Is it worthwhile to move your vehicle from the UK to Malta?
When relocating to Malta, you’ll want to save as much money as you can, and exporting your car from the UK is frequently considerably less expensive than replacing it. Since most people use right-hand drive automobiles, like in the UK, it is definitely something to give serious thought to.
To determine if it is worthwhile to export your car or van to Malta, you must first determine whether it is permitted under Maltese import regulations for vehicles. The cost of transporting a vehicle must then be compared to the cost of purchasing a replacement in Malta. Some people advise against it because of the paperwork, but when you have a professional car shipping business like Ship Cars Ltd guiding you, the actual procedure of exporting your car is not that difficult. Because we constantly make sure to give our valued customers the greatest service, whether we are transporting their cars to Malta or anywhere else. We provide a wide range of solutions for shipping vehicles internationally to Malta. Therefore, whatever your specific demands are for personal automobile travel, we can customize your cargo to meet them.
To meet your specific importing requirements, our knowledgeable vehicle shippers will collaborate with you to choose the best way to export your vehicle to Malta. Your vehicle can be delivered in a container either by itself or along with the other items you are transporting from your home. We can also offer shipment to Malta using a roll on/roll off or lift approach.
However, if you are planning to import a vehicle to Malta
Be ready before you go. Facts and information about transporting a vehicle to Malta.
There have been modifications made to the process for exporting to and importing into Malta because the UK is no longer a member of the EU. HMRC mandates that a full Customs entry be submitted for export customs rather than a T2L. Since Ship Cars Ltd has been shipping goods to non-EU nations for many years, all of our staff members are quite familiar with UK Customs processes.
Our Maltese shipping agents for vehicles can arrange for your vehicle’s delivery to any place in Malta and can advise where you need to get Customs clearance. They are a family-run business that has been around for close to 30 years and has long helped our clients import their vehicles into Malta. Following the arrival of your vehicle in Malta, they will accompany you to the port office and the customs office where they will arrange for the necessary documentation. It might be difficult to navigate Malta’s import laws when bringing in new or secondhand vehicles. According to the law, every new or used motor vehicle needs to be registered with the authorities.
Before you proceed
All vehicles being imported into Malta are required by Transport Malta’s regulations to carry an odometer authenticity certificate, which verifies the mileage of the vehicle. In order to perform the vehicle inspection and issue the authenticity certificate that must be presented to them when the vehicle is imported into Malta, Transport Malta has chosen JEVIC UK Ltd as the authorized body in the UK.
Your car’s information, including the current mileage, should be supplied to JEVIC, together with a copy of the vehicle registration document (V5) and the most recent MOT, using their booking form, in order to apply for an Odometer Authenticity Certificate. The application can be submitted through email, fax, or postal mail, and for the certificate to be provided, it must be accompanied by a payment of approximately £28.50 + VAT.
Required Documentation
A few items from you are required for us to organize shipping of your car to Malta. Copies of the following papers are needed so that we may create the necessary shipping documentation, finish the UK export customs procedures, and, if necessary, arrange for the collection of your vehicle. The originals of the following papers should be maintained with you as you will need them to complete Maltese customs and registration processes at your destination; we just need copies of the originals. Originals should under never circumstances be left in the car.
- A duplicate of the V5 (Vehicle Log Book/License) paper.
- You simply need to provide a copy of a current MOT certificate if you want us to arrange for an insured driver to pick up your car in the UK. We can provide collection utilizing enclosed collection truck or car movers if your vehicle does not have a current MOT or if you would just like.
Documentation that We Provide (Bill of Lading)
We’ll give you a copy of the Bill of Lading for the transportation of your vehicle shortly after the ship bringing it away from Malta departs. When your car reaches at its destination, you will need the Bill of Lading as proof that it was exported from the UK. We will emailcopies of the shipping documents, confirm the ship’s estimated arrival in Malta once more, and include complete contact information for our local reception agents at the destination in addition to copy shipping papers.
When the vehicle reached Malta
Once your car has reached Malta, our representative will get in touch with you to make sure you have all the necessary information and paperwork to pass through customs and register your vehicle for usage on Malta’s roads.
