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Hi,

it depends on the tax situation and residency in Malta I would think.

But probably the answer will be no.

George , this is a question for you -)))

Cheers
Ricky

I was waiting for someone else :-)

How long has the car been in Malta ?
Are you resident in Malta ?


logically there must be a way of scrapping a foreign registered car - lets say its involved in an accident and is written off - it can't be that the car wreck has to be exported to be scrapped. Best bet - contact Transport Malta

The car has been in Malta for 10 month (I'm not sure it's legal...) and I'm a resident.
I don't really wanna crash it just to scrap it legally .
I'll try to contact the dca, TY

Hi,

I'm sure that the 10 months are not legal.

Contact TM as George says but you will probably have to legalize the car first and then scrap it ( that could involve a fine too).

You must have been lucky to have had the car in Malta on foreign plates for 10 months as a resident and not been caught!

Maybe you are lucky with TM too.

Please keep us updated on the outcome.Thanks.

Cheers
Ricky

I hope you haven't been using it if you are a resident

What do you call a "resident" actually? I rent an appartement for 10 month, but I don't have any professionnal activity, not even a bank account. I'm kind of long-term tourist let's say.

And what are the risks actually? Does the authorities check the entries dates?

OK, you need to be very careful what you say as you have potentially broken several laws.

Once you have been here for 3 months, you have to by law get an ID card, a residency permit and a tax number. Have you been here for more than 3 months at a stretch, or did you leave Malta ?

A tourist can keep a car in Malta for 6 months in 12. A resident cannot drive any foreign plated car (unless they get an exemption for the car).

In terms of risk, being an EU citizen who failed to get ID card etc - worst case seems to be nothing more than being told to sort it out. Having an unregistered car here for so long is taken much more seriously, and will probably result in a fine and possible confiscation of the car (although the latter might be good for you anyway)

nikos68 wrote:

I'm kind of long-term tourist let's say.

that doesn't exist legally - there is tourist (up to 3 months) and resident

Ok so I think the best thing to do is to bring the car back to France asap and hope to don't get caught by the authorities... I'll book the next ferry...

Hi nikos,

I wish you luck !

Please report back if it went well and you didn't get stopped before leaving Malta.

Cheers
Ricky

I suppose taking the plates of it and pushing it into the sea is an answer, would give scubaboy something to play with. On way to marsaxlokk from Velletta there is a scrap yard on left, I would ask in there as scrap guys tend not to go by any countries regulations if they think there is  afew quid init. What make car is it. Jim

Sad thing is that you are registered when you enter the country with the car .

Could be a solution if you never intend to return to Malta and you can get a flight out of Malta before they catch you.

I think the scrap dealers might get a bonus if they report you so you might as well just leave the car somewhere and leave the country as fast as possible. Of course, this statement is in no way intended to be serious legal advice!-)))

Cheers
Ricky

Sick sick I didn't know that keeping a car would be so bad... I'm very stressed now, maltese authorities seemed regardless to me before

Where do they register you against a car when you  come into country, when I drove off ferry the guy had a sheet of paper that was a mess, my van was not even on it, and eventually he found it but all the details were wrong, but still he just ticked the box and waved me in. I would not stress yourself out over the car. walk into scrap yard they will keep you right, carparts are worth money to them, there is a good breakers next to Pavi, they will have it in pieces on shelves quicker than you can blink.

They are - except when it comes to importing a foreign car to Malta without paying taxes. I'm just surprised that you didn't get caught in 10 months as TM have a checkpoint in Sliema nearly every day !

That is the worst crime in Malta! Just as bad as a hit-and-run accident !
I still wish you luck and please report on the outcome, whether good or bad

Cheers
Ricky

I don't use the car very offen so that's why I've never been controlled, but it's parked in the street. Plus I had some parking fines that I paid. The authorities should have let me know about the laws, too be honest I didn't even know about the maximum stay allowed etc...
Does someone know if there's controls when you take a ferry to leave the country?

jim IPTV wrote:

Where do they register you against a car when you  come into country,

Even if no official record of entering the country, if a warden/inspector logged the car on the roads in Malta more than 6 months ago and you can't prove it left Malta in the meantime, then thats sufficient proof.

"I had some parking fines that I paid." - so there is a record of your car being here

"The authorities should have let me know about the laws," - they probably should do, but ignorance is no defence

I would get the car out the country ASAP, and if you get stopped then say you had no idea of the law (which is true).

