How to Transfer Car Ownership in Malta: Documents, Fees & Steps

You've agreed a price and the car is yours, or you've sold yours. Before the buyer can legally drive away as the owner, the car has to be transferred to them with Transport Malta. It's quick and cheap if you have the right papers. It's a wasted trip if one signature is missing.

This guide is based on Transport Malta's Change of Ownership page (last updated 2 June 2025). Check that page before you go, in case anything has changed since.

What you need for a normal private sale

1. The logbook (registration certificate), signed by the seller, the buyer and a witness. Transport Malta won't consider a transfer if any of the three signatures is missing.
2. Insurance in the buyer's name, starting from the date of the transfer.
3. Hire purchase cancellation, if the car was bought on hire purchase.
4. Copies of the ID cards of the seller, buyer and witness, if the logbook number starts with "D".
5. A note about the third plate, if the car has one. With a "D" logbook, the buyer gives a written declaration saying whether the third plate is being bought too. With a "J" or "K" logbook, the buyer ticks the box on the last page of the certificate instead.

How much it costs

The administrative fee is €10. Cash isn't accepted, so check Transport Malta's payment methods before you go.

Extra costs only apply in special cases:

1. Personalised or customised plates: the cost of new plates if the buyer needs them, and €466 if customised plates are transferred to someone who isn't a family member.
2. Cars registered with a tax exemption: registration tax may become due (see below).

Step by step

1. Before paying, check the paperwork matches the car. The registration number on the logbook should match the plates, and the person selling should be the person named as owner. Ask if there's any hire purchase still on it. A vehicle history check can also show mileage and accident records from abroad.
2. The buyer arranges insurance that starts on the day of the transfer.
3. Seller, buyer and a witness sign the logbook. Do it carefully: a certificate that's filled in or signed wrongly has to be declared void, with a declaration signed by all three, and the signatures redone on form VEH 50.
4. Submit the transfer to Transport Malta with the documents above and pay the €10 fee. Many insurance agents and brokers can also process the transfer when they issue the buyer's new policy, so ask yours first; it can save a trip.
5. The seller marks the ad as sold. If you sold through CarsMT, mark it sold in My Listings so buyers stop calling.

Special cases

The logbook is lost

You'll also need form VEH 039 signed by the seller, and form VEH 050 signed by the buyer, the seller and a witness.

Buying a company car

Bring a no-objection letter or board resolution from the company secretary or board of directors, along with the signed logbook and insurance. The fee is the same €10.

Inherited cars

The logbook is signed by the heir, and you need form VEH 010, filled in by a notary and approved by Transport Malta's Regulatory Unit. The fee is €10.

Personalised or customised plates

The seller declares whether they're keeping the plates. If the buyer needs new plates, they sign form VEH 006 saying which ones. If the buyer asks for personalised plates, the car's circulation licence is adjusted to match the first letter of the new plates.

Cars with a registration tax exemption

1. Exemption given for special needs: if the car is less than 10 years from first registration, the registration tax has to be paid, unless the Ministry for Finance approves moving the exemption to the new owner. After 10 years the restriction is lifted and no tax is due.
2. Exemption given for any other reason: the registration tax has to be paid, based on a valuation by Transport Malta's Technical Unit.

Tips for buyers and sellers

1. Bring a witness with you when you meet to sign, so you can do everything in one go.
2. Sellers: take a photo of the signed logbook before you hand it over, as a record of the date you sold the car.
3. Buyers: don't pay in full until you have the signed logbook in your hand.

Looking for your next car? Browse cars for sale in Malta on CarsMT, or check our guide to VRT in Malta.