Malta driving licence rules: UK, US, EU and IDP

Yes, you can drive in Malta on a UK photocard licence, and GOV.UK says you don't need an International Driving Permit (IDP) with it. Malta's own rules recognise any valid EU or EEA licence, and let you drive on a licence from anywhere else for up to twelve months from your last entry into Malta. The catch is the rental desk: some companies' terms ask for more than the law does.

This guide sets out what each official source says — Transport Malta, the regulations it applies, GOV.UK and the EU's Your Europe service — then what rental companies add on top, and what to bring to the desk. Each rule is attributed to the source that states it. It is a summary of those sources, not legal advice.

EU and EEA licences

Malta's Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations say that licences issued in other Member States "shall be recognised in Malta", and define a Member State as a member of the European Union or of the European Economic Area — so licences from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are covered too. Transport Malta puts it this way: licences issued within the EU are recognised in Malta "as long as they are valid in Member State of issuance".

The EU's Your Europe guidance adds three practical points. A licence that expires during your trip becomes invalid and may not be recognised abroad. You cannot drive in another country on a provisional licence. And an old-style EU licence can still be used; it is swapped for the plastic photocard format when you renew it, or by 2033 at the latest.

Licences from outside the EU: the twelve-month rule

If your licence was issued outside Malta and the EU — in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia or India, for example — Transport Malta says you are entitled to drive in Malta "for a period not exceeding twelve months from the date of his last entry into Malta". The regulation behind that page says the same, and limits you to the categories of vehicle your own licence covers.

The EU's guidance for anyone driving in the EU on a licence from outside it is to check with the authorities of the country you are visiting, or with your own embassy or consulate there.

Moving to Malta rather than visiting is a different process, covered by Transport Malta's licence-exchange rules: they list the countries whose licences can be exchanged, and an exchange needs at least 185 days of residence in Malta in the twelve months before you apply.

The law decides whether you may drive in Malta. The rental company decides whether it will hand you the keys.

UK licences: photocard, paper, and the Crown dependencies

GOV.UK's Malta travel advice says you can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in Malta. If you still have a paper licence, it says you may need to update it to a photocard, or get the correct version of the IDP as well.

GOV.UK's IDP country table lists Malta under the 1949 IDP and adds the detail. Gibraltar and Jersey photocard licences work without an IDP too. A licence from Guernsey or the Isle of Man may need one, and GOV.UK says to check with the Maltese High Commission. For UK licence holders who do need one, GOV.UK says you can get an IDP in person at certain shops that have PayPoint, for £5.50 (GOV.UK's price, checked 21 September 2026) — and that you must carry your licence as well as the IDP.

GOV.UK also notes that a hire company may ask you to share your driving licence information. If your licence was issued in England, Wales or Scotland, you can create a check code on GOV.UK to share it, valid for 21 days. With a Northern Ireland licence, GOV.UK says to show the rental company your paper counterpart instead.

When you need an International Driving Permit

Neither Transport Malta's page nor the regulation it cites asks a visitor for an IDP: both the EU and EEA rule and the twelve-month rule work on your own licence. Transport Malta is explicit that an IDP is not a licence in its own right: "International Driver Permits are not equivalent to Driving Licences."

An IDP comes into it in two places.

For some UK licence holders, in the cases GOV.UK lists above: a paper licence you haven't updated, and possibly a Guernsey or Isle of Man licence.

At the rental desk, where a company's own terms can require one even though the law doesn't. GOV.UK's advice to UK drivers is to check whether the car hire company says you need an IDP. Here is what the companies we track say on their own pages, as we read them on 21 September 2026:

Company	When it asks for an IDP or a translation, in its own words
Aquarius Rent A Car	Renting outside your licence's country, or not in the Roman alphabet: "An International Licence is also required, along with your own home licence if you are renting out of the country where your home licence was issued or your licence is not in the Roman Alphabet."
Autounion Malta	Not in the Roman alphabet, not in card format, or not from a Vienna Convention country: "All other National driving licences must be accompanied by a valid International Drivers Permit in Roman Alphabet."
Avis Malta	Issued in a non-European country, or in a non-Roman alphabet: "either an international driving licence or an official English translation, by a notary, of their driving licence"
Budget Malta	Issued outside the European Community: "If your licence was issued outside the European Community you must provide an International Driving Licence."
CarQ Malta	Not in Latin characters: "In case the National Driving License is not in Latin Characters, a valid International Driving License (IDP) is required."
Europcar Malta	Another language, or unreadable characters: "your International Driving Licence is also mandatory if your driving licence is written in a language different to the one of the renting country and/or in characters that can not be read in the renting country"
First Car Rental Malta	A foreign-language licence without an English translation: "you would be required to provide a translation in English"
Dolmen Car Rental (Gozo)	Recommended outside the EU: "For licences issued outside the EU we recommend carrying an International Driving Permit (IDP) alongside your national licence, though it is not always required."
addCar Malta	Not for EU citizens: "you do not need an international driving license if you are an EU citizen"

