Vehicle circulation permit renewals for 2026 begin on 7 January and must be completed by midnight on 11 March, the Road Transport Department (RTD) announced on Thursday.
Permits can be renewed for periods of three, six, nine or twelve months. After the deadline, a penalty of €10 plus 10% of the owed fee will be imposed. Renewal requires a roadworthiness certificate and valid insurance.
The RTD called on citizens to proceed in a timely manner, noting that no individual notices will be sent to vehicle owners. The payment system has been upgraded for increased control of permit issuance based on payments made.
The department advised citizens not to wait until the last days to avoid possible system overload that could cause inconvenience.
The renewal process is completed with the appearance of the “Print Circulation Permit” screen, which shows within a circular frame the month and year of permit expiry and the vehicle registration number. If the process does not reach this screen and an interruption occurs for any reason, the process is considered incomplete and must be repeated.
Vehicle owners who renewed their permits for 2025 but do not intend to renew for 2026 must submit an immobilisation notice to the RTD. Immobilisation can be declared online at the RTD website. If immobilisation is not declared, the obligation to pay the circulation fee continues.
Vehicles without renewed 2025 permits that have not been declared immobilised will be removed from the RTD register, unless the owed amount for 2025 is paid and the permit renewed for 2026 by midnight on 11 March.
In case of vehicle destruction, an application for cancellation of vehicle registration (form RTD 98A) must be submitted accompanied by a Certificate of Destruction from licensed vehicle waste processing facilities to relieve the owner from circulation fee payment obligations from the date of destruction.
Permits can be renewed online throughout the year. Exemptions apply to embassy vehicles, private buses of large families, quarry vehicles, vintage vehicles with special permits paying €25, UN vehicles and vehicles belonging to other organisations with exemption code 04 without department system access codes. Owners of exempt vehicles must go to RTD District Offices for fee payment.
People can also visit RTD District Offices and the Citizens’ Information Office for permit renewal assistance.
Vehicle owners are reminded to update contact details registered in the RTD register to receive information such as recall notifications about their vehicles.