Importing campervan

Lozza8080 Member

Member since 31 May 2022

Lozza8080Member31 May 2022 21:13:35

I have searched the previous messages, and there’s a lot of information in those that is very useful. Thank you!

I am moving to Malta in the autumn. I have secured a job and my employer is sorting out work permit/relocation etc.

One of my favourite pastimes is road trips, and I am looking into the feasibility of buying a camper (NOT a motor home - just a small one like a Bongo or similar) in the UK and driving down over 2-3 weeks. I would then keep the camper for weekend trips to Sicilian, breaks to Italy etc. Obviously I don’t own the camper yet, so I will need to pay a fee when I arrive.

I have looked at the Vehicle Valuation tool on the gov.mt website (https://ereg.gov.mt/en/) and can’t quite work it all out. It seems the registration tax is much higher for older vehicles, which is not what I was expecting. Is it based on emissions?

It also seems to count as a commercial vehicle, even though it won’t be. Is this correct, or am I misunderstanding the form? I have emailed them, but no response in a week. Previous comments on this forum make me wonder how trustworthy a phone conversation will be, depending on who is at the end of the line!

Also, am I bonkers? I don’t actually need the vehicle, but I figure it will save on hotel fees or renting a vehicle when I go to the continent for holidays. It will also be a much more fun way of getting down there.

hanselmar Serial expat

Member since 14 February 2019

hanselmarSerial expat31 May 2022 22:08:12

206

@Lozza8080

Welcome to the forum. I live in Malta for 9 years and I was driving many times from Malta to Italy and beyond. I like driving, but do not save money. Petrol in Italy is at least as expensive as in the UK

and you have to pay toll fees on most of the motorways. Another adventure is bringing a vehicle into Malta. The Maltese like to tax vehicles, especially those coming from outside the EU.

Vehicle taxation is much higher over here in Malta than in the UK. My car tax in the UK would have been £ 220.00 whilst over here it is € 738.00

I would advise you try to buy a suitable vehicle over here. After that, you can travel with Virtu ferries to Sicily and beyond.

antz1626 New member

Member since 05 April 2022

antz1626New member01 June 2022 04:05:56

@Lizza8080 Hi , if this is only going to be a get away vehicle and not your everyday driver , you need to think about where you are going to park it ! . Remember that unless you have a designated parking spot or garage , it will be a bit problematic. Also it will be out in the sun most of the time. Here in Malta smaller is better when it comes to cars as the roads and parking bays are tight.

volcane ViP

Member since 03 November 2015

volcaneViP02 June 2022 09:24:22

1077

It's only in very few cases that bringing a car here make sense, maybe contact a company called ventur in malta who specialise in importing stuff they can probably tell you all about it.

Almost impossible to bring a old car here though it's just too expensive. That said the EU is currently dragging malta to the ECJ about these taxes so might go away in time - mainly the giant one-off registration tax you pay on import.