Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545873
8 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 17 JULY 2026 CULTURE New on-the-spot fines. Here's what you need to know If you're in Gozo this summer, there's a new rule worth knowing about before you land. Police and local wardens can now issue on-the-spot fines to tourists and other non-residents caught breaking minor laws, and unlike before, these fines have to be paid there and then, not ignored and forgotten about once you're back home THE change follows years of unpaid fines racking up against visitors who simply left the is- land before anyone could chase them for payment. Now, the system's been tightened, and it's already been put to use: the first fine under the new rules, €150, was handed to a tourist this week. They were caught dumping rubbish in St Julian's in the early hours of the morn- ing. Here's all you need to know for anyone planning a trip to the islands. Who does this actually apply to? The rule targets what the law calls "non-habitual residents", essentially, anyone in Malta who isn't a citizen and doesn't hold a residence document. In plain English: tourists, short- term visitors, anyone passing through without official resi- dency. If that's you on holiday, this applies. What kind of behaviour could land you a fine? These are contraventions rath- er than criminal offences, so nothing that gets you arrested and hauled to court, but the kind of thing local wardens and police can fine on the spot. Think: • Littering • Being visibly drunk to the point you can't look after yourself. • Running recklessly into a street • Smoking near a playground or in an enclosed public space • Throwing stones towards someone, even without hit- ting or hurting them • Chucking rubbish or dirt at someone's front door or wall • Malta has been dealing with a fair bit of rowdy tourist be- haviour in spots like Pace- ville, Sliema and Swieqi, and this is very much aimed at reining that in. How much will it cost you? It varies by offence, and the law sets out a range for each one. Where there's a range, police ap- ply the lower end of it. The St Ju- lian's littering fine landed at €150, so that gives you a rough sense of the scale for something like fly-tip- ping or dumping waste. Can you just pay in cash and be done with it? No, and this trips up a lot of peo- ple. Cash payments aren't accept- ed under the new rules. Everything has to be paid for electronically, so make sure you've got a card on you (or your phone set up for contact- less) if you're out and about. What if you think the fines are unfair? You're entitled to challenge it. Anyone who has been issued a fine can file a petition and take the matter to a local tribunal. Handi- ly, paying the fine doesn't mean you're admitting guilt. Under this system, the payment is treated as a deposit rather than an outright penalty, so you can pay up on the spot and still contest it af- terwards. If your appeal suc- ceeds, you'd expect to get the deposit back; if it doesn't, it simply converts to the fine. What happens if you refuse to pay? This is where it gets serious. If you don't pay and don't have a passport or ID with you, the police have the authority to hold onto your travel documents un- til the matter's settled, specifi- cally to make sure you turn up for your tribunal hearing. Refuse to hand them over, and you can be arrested. Claim you left them back at your hotel or apartment, and the police can get a warrant to go and check. Persistently dodge payment, and the author- ities can even restrict you from re-entering Malta in future. Wardens (LESA officers) don't have arrest powers themselves, so if things escalate, they'll sim- ply call in the police. The bottom line for tourists None of this should worry anyone planning a normal, re- laxed holiday in Malta, swim- ming, exploring Valletta, eating your body weight in pastizzi. It's aimed squarely at the small minority causing trouble in the nightlife areas and treating the streets like a bin. But it's worth knowing the ba- sics: carry a card for payments, don't leave litter or cigarette butts lying around near play- grounds, and if you do somehow end up on the wrong side of a warden, know that you can pay and still appeal, and that ignor- ing the fine entirely is no longer an option the way it might once have been. Malta remains one of the friendliest, most laid-back des- tinations in the Mediterranean, this is just the island tidying up its edges a little and making it a better place for all. Malta remains one of the friendliest, most laid-back destinations in the Mediterranean, this is just the island tidying up its edges a little and making it a better place for all