Ironically its fortunate you broke the law by not applying for an ID card or residency permit

I have the ID card

when you applied for an ID card you signed a declaration that you are resident in Malta. At that point it was then illegal for you to drive your car in Malta.

As I was suggesting ..............pay or leave the island tomorrow and leave the car where it is !

This is no legal advice ....just my personal opinion.

Cheers
Ricky

How about selling it or leave it in your will(after your receive the death sentence from TM) to a non resident, then you have a proof you got rid of it ? Jim

The 6 months in 12 rule refers to the car and not to the owner - selling it makes no difference to the fact the car is in Malta illegally

Empty the car , take of the plates and park it ( away from your house) unlocked with the keys in.
Job done!


or if you have room strip it and sell the spares!

But would Nikos still be liable if he has a bill of sale ?.Jim

Whats important isn't the bill of sale, but the re-registering the car in the new owners name, which would be done in France.

There is a fine for every day the car is in Malta illegally - its either € 10 or € 30 a day. Unless the OP intends on leaving Malta never to return, selling it to someone else to scrap risks a nasty surprise in the future. Bear in mind the car soon won't have a valid VRT (maybe even now), so insurance won't be valid.

"Empty the car , take of the plates and park it ( away from your house) unlocked with the keys in.
Job done! "  - except its still the OPs car, and if someone drives it and gets stopped by the police the OP would be in trouble for not reporting the car as stolen

I would park it outside scrapyard gates and put FREE in window, you will never see it or hear of it again, it's worth money to them. Taking Plates off might help, Jim

I prefer the Scuba option

Dingli Cliffs is a well known drop shop for vehicles... please don't drive it to fast as its gets really deep there and unless i am on Trimix i wont be seeing it

This is just a Joke... do not drive it of Dingli Cliffs.... (push it lol)

jim IPTV wrote:

I would park it outside scrapyard gates and put FREE in window, you will never see it or hear of it again, it's worth money to them. Taking Plates off might help, Jim

TM inspector " Excuse me sir, the car you brought into Malta several years ago, and have kept here without VRT, road tax or insurance. Unless you can prove you exported it within 6 months it has been here illegally, and we are fining you several thousand euros for having the vehicle in Malta, plus suspending your driving licence for 2 years for having no insurance. This suspension applies throughout the EU. We will continue to fine you every day until you either export it, or register it. Where is the car now ?"

OP "umm....."

I'm sure the car is still insured by the french company (i asked them) and the french VRT is valid.

I don't wanna aggravate my case by giving up the car somewhere (they might find me and prosecute me later...) plus I plan to stay in Malta.

So I'll take the ferry and hope they won't control me, if they do I'll act like I don't know. If they seize the car I don't really care, just hope I won't get fined...

Do you think controls are systematic at the exit of the country?

You are more likely (but not very likely) to be stopped on the road rather than at the ferry. If you have a reservation for the ferry you should be fine. If you are stopped don't show them your Maltese ID card as you will be charged with driving a foreign registered car whilst a resident of Malta.

Sounds as if George's advice is the best option as you want to stay in Malta. But the car can't stay !

So let's hope you manage to get the car out of Malta without anybody ever realizing it was here too long. Seizing the car would be ok but the fine would be nasty (30 € for every day after the initial 20 days ). Maybe take some quieter roads to the ferry and not the coast road!

Give us some feedback when you get back.

Cheers
Ricky

Damn, there goes my new dive site

How about sending the numberplates etc or getting new ones made up in France, stick them on a same car (queening its called) a few pictures, maybe a parking ticket or two, plenty proof the car left Malta, sounds like a plan. you could even drive the queen back into Malta, thus making both legal again. What make/model/year is car. Jim.

surely the car can still be traced by the chassis number and or engine number!!!!!!

If the car is not registered in Malta removing the plates( and anything on the windscreen or inside the car)  will make it nearly impossible to trace. The authorities would have no idea from what country it came from without spending a lot of time and effort tracing it through the manufacturer.
There are hundreds of english registered cars (with number plates) in France that have been dumped because the owners cannot register them. The French government just collects and crushes them as currently the DVLA will not share information.
France will not release ownership details of abandoned cars to MTA.

Terry

I brought the car back to France without any problems, lucky me! And now plan to buy a "legal" one.
Thank you guys for your advices!