As a matter of fact, we advise getting in touch with our Maltese agent as soon as the shipping procedure begins, since they will need to know specifics about your circumstance and the specifications of your vehicle. They’ll work closely with you to make sure you have the right paperwork in order so the importation procedure goes smoothly.
You are permitted to import one car into Malta tax-free if you ship it there from the UK in connection with changing your domicile provided that the following conditions are satisfied:
- Prior to importing the car into Malta, you had to have owned it and had it registered in your name for at least six months.
- Prior to changing your residency to Malta, you must have resided outside of Malta for at least a year.
- The car must be reported to Transport Malta no later than 30 days after it arrives and no later than 12 months after you change your address, but no earlier than two months.
After a year from the date of import, a monetary security deposit is collected and reimbursed. If the importer can show residency, that they have spent at least six months in Malta in the previous year, and that the things they imported duty-free are still in their possession, they may be eligible for a refund.
Please be advised that Transport Malta is very engaged in the import Customs clearance and vehicle registration process, and that you will need to go in person to their offices to complete the paperwork needed to register and licence your car once it has been released.
Container Shipping Advantages
If you ship your vehicle in a container, the costs for the destination port, the transport, and the unloading are slightly more, but you have the freedom to add personal belongings into the space within your car. Most common family saloon or hatchback vehicles additionally offer room within the vehicle itself that may fit additional personal things or possibly some home objects that cannot be placed into the vehicle. Please get in touch with us if you want to export a car to Malta together with some other personal belongings, and a member of our knowledgeable staff will provide you a quote that is specifically customized to your needs.
40′ Shipping Container. Other Advantages
You’ll save money at the destination if you ship two vehicles in a 40-foot container or if you let us transport your car alongside another vehicle within a shared 40-foot container. Though the cost of port, transportation, and warehouse unloading for a 40′ container may be higher.
Roll on/Roll off (Ro Ro) Shipping Benefits
Local port fees are less when you ship your car or van by RoRo than they are when you ship it by container since there are no fees for using cranes to remove the container from the ship or transportation costs to move the container to a warehouse where your car will be unloaded. With RoRo shipping, you just drive your car off the ship and park it in a safe spot on the quayside so that customs can clear it. When transporting your automobile by RoRo, you are not allowed to carry any personal or domestic items into your vehicle.
Getting an Imported Car Registered
You must register your car in order to operate it on Malta’s roads once our Maltese representative has helped you with the clearing process. As with customs clearance, there are several documents and criteria to complete in order to register your car, thus our agent will also help you with this process.
The procedure depends on a number of variables, one of which is whether you are moving your permanent residency from another country to Malta. Transport Malta is once again strongly engaged in this process.
Estimate/Valuation
Transport Malta has a vehicle valuation calculator on their website so you may find out your car’s registration value. Printing a copy of the valuation report created after obtaining the registration value from the Transport Malta website is advised since this valuation report will be needed for verification when you register your vehicle.
Registration
The Technical Unit of the Land Transport Directorate will need to check your car before it can be registered in Malta. To ensure that all vehicle information is reviewed and validated, you must include the vehicle’s registration certificate (V5C) and value printout when you bring your car in for an inspection.
The Technical Unit will properly sign and stamp your value printout before returning it to you for use during car registration. Once your car has been examined and validated, you may register it with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing section by submitting your printout of the confirmed valuation together with the other necessary paperwork, which our representative will once again help you with.
Any registration taxes as well as administrative, inspection, license plate, and vehicle license fees must be paid.
Adding a Classic Car to the Registry
If a vehicle is at least 30 years old, it may be registered as a classic, vintage or veteran in Malta. The Vintage Classification Committee of Malta must classify it as such.
Forms and other paperwork must be submitted in person to the Land Transport Directorate in order to register a vehicle as a classic. These comprise particular images of the vehicle as well as the registration papers for the car.
Following the committee’s approval of the categorization of the vehicle, a notice verifying the registration tax due is delivered. Following this, the owner has 20 days to register the car; if they fail to do so by that time, they will be charged a late registration fee.
| Car Shipping Costs UK to Malta | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle | Services | Costs / Prices |
| Standard Saloon Car | Ro-Ro – Valletta | £965.00 |
| SUV / 4×4 | Ro-Ro – Valletta | £1095.00 |