Read as written, several of these reach further than the law. Aquarius's covers any licence not issued in Malta. Budget's covers UK licences, because the UK is outside the EU. Europcar's turns on the language your licence is written in. A US, Canadian, Australian or Indian licence is issued outside Europe, so Aquarius's, Avis's and Budget's rules would all apply to it. On the pages we checked, the other companies we track state no rule that asks for an IDP (Carwiz's, Enterprise's and Sixt's pages would not load for us). If your licence was issued outside the EU, or isn't in the Roman alphabet, ask your rental company before you book whether it wants an IDP or a translation, and arrange it before you travel if so.

Rental companies set their own licence rules

Several companies also require you to have held your licence for a minimum time — a condition the Transport Malta rules above don't set. These are the rules in the companies' own terms, as we captured them on 16 August 2026 and re-checked on 21 September 2026:

Company	Licence held for at least, in its own words
Avis Malta	1 year: "have held a full, valid driving licence for at least 1 year at the start of your rental"
Dolmen Car Rental (Gozo)	1 year: "you must have held your driving licence for at least one year"
addCar Malta	2 years' driving experience: "a minimum of two years of driving experience"
Autounion Malta	2 years: "Drivers must have held a full licence for a minimum of 2 years."
Car Rentals Ltd	2 years: "a valid current driving license for at least 2 years"
First Car Rental Malta	2 years: "must have held the driving license for a minimum of 2 years"
JS Car Hire	2 years: "have held a valid driving license for a minimum of 2 years"
Malta Car Hire .Mt	2 years, on its standard policy: "Our standard policy covers drivers 23 years of age and over and 2 years experience."
MSG Malta Rent a Car	2 years: "hold a valid driving license for at least 2 years"
Princess Car Hire (Gozo)	2 years, main driver: "the main driver must have held a full, valid licence for at least 2 years"

Malta Car Hire .Mt's FAQ, by contrast, asks for a licence "held for at least 1 year" — ask which applies. Avis applies its rule to "you – and all of your drivers", so check that every named driver qualifies, not just the one booking. Minimum rental ages are set company by company too — our under-25 guide covers how age and licence rules interact.

What to bring to the rental desk

• Your driving licence. Avis's terms ask every driver to bring "all parts of their valid driving licence".
• An IDP or a translation, if your rental company's terms require one — some specify which (Avis asks for a translation "by a notary").
• Your passport or photo ID. Budget's airport terms ask each driver for "photographic proof of identity and their passport"; Avis accepts a passport, a photo driving licence, a national identity card or other government-issued photo ID.
• The card you booked with, in the main driver's name. Budget's terms require "a credit card in the name of the main driver", and Avis asks for "the payment card that was used to make your booking". Which companies accept a debit card is in our debit card guide.
• A GOV.UK check code or your paper counterpart, if you hold a UK licence and the company asks for your driving record.

Collecting at the airport? The Park East walk-through shows where the desks are, and our airport comparison lists who is there. For the rules of the road once you're driving — the left-hand traffic, the roundabouts and the speed limits — see driving in Malta. If your trip includes Gozo, our Gozo page compares the companies that serve the island.

Sources

The law: Transport Malta — Exchange your foreign driving licence (the twelve-month rule, EU recognition, IDPs not equivalent to licences, residence exchange; page last updated 18/06/2026); Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations, S.L. 65.18, regulations 2, 5 and 6 (definitions of Member State and third country, the twelve-month rule, recognition of Member State licences).

Official guidance: GOV.UK — Malta travel advice, safety and security (UK photocard and paper licences); GOV.UK — check if you need an international driving permit (the Malta row, the 1949 IDP, carrying your licence with the IDP, the PayPoint price, the check code and the Northern Ireland counterpart); GOV.UK — view or share your driving licence information (the check code); Your Europe — driving licence and insurance (EU licences, expiry, provisional licences, old-style licences, non-EU licences; last checked by the Commission 12/06/2026).

Rental company terms, all read 21 September 2026 — IDP and translation rules from Aquarius, Autounion, Avis, Budget, CarQ, Europcar, First Car Rental, Dolmen and addCar, with Budget's and Avis's also giving the ID and card requirements; Malta Car Hire .Mt's one-year wording from its FAQ; licence-held rules from Avis, Dolmen, addCar, Autounion, Car Rentals Ltd, First Car Rental, JS Car Hire, Malta Car Hire .Mt, MSG Malta and Princess Car Hire. All sources read 21 September 2026.