Driving in Malta: swapping your Australian licence and staying sane on the left

Good news first: Malta drives on the left and Australia is on its licence-exchange list, so you can swap your licence without sitting a test. The hard part is the traffic.

The short version

• You can drive in Malta on your Australian licence for up to 12 months from your last entry into the country [1].
• Once you've lived in Malta for at least 185 days in the past 12 months, you can exchange it for a Maltese licence at Transport Malta, with no driving test listed for Australian holders [1][2].
• Expect to supply a letter from your Australian licensing authority confirming your licence, plus proof that you live in Malta [1][2].
• Bringing a car over means registration tax, an inspection and a 30-day deadline. Most Aussies buy locally instead [3].
• Valletta's Controlled Vehicular Access (CVA) charges by the hour on weekday mornings. Weekends are free [4].

How long your Australian licence works in Malta

Transport Malta's rule is simple. If your licence was issued outside Malta and the EU, you can drive on it for up to 12 months from your last entry into Malta [1]. A short trip home to Perth or Brisbane resets the date you entered, but don't treat that as a long-term plan. Once you're a resident, the sensible move is to swap.

Your licence must be valid and in English, which every Australian licence is. Transport Malta asks for a legal translation only when a licence isn't in English [1]. Its page on foreign licences doesn't mention an International Driving Permit. Some car hire firms still ask for one, so check your booking terms if you rent a car in your first weeks.

Smartraveller doesn't sugar-coat it. It warns that roads can be narrow, congested and quick to flood in heavy rain, and that local drivers often skip indicators and ignore road markings, crossings and give-way signs [5]. Driving on the left will feel normal. The roundabouts, the double-parked delivery vans and the moped weaving past your mirror won't.

If you have a crash

Smartraveller notes that for a minor rear-end collision with no injuries, you don't need to call the police or local wardens [5]. For other accidents, call the local wardens and don't move the car until they've recorded the details. If anyone is hurt, call the police [5]. That's quite different from the swap-details-and-go approach many Australians are used to, so keep your phone and insurance papers handy.

Swapping your Australian licence for a Maltese one

Malta exchanges licences from a short list of non-EU countries, and Australia is on it alongside the UAE, Switzerland and the UK [1]. The Transport Malta page doesn't split Australia by state, so a licence from any state or territory should qualify. There's no driving test listed for Australian holders in the exchange process [1][2].

Who can apply

You need to have taken up normal residence in Malta and lived there for at least 185 days in the 12 months before you apply [1]. That's where the 12-month limit can bite. If you arrive in January, you can't apply until around July, and your Australian licence stops being valid for driving in Malta in January the following year. Don't leave it until month eleven.

What to bring

The "correspondence" requirement trips people up. Transport Malta validates foreign licences and may contact the issuing country [1]. The servizz.gov.mt page for Australian licences asks for correspondence from VicRoads [2]. If you're from another state, ask your own licensing body (Service NSW, the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, and so on) for a letter or licence history that confirms your licence details, and expect to wait for it. Order it before you leave Australia if you can.

The steps

1. Check your dates. Count your 185 days in Malta and diarise the 12-month cut-off for your Australian licence [1].
2. Get your licence confirmation from home. Request it from your state or territory licensing authority.
3. Gather proof of residence. A registered lease or a Jobsplus form usually does the job [1].
4. Download and complete DRV 008 from Transport Malta.
5. Submit. Apply at Transport Malta in Paola (the Land Transport Directorate), Ħal Lija, or the Gozo office, or online through servizz.gov.mt [1][2].
6. Wait for validation. Transport Malta checks your licence, sometimes with the issuing country [1].
7. Collect your Maltese licence. Bring your original licence and ID or residence card [1].

Transport Malta says original licences from the EU, Switzerland, the UAE and the UK are surrendered, and the list doesn't mention Australia [1]. Ask at the counter whether you'll get yours back. Either way, keep your Australian licence current if you can, because renewing it from overseas varies by state.

What it costs

Transport Malta lists fees in 2026 that depend on your licence's expiry and your age [1]:

Licences with indefinite validity are treated as expired [1].

Buying or bringing a car

Shipping your ute from Australia is almost never worth it. Malta charges a one-off registration tax when a car is first registered, plus an annual circulation fee, and the process runs on a tight clock [3].

Transport Malta's guide for individuals sets out how it works for imported cars [3]:

• Get a registration tax valuation online and print it.
• Take the car for inspection at the Land Transport Directorate's technical unit in Paola. The inspection fee is €55.
• Pay the €15 registration fee, the registration tax and the circulation fee at a Land Transport office.
• Finish everything within 30 days of the car arriving in Malta. Late registration can cost €30 a day.
• Cash isn't accepted. Bring a card, bank draft or bank guarantee.

That guide is written for used cars arriving from EU states. A car shipped from Australia also goes through customs, so talk to Transport Malta and Customs before you book a container. Malta's cars are also right-hand drive like ours, but distance and cost usually win the argument.

Buying locally is simpler. Dealers handle registration, and second-hand cars change hands constantly, especially as expats leave. Before you buy, confirm the circulation licence is paid up and the car's papers match the seller.

Parking in Valletta and the CVA

Valletta's peninsula is protected by Controlled Vehicular Access (CVA). Cameras log every car that enters, and the registered owner gets the bill [4].

Paying before the invoice arrives, or by direct debit, knocks 10% off. Ignore it and the charge climbs, doubling after 90 days [4]. If you live inside Valletta, check the CVA exemption forms on the official site.

For most people, the best Valletta parking is not parking. Leave the car at home in Sliema or Gżira and take the ferry, or drive to the big car park at Floriana and walk in. Our guide to buses, ferries and the Gozo crossing covers the car-free options.

What feels different from driving at home

• The left lane is familiar. Right-hand drive, keep left, overtake on the right. No mental gymnastics.
• Distances are tiny, trips aren't. Malta is small, but rush-hour crawls around Msida, Marsa and the Kappara junction can stretch a short trip.
• Parking is the real sport. Residential streets in Sliema and Birkirkara fill early. Read the coloured bays and signs carefully.
• Scooters and bikes are everywhere. Check mirrors twice.
• Rain changes everything. Smartraveller warns roads can flood quickly [5]. Don't drive through water in the valleys after a storm.

Want to know which mechanic Aussies trust or who's selling a car before flying home? Ask in Cooee Malta, our Facebook group for Australians in Malta.

Sources

1. Exchange your foreign driving licence – Transport Malta
2. Change from an Australian driving licence to a Maltese driving licence – servizz.gov.mt
3. Registering and licensing a motor vehicle as an individual – Transport Malta
4. CVA tariffs – Controlled Vehicular Access, Valletta
5. Malta travel advice – Smartraveller

Keep reading

• Getting around Malta: buses, ferries and the Gozo crossing
• Moving to Valletta from Australia: the complete guide
• Cost of living in Valletta vs Sydney and Melbourne
• Your Australian driver's licence abroad