China licence 
MaltaCan you drive in Malta with a China license?
Short answer: to drive in Malta with a China license you need an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna format, carried together with your China license.
Yes — to drive in Malta on a China licence you should carry an International Driving Permit together with your China licence. Malta accepts foreign licences, but an IDP is needed because China licences are not in the local alphabet.
Mainland China is not party to the IDP conventions, so Chinese drivers typically obtain a temporary local licence in the destination country. Your International Driving Permit is a certified multilingual translation of your existing licence, prepared in the 1949 Geneva & 1968 Vienna format and carried alongside your national licence.
What driving in Malta is like
The coastal drive along Dingli Cliffs, Malta's highest point, offers dramatic clifftop Mediterranean views. For most visitors the real draw is the freedom to reach places trains and tours don't, on your own schedule, with the open road generally capped around 80 km/h open roads (no motorways). Getting behind the wheel is the easy part: your International Driving Permit is a certified translation of your China licence, carried alongside it, so rental staff and officials in Malta can read your credentials at a glance.
What applies to China licence holders in Malta
| China licence in Malta | |
|---|---|
| Do you need an IDP? | Yes — carry one alongside your licence |
| IDP format required | 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna |
| Your China licence script | Not in the Roman alphabet — an IDP translation is expected |
| China is party to | Neither IDP convention |
| Drives on the | Left-hand side |
| Minimum driving age | 18 |
| Emergency number | 112 |
| Top speed limit | 80 km/h open roads (no motorways) |
| Currency | EUR |
Driving rules in Malta you should know
- Drive on the left.
- Seatbelts mandatory; phone use banned.
- 0.05% alcohol limit.
- Narrow roads and aggressive local driving.
Local driving facts in Malta
Emergency number: 112 (112 also connects from most mobiles). Typical maximum for cars on the fastest road class: 80 km/h open roads (no motorways). Posted limits always take precedence.
Tolls & road charges in Malta
Malta has no toll motorways. The only road-use charge is the Valletta CVA congestion fee inside the walled city, roughly EUR 0.82/hour (first 30 minutes free) weekdays 08:00-18:00, billed automatically by plate.
Parking in Malta
Curb colours govern parking: white means free public, blue is residents-only 18:00-08:00, green is residents-only 24h, and yellow means no parking. Paid meters give 1-2 hours; illegally parked cars risk clamping or towing by LESA wardens.
Penalties & enforcement in Malta
Camera and LESA radar speeding fines are about EUR 34.94 for up to 15 km/h over and EUR 74.94 above that; mobile-phone and seatbelt offences also carry fixed penalties. Rental firms pass camera fines to the renter, often with an admin fee.
If you have an accident in Malta
Call 112 for police and ambulance. Do not move the vehicles until police arrive if there are injuries or a dispute; a police report is needed for any insurance claim, and rental firms require it.
City driving in Malta
Driving is on the LEFT (a former British colony), which surprises many continental visitors. Valletta's narrow one-way grid sits inside the CVA charging zone, and the Regional Road/Marsa junctions are notoriously congested.
Winter driving in Malta
No winter-tyre rules - Mediterranean climate; snow and ice essentially never occur.
Fuel in Malta
Stations sell unleaded petrol (95/98) and diesel, mostly self-service and card-accepting, with some unattended pumps after hours. Prices are regulated, typically around EUR 1.40-1.70 per litre.
Sources: autoeurope.co.uk, cva.gov.mt, tollguru.com, pulizija.gov.mt