaller half of the sum.
Handled by: Transport Malta
02Book the shipping
Cars reach Malta as roll-on/roll-off cargo, mostly from Sicily or the Italian mainland. Sailings are more frequent than to Cyprus, but the booking still sets the date for everything that follows.
03Report the arrival
After arrival the car must be reported to Transport Malta within a short period. Until registration it may be moved only within what the authority expressly permits.
Handled by: Transport Malta
04Set the registration value and tax
Transport Malta sets the car's registration value and, together with the CO₂ figure, length and age, calculates the tax from it. Anyone who considers the assessment too high can contest it — with evidence of condition and comparable cars.
Handled by: Transport Malta
05Roadworthiness test
Before registration the car is presented at a licensed roadworthiness test station. Headlamp aim is among the items checked — on a left-hand-drive car, the point where work is needed.
Handled by: Licensed VRT station
06Registration, plates and licence
With the test report, the papers and the tax paid, Transport Malta enters the car in the register and issues plates and the registration document. The annual licence runs from that point, as does compulsory insurance.
Handled by: Transport Malta
What gets added
Without amounts, and deliberately so: official rates change, and a stale figure is worse than none. What is here is the basis of assessment — enough to calculate with, once the current rate is known.
- Registration tax
- Assessed on: On the registration value determined by Transport Malta, combined with CO₂ output, vehicle length and age. The purchase price does not enter directly.
- Annual licence
- Assessed on: Ongoing, by CO₂ output and the age of the car; payable to Transport Malta.
- Roadworthiness test
- Assessed on: A fixed fee per presentation at the licensed station; a retest after a defect costs a second appointment.
- Shipping
- Assessed on: A roll-on/roll-off rate by the car's length and height, plus port handling and transport insurance.
- Customs duty and import VAT
- Assessed on: Only on import from a third country, on the customs value and on customs value plus duty respectively.
- Does not apply: Does not arise within the EU, as long as the car does not count as new for tax.
- Registration and plates
- Assessed on: A Transport Malta fee for the entry and the registration document, plus the plates.
The papers
Miss one of these and the appointment is wasted.
- The foreign registration certificate in the original.
- Purchase contract or invoice showing the price and date.
- Certificate of conformity (COC) showing the CO₂ figure and vehicle dimensions.
- Shipping documents, in particular the bill of lading.
- The keeper's ID or residence document and proof of a Maltese address.
- The roadworthiness certificate and proof of third-party insurance.
Where the sum tips
- Left-hand traffic. Malta drives on the left and its used market is a right-hand-drive market. A left-hand-drive car can be registered, but the dipped beam is aimed for right-hand traffic and must be adapted — the test station checks the aim.
- The registration value. It comes from Transport Malta, not from the contract. A cheap buy on the continent does not lower the tax; what helps is evidence of condition, if you contest the assessment.
- Vehicle length in the formula. It enters the registration tax, so a long estate can cost more than a shorter car in the same price class — and on Maltese roads it is the less manageable one anyway.
- The deadline from arrival. It starts when the car is at the port, not when the paperwork begins. Until registration it may be moved only within what Transport Malta permits.
How long it takes
As an order of magnitude: three to six weeks from purchase, the larger part of it shipping. Onshore the procedure takes one to two weeks with complete papers; contesting the valuation adds weeks.
The technical inspection
Vehicle Roadworthiness Test (VRT)
Before first entry in the register, every imported car is presented at a licensed station; a valid test from the country of origin does not replace it. Afterwards the test is repeated annually once the car reaches the relevant age.
Common questions
Is the Maltese VRT the same as the Irish one?
No, and the confusion is expensive. In Malta, VRT is the Vehicle Roadworthiness Test. In Ireland the same abbreviation stands for Vehicle Registration Tax. Comparing two destinations, you would otherwise be comparing a test fee with a tax.
Do I have to buy a right-hand-drive car?
No, a left-hand-drive car can be registered. The headlamps must be adapted for left-hand traffic, and on a small island market the pool of later buyers is narrow — that is what counts at resale.
Is there duty if I buy within the EU?
No. No customs declaration, and on a used car no import VAT. Registration tax is untouched by that: it is a national charge and catches a car from Italy just as it catches one from Great Britain.
How does the car get to Malta?
As roll-on/roll-off cargo, mostly from Sicily or the Italian mainland. The rate is by the car's length and height, with port handling and transport insurance on top. The sailing schedule sets the date, not the authority.
This overview is not a substitute for information from the competent authority. Rates, fees and deadlines change; the office that registers the car is always the binding source.