Bringing your car from UK to malta

https://www.gov.mt/en/Life%20Events/Mov … sport.aspx

Thanks Rob so to make it totally clear I do not need to inform anyone that I'm here and the cars here? I take it they will know when I arrived etc I obvisously have proof . So If I decide to stay permanently and go through the process of Idcards and residency I would then need to register my car. Is this correct ?

Kimdeller1 wrote:

Thanks Rob so to make it totally clear I do not need to inform anyone that I'm here and the cars here? I take it they will know when I arrived etc I obvisously have proof . So If I decide to stay permanently and go through the process of Idcards and residency I would then need to register my car. Is this correct ?

if you are going or intending to be a resident to avoid fines,import  taxes etc * depends on how long you have owned car * you have to register your car within 30 days of arrival
if you stay less than 6 months then leave you don't need to register  your car that is correct

Great thank you

I have owner the car for 5 years so I believe I can ask for exemption on the tax.
Thanks so much, really helpful.
If Idecide to stay but don't register then I take it I will need to leave the island and return again or is it not that simple ?
To make it clear I'm not trying to avoid charges but I don't want to pay large amounts of money if I'm not going to stay here.
If I could guarantee exemption I would pay the other fees to avoid problems

Kimdeller1 wrote:

Great thank you

I have owner the car for 5 years so I believe I can ask for exemption on the tax.
Thanks so much, really helpful.
If Idecide to stay but don't register then I take it I will need to leave the island and return again or is it not that simple ?
To make it clear I'm not trying to avoid charges but I don't want to pay large amounts of money if I'm not going to stay here.
If I could guarantee exemption I would pay the other fees to avoid problems

people used to leave the island and then return but they have gotten wise to that so i cant say for sure its going to work

i must admit to thinking that they had tightened up on that element of entry / re-entry

Kimdeller1 wrote:

I'm staying in malta until Christmas as a tourist.

if you stay more than 3 months in a stretch, you are no longer a tourist but a resident

There are two Italian registered cars parked 100 yards down the road from me. The couple, presumably Italian, have been living there for at least the last couple of years, certainly since I moved to the area and they are still driving around on Italian number plates. The police and Transport Malta were allegedly cracking down on foreign cars at the start of the year, but apparently not.

It's probably easier to get away with on Italian plates than British ones, given the proximity of Sicily, but a car with a UK registration is much further from home and much more likely to get pulled over by the authorities.

It looks like I spoke too soon, they were threatening to get much stricter on this earlier in the year -

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/ … 6736132760

and it looks like they are finally taking action -

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/vi … ved.576612

Be careful, that looks like an Italian registration in the ToM photo. A UK registration plate will look a lot more conspicuous down here, there's not much chance you're just here for a long weekend, so it's a lot more probable you'll be pulled over.

I can only give you the benefit of my own personal experience . I brought my car in March which I had shared with my daughter for two years with me and although I had been driving it for two yrs the log book was still in her name and I only changed it  a month before arriving. To keep the car here was 1,773 euro in Vat and by the time I had paid for the plates, admin , Jevic, car insurance tax and everything else it was going to cost over E 2,500 . It wasnt worth iit.
I had a meeting with one of the main guys at Transport Malta.

Here is what I was officially permitted to do and was legal and all above board
Drive the car for 6 mths as a 'tourist'  and to do this you must keep your GB sticker on the car. You actually get allowed 7 mths but the car must go off the island by that point.

You can not become a resident and file for an ID card in that time as once you file for residency you must register the car. Without the Id card you can still apply for your social security number, tax and banking  regardless but it becomes a faf without an employment contract.

If you are coming for employment then all you need is proof of your employment contract and go to the offices with every bit of paperwork, keep the car taxed and insured in the Uk at all times, and give them your employment contract and 35 euros, they will give you a temporary permit for your car for 1 year ( by that point you have achieved 1 yr and 7 mths with the car in the country)
At the end of the 7mths I didnt have any proof that my car had come into Malta on the ferry as we had discarded the tickets ( your meant to keep them) even though I had proof of this digitally it wasnt enough for them so they suggested I take the car off the island for a few days , go visit Sicily and re enter, keep the documents of entry and return with all paperwork and money for permit. Done within 3 hrs.

If you want to ship it over or return it then I would highly recommend you use a company based here and in England called Trotters Independent traders Malta. They offer a really good price to import / export your car for you with as little fuss as possible. For mine it was £650.

To get European insurance in Uk for 365 days of the year... Asdas 5* policys are the only ones that will cover you. For me it was less than £300 for the year on fully comp on an 09 plate including breakdown in europe.

The only issue I have come up against is the Mot as this has to be done in the uk so it will be due next year before the permit expires .....Im still trying to figure out if theres a way round that one!

It really isnt as hard as people make out it is. I have to say though  once you make that road trip with the car , your here to stay because its not something I would want to do again. Good luck with the journey!

I will also add the only stipulation was that I do not sell the car whilst here.

Hi Thank you for your post.
Its a bit of a nightmare regarding the MOT as I'm in the same position

Check your insurance policy as most insurance companies will only cover you in Europe for a specific number of days on full cover.
After that your cover reduces to third party only cover, some also require that you inform them of your travel before you leave the UK.

Terry

That's SO helpful. Thank you and to all who have responded.
Now to find a transporter company to take the car to Purfleet !

all best wishes
Jeannie