The police yesterday allayed concerns that they may be turning a blind eye to foreign-registered cars that were in breach of the law, saying they were towing them away when necessary and sending tickets to their owners.

In Parliament the government has repeatedly said that enforcement involving foreign-registered cars is problematic since Malta has no access to records being kept abroad.

This has given rise to the perception that no action can be taken against the owners of these vehicles – whose numbers appear to have grown recently – if they are involved in an accident.

The police said that according to law, people with a permanent residence in Malta had 30 days within which to register their vehicles.

They pointed out that since last June they had towed away 87 cars with foreign number plates that had overstayed this grace period.

They also clarified, however, that they do have access to records abroad. An EU directive facilitating cross-border exchange of information on road safety and ownership of foreign-registered cars can be acquired from foreign authorities through Transport Malta.

“In fact tickets are even sent to foreign addresses,” the police said.

Over the past few weeks Times of Malta has received numerous complaints about cars bearing foreign registration plates that were allowed to circulate freely for weeks if not months.

In many cases the cars belonged to foreigners working in Malta, or were imported second hand but had not yet been registered for domestic use, in breach of the law.

Last March Opposition MP Marthese Portelli raised the issue of luxury cars in the Sliema area bearing Arabic number plates and asked what action was being taken by Transport Malta to enforce the law. The matter was also raised by Opposition MP Ċensu Galea.

Transport Minister Joe Mizzi had said the authority was carrying out enforcement according to needs. A few days later he added that Transport Malta would increase roadside checks at strategic places during peak times.

Talks would also be held so that the transport watchdog would have access to information related to foreign-registered cars that had entered Malta, he said.

Last month Mr Mizzi also announced that Transport Malta had issued a tender for a centre where to keep impounded vehicles.

Responding to concerns raised by readers that the authorities were hindered by a lack of facilities to store confiscated cars, the police said facilities were adequate.

The law allows the police, Transport Malta and local councils to order the sale of impounded cars if they are not retrieved by their owners within a month from the publication of a notice of removal in the Government Gazette and in three newspapers.

When asked about its enforcement capabilities, Transport Malta said it had recently recruited more resources to be able to crack down on such illegalities.

30-day temporary licence

If you bought a car abroad and brought it over to Malta, the law previously did not permit it to be driven around until the registration process was complete.

But changes to the rules introduced earlier this month now allow owners to apply for a temporary 30-day licence until registration.

The licence comes in the form of a disc that can be affixed to the windscreen.

Legal Notice 178 of 2015 says that vehicle owners need to apply for the licence within one day of the vehicle’s arrival in Malta and it may not be extended.

By law, owners of imported used cars who do not take this option can only drive the vehicle from the port of entry to the place where it is to be garaged until the registration process is completed.

keith.micallef@timesofmalta.com