Passenger Transport (more than 9 seats)

A Carriage of Passengers Operator’s Licence is required for the operation of passenger transport vehicles for hire or reward (carriage of passengers against payment or compensation by the person transported or by the transport organizer, whether such payment is made directly or indirectly).

Applicants for an operator’s licence must:

• Be of good repute and conduct;
• Have appropriate financial standing;
• Satisfy the condition as to professional competence;
• Have an operating centre in Malta.

There is no limit on the number of passenger transport vehicles that can be registered under a carriage of passengers operator’s licence, as long as the operator has the appropriate financial standing. An operator can apply for a national operator’s licence or a community operator’s licence. The Community operator’s licence can be used in other Member States, whilst the National one is only valid in Malta.

A carriage of passengers operator licence is issued in the name of a natural person authorized by the undertaking. An undertaking means a natural person, any legal person whether profit making or not, any association or group of persons without legal personality whether profit-making or not, or any official body whether having its own legal personality or being dependent upon an authority having such personality.

Application Process

The following forms are required to be submitted to Transport Malta:

• Application form CPOL-A1
• Declaration form CPOL-Z1 (for partnerships or individuals)
• Declaration form CPOL-Z2 (for companies)
• Declaration form CPOL-A2 (for good repute & good conduct for carriage of passengers operator licence)

For further information please click on these guidelines

Transport Malta will consider complete applications, and if an application is refused, it will inform the applicant in writing with the reasons for refusal. The operator will then have ten days to submit his/her representations where Transport Malta will then give its final decision and will inform the applicant accordingly. If the final decision will be in the negative, the operator has the right to appeal to the Tribunal within a period of 30 days from its notification.

When the Authority grants an operator’s licence, the following documents will be forwarded to the operator:

• An operator’s licence
• A certified copy of the operator’s licence (for every vehicle)
• Passenger transport vehicle licence (for every vehicle and should be affixed to the left side of the windscreen)
• Driver’s certificate
• Sticker indicating information about the vehicle

The driver operating the service shall need to be in possession of a Driver Permit Tag. 

Changes Effective from 29 July 2026

As from 29 July 2026, new requirements apply to Passenger Transport Vehicles (PTVs) under the Passenger Transport Services Regulations (S.L. 499.56), as amended by Legal Notice 172 of 2026.

Garaging and Parking of Passenger Transport Vehicles

Operators are required to ensure that passenger transport vehicles are garaged or parked off-street whenever they are not in use, except for the limited periods during which the Regulations permit a vehicle to be legally parked on the road.

Different parking conditions apply depending on whether the vehicle is classified as an M2 or M3 vehicle.

M2 Vehicles

An M2 passenger transport vehicle which is not in use may be legally parked on the road for:

• up to three (3) hours between 05:01 and 16:59; and
• up to sixty (60) minutes between 17:00 and 05:00.

Whenever the vehicle is parked and left unattended, the authorised Transport Malta parking disc must be clearly displayed on the dashboard and set to show, as accurately as possible, the time when the vehicle was left parked.

M3 Vehicles

An M3 passenger transport vehicle which is not in use may be legally parked on the road for a maximum of three (3) hours, provided that the vehicle is parked at least fifteen (15) metres, measured in a straight line, from the last residential building or dwelling in a residential area.

M3 vehicles may not be parked within residential areas.

Whenever the vehicle is parked and left unattended, the authorised Transport Malta parking disc must be clearly displayed on the dashboard and set to show, as accurately as possible, the time when the vehicle was left parked.

Exceptions

The above parking time limits do not apply:

• while passengers are boarding or alighting from the vehicle; or
• for as long as the driver is and remains inside the vehicle.

Transport Malta Parking Disc

The authorised parking disc is provided free of charge by Transport Malta.

Whenever a passenger transport vehicle is parked on the road and left unattended, the driver must ensure that the authorised parking disc:

• is displayed on the dashboard in a clear and visible position from outside the windscreen; and
• is set to show, as accurately as possible, the time at which the vehicle was left parked.

A person who parks and leaves a passenger transport vehicle unattended without clearly displaying the authorised parking disc, or with an incorrect parking time indicated on the disc, is liable on conviction to a fine of not less than €500.

Garaging and Parking Contraventions

Separate penalties apply for breaches of the garaging and parking requirements. These contraventions are associated with the vehicle registration number and are payable by the Operator Licence holder associated with the defaulting vehicle.

The applicable penalties, based on the number of breaches during the relevant period, are:

For the purpose of calculating these contraventions, the number of breaches is reset at the start of every calendar year.

Enforcement

The requirements may be enforced by authorised Transport Malta officials, Local Enforcement System Agency (LESA) officials and Police officers.

Operators and drivers should ensure that they are familiar with the new requirements and that vehicles are garaged or parked in accordance with the Regulations and that the authorised Transport Malta parking disc is correctly displayed and used whenever required.

Page last updated: 29/07/2026