Car registration, insurance, etc. for a tourist not yet resident

In case is useful for someone, I already have a partial answer for my own question:

I have been told that tourists need a passport and a document that proves a residence in Malta (i.e. the contract of a rented residence) for the registration of the car.

Well I bought a new car wich has just arrived in Malta. In regards to registration the car dealer said he just need my passport for it.

"We should also need a Maltese ID Card if you have it and copy of your passport."

In regards to the insurrance that is really pain in the ass when you want to get the no claim bonus you actually have to proove to them that you had it with another car. Currently I am trying to get some kind of certificate, but it will be difficult as I always used cars from my company. Hope they are going to print my name on the certificate es well.

Best regards,

Michael.

Lusco wrote:

Can the VRT registration, Maltese number plates, road tax and insurance be processed for a person that is going to be a resident in Malta in the next months but is still a tourist; or the only way to do so is once you a resident?

Thanks

You need to be a resident or have applied for residency to get your car registered in Malta. As the current residency application process is so slow I'm not sure if the temp form they give you is sufficient or if just having an appointment will do.

Terry

tearnet wrote:

You need to be a resident or have applied for residency to get your car registered in Malta. As the current residency application process is so slow I'm not sure if the temp form they give you is sufficient or if just having an appointment will do.

Terry

Are you sure? A car importer told me today what I said in post #2. He even said that he processed one registration 2 weeks ago for a person in the same situation described in post #1

michael78 wrote:

Well I bought a new car wich has just arrived in Malta. In regards to registration the car dealer said he just need my passport for it.

"We should also need a Maltese ID Card if you have it and copy of your passport."

Have your dealer successfully register the car?

Do you have residence or do you have already applied for the Maltese residence?

Note that in this specific case I am talking about buying a car from the UK. Not sure if there is any difference with the requirement of residency and documents.

Transport Malta say...

4. I would like to use a foreign registered vehicle in Malta. For how long can I use this vehicle in Malta without having to register it?

Tourists can use their foreign-plated vehicles for up to 185 days in every calendar year; when this period expires the vehicle must be either registered locally or exported from the country. (edit - this is what the website says, however its actually 185 days in 12 months not calendar year)
Residents cannot use a vehicle that is not registered and plated in Malta and must start the registration procedure within five days from arrival of the vehicle in Malta.

If you work in Malta you cannot be a tourist!!

Terry

tearnet wrote:

4. I would like to use a foreign registered vehicle in Malta. For how long can I use this vehicle in Malta without having to register it?

Tourists can use their foreign-plated vehicles for up to 185 days in every calendar year; when this period expires the vehicle must be either registered locally or exported from the country. (edit - this is what the website says, however its actually 185 days in 12 months not calendar year)
Residents cannot use a vehicle that is not registered and plated in Malta and must start the registration procedure within five days from arrival of the vehicle in Malta.

Well that just says that only tourists can use a foreign-plated car (and for a limited time) but it does not say that a tourist can not register a car in Malta, own a road license for Malta, etc.

This is from the EU website..

Wherever you live in the EU, you must register your car in the country where you normally live or have your permanent residence.

You are not usually allowed to register your car in a country where you have a secondary residence or holiday house.

As I said before if you work in Malta you cannot be a tourist!

Terry

This is a post from another forum
"lots of people I know who live in the UK, but have a holiday home in Malta, have a locally registered car in Malta. They have an ID card (but shouldn't as not residents), and so bought a car in Malta no problem. So when the ID card is scrapped for foreigners this will change, and they won't be able to get another car, or replace their existing one ? "

The explanation from the europa.eu is quite unclear. First says that you must register the car in the country where you usually lives but after that it says that you are not USUALLY allowed to register your car in a country where you have a secondary residence or holiday house.

tearnet wrote:

As I said before if you work in Malta you cannot be a tourist!

In this case when I say a tourist I mean someone that is not a resident in Malta. For example an EU national does not need something like a Business VISA for staying here for a short period for negotiating contracts, consulting with business associates, etc.

Lusco wrote:

TIn this case when I say a tourist I mean someone that is not a resident in Malta. For example an EU national does not need something like a Business VISA for staying here for a short period for negotiating contracts, consulting with business associates, etc.

correct - tourists cannot be employed in Malta, but they can work in the examples you gave as they are not working in Malta. They are working in another country, but coming to Malta on a business trip

What you cant do is be employed in Malta, paying Maltese social security contributions and Maltese income tax and not be resident (unless you have a specific exemption as eg a person on a temporary work contract)

Yeah I bought a new car that is maybe different.

I am still in the process as I have problems in finding a suitable insurrance.

I have applied for residence card, but dont have the card yet. But I think nobody asked me to show the application. But as said this is for a new car and not a used car.

Anyone can buy a car in Malta - residency is irrelevant,

I have been in Malta three months (No ID, applied for via e-mail) I bought a car a month ago.I had to go to a lawyer (€20) with my pass port and proof of my address Agents/Landlord Contract, Melita internet contract, also I took a headed-letter from the bank (MT) confirming my address. I took as much paperwork as I could! The lawyer wrote me a letter there and then confirming I was kosher! (The letter from the lawyer should help me with other things?) For the insurance the letter from the lawyer plus a no claims bonus certificate. The car dealer did every thing else for me. (Personalized plats €200)A bit extravagant...but hey, I'm retired! I had also opened a bank account prior to buying the car for that I also needed proof of address and an address in England. Both only took a week! Every thing went smoothly! Is that a first?

Bazza wrote:

I have been in Malta three months (No ID, applied for via e-mail) I bought a car a month ago.I had to go to a lawyer (€20) with my pass port and proof of my address Agents/Landlord Contract, Melita internet contract, also I took a headed-letter from the bank (MT) confirming my address. I took as much paperwork as I could! The lawyer wrote me a letter there and then confirming I was kosher! (The letter from the lawyer should help me with other things?) For the insurance the letter from the lawyer plus a no claims bonus certificate. The car dealer did every thing else for me. (Personalized plats €200)A bit extravagant...but hey, I'm retired! I had also opened a bank account prior to buying the car for that I also needed proof of address and an address in England. Both only took a week! Every thing went smoothly! Is that a first?

"Its the stuff of legends" 

Terry

tearnet wrote:

You are not usually allowed to register your car in a country where you have a secondary residence or holiday house.
Terry

I am not an expert in the law, but we have neighbors from Germany who live in Malta just 1-2 months in the year (they use the apartment as the holiday house here) and they have a car bought and registered in Malta, with Maltese licence numbers of course.

As far as I know these guys it's almost impossible that they break the law

If the car is already registered in Malta when its bought, there is no problem.

If you are a tourist on the island you can buy a car, register it on your self if you got an adress. Insurance is no problem either. The problems starts if you move to the island and pretend to be a tourist! We own a UK registred Volvo and it is now in Sweden, i am a UK resident but living in Sweden so i can own the car but i can NOT drive it in Sweden due to the 185 days rule! The regulation is not Maltese but a EU regulation. When I bought the car i was a Swedish resident and payed the prize for that!!! Insurance was 50% of the prize of the car. Left hand driver, 2,4 l turbo and no claims bonus.

If you want NO problems you sell your car in the UK and buy a car on Malta.

If you want NO problem but still want to bring your car, you just follow the exellent advices under transportation on the forum. Registration of a foreign car is no problem, if you do it right!

If you WANT problem you drive your foreign car and enjoy the sunshine, but your car will end up as a Coke can if they catch you! You will be fined and pay importtax estimated from the value of the car.

Correct me if i am wrong?

"Correct me if i am wrong?" looks right to me :-)