Confused about car registration

Hi I'm not in the exact same situation but very similar. We arrived in October last year and the car arrived by shipping the following week.  I have been corresponding with a Mr Francis Attard at the department of transport who is very helpful.  I too am going down the exemption path.  I have had to provide bank & credit card statements - if you have any P60 or tax documents these are very useful.  Now I have been trying to complete the process but it's stalled until I have our E-res ID cards. So far it's taken nearly 5 months in total.  Now my advice would be to email Mr Attard and ask his advice.  Others may say different but that's is just my opinion. Email: [email protected]

"Moving on then to the car Registration fee exemption....which seems to be a catch 22 as how can I prove that I have been living outside Malta for those 24 months prior, I won't have been, as I have been here looking for work."

I think the rule says to be exempt from car registration fee, you have to have owned the car for over 24 months prior to becoming a resident in Malta

Don't know if this helps, but you can register your car with your foreign passport, as far as i know you don't need to be resident here to register a car. At least, that worked for me. I drove my car with Belgian plates for five months, then registered it. And then after that I got my residence e-Card. (I went back to Belgium during those five months, so didn't overstay the 90 days period before registering for residence). When I registered the car, i just had to write and sign a statement saying i was here as a tourist.

Thanks to all for the replies, I know its a tedious topic! 

Thanks to AlyDimmick for that email address, that will be my next port of call, much appreciated :-)

NewHorizonz (like the name) yep, the statement actually covers both, unless I am reading it wrong, the statement you sign on the VEH07 form is:

"I  hereby  declare  that  I  have  been  residing  outside  Malta  for  at  least  twenty-four  months  immediately  before  taking  up residence  in Malta and that I am transferring my normal residence to Malta on the date declared in this application.
I  also  declare  that  the  motor  vehicle,  whose  details  appear  in  this  application,  has  been  registered  in  my  name  for  not  less than twenty-four months prior to my taking up residence in Malta and is still registered in my name"

nilonilonilo that is good to know.  From what I have been reading waiting 5 months is a big no-no and would attract a €30/day fine, so its good to know that this isn't always the case!  I obviously am interpreting something wrong that I am reading in the Malta Transport guidance documents, so I will contact the man who knows, Mr Attard.

I found out today I have 2 interviews lined up so if things happen I'd better be ready.

Would just like to add that nothing in malta happens overnight so it may be worth pursuing Residency and registering the car because the eresidence has taken me 5 weeks (heard I can now collect) and the registering of the car cannot complete until you have that.  I would think in a month you would know whether you're going to stay or not and if you are not I would just cancel applications. Hope that makes sense. Good Luck