Driving Licence Surrender Scheme

The information included in this page is meant to provide information about this incentive scheme.

The Scheme

This scheme applies to persons residing in Malta whose age at the date of application is not more than 30 years and who wish to surrender their Driving Licence for all the Vehicle Categories for a full period of 5 years. The scheme shall come into force in January 2026.

The scheme aims to reduce the number of persons holding and using a driving licence and, consequently, the number of vehicles circulating in the Maltese roads.

The scheme is on a first come, first served basis, subject to a total budget of €5 million.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this grant, an applicant must be:

• not older than 30 years at the date of application; and
• a resident in Malta for at least 7 years at the date of application; and

To qualify for the grant, the applicant shall possess a Category B driving licence for at least 12 months prior to the date of application:

• which was never revoked;
• which is not revoked or suspended at the date of application; and
• for which the relevant fees stipulated in the Driving Licence Regulations have been duly paid since issuance.

Moreover, applicants shall not possess a driving licence from any non-EU country.

Persons who, at the time of application, carry out any of the roles listed below shall not be eligible for the grant under this scheme, even if they comply with the criteria stipulated above:

• Persons with a chauffeur driven car entitlement, including political office holders and their spouses or partners;
• Public Officials including diplomats working in foreign missions such as embassies or representations and their spouses or partners;
• Individuals whose job requires to have a valid driving licence in their possession.

The Incentive

Applicants who qualify for this incentive shall receive a total grant of €25,000 in 5 instalments of €5,000 each according to the following schedule:

Terms and Conditions

Applicants for this incentive shall make a wilful commitment:

• to return their driving licence to Transport Malta; and
• to commit not to request the issuance of a new driving licence for a period of five (5) years after the date of surrender.

Moreover, applicants shall also be aware that:

• during the 5-year period, they will not be entitled to drive any vehicle neither in Malta nor in any other country; and
• at the end of the 5-year period, they may request the issuance of a new driving licence subject to the attendance of 15 hours of driving tuition at a licensed motoring school; and
• any permits and identification tags they hold to drive a taxi and/or a light passenger transport vehicle and/or a passenger transport vehicle and/or any other vehicle for which a driver’s permit is required shall be automatically revoked. They would need to apply for new ones at the end of the five-year period if they wish to obtain such permits again subject that they satisfy the requirements for the obtainment of such permits at the time when the new application is made;

If a person to whom a grant was issued under this scheme is found driving a motor vehicle during the period in which that person’s driving licence is suspended, that person shall be subjected to the following provisions:

• All penalties stipulated in the relevant laws applicable to persons who are found guilty of driving without a driving licence; and
• The payment of the remaining grant balance, pro-rata, from the date of the infringement until the data of expiry of the suspension; and
• An administrative penalty of five thousand Euro (€5,000); and
• The initiation of legal proceedings in court against the person concerned, which could result in a suspension of the driving licence in line with the applicable regulations.

Refund of Grant

A person to whom a grant is issued under this scheme may request the Authority to cancel the suspension of the driving licence during the 5-year period only within the 30 days following the anniversaries of the date of approval of the grant. In the case of such requests, that person shall be required to pay the Authority the remaining grant balance before the driving licence can be reinstated, shown below:

However, a person to whom a grant is issued under this scheme may request the review board of the Authority to cancel the suspension of the driving licence and apply an exemption from the above-mentioned penalties in the following cases:

• Health-related reasons related to the applicant and/or immediate family members; and/or
• Work related reasons related to the applicant; and/or
• Other reasons that the review board consider to be justified.

Approval is not automatic and depends on supporting evidence. Requests may be sent as follows:

• By post to Transport Malta’s office Ħal Lija. For address refer here; or
• By email to info.tm@transport.gov.mt.

Applying for this Incentive

 Applications must be submitted by not later than the 30th of June 2026 and shall be accompanied by the supporting documents stipulated in the application form.

The application form shall be available for download from this webpage in January 2026.

Requests for Revision of Authority’s decisions

If you feel that a decision taken by the Authority concerning your application for a grant is incorrect, you can request a revision of this decision by following the procedure explained here.

Processing of Personal Data

This Data Protection Privacy Notice shall apply to all personal data related to these licences.

Page last updated: 18/12/2025