The change follows years of unpaid fines racking up against visitors who simply left the island 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 morning.

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 residency. If that’s you on holiday, this applies.

What kind of behaviour could land you a fine?

These are contraventions rather 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 hitting 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 behaviour in spots like Paceville, 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 apply the lower end of it. The St Julian’s littering fine landed at €150, so that gives you a rough sense of the scale for something like fly-tipping or dumping waste.

Can you just pay in cash and be done with it?

No, and this trips up a lot of people. Cash payments aren’t accepted 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 contactless) 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. Handily, 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 afterwards. If your appeal succeeds, 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 until the matter’s settled, specifically 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 authorities 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 simply call in the police.

The bottom line for tourists

None of this should worry anyone planning a normal, relaxed holiday in Malta, swimming, 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 basics: carry a card for payments, don’t leave litter or cigarette butts lying around near playgrounds, and if you do somehow end up on the wrong side of a warden, know that you can pay and still appeal, and that ignoring the fine entirely is no longer an option the way it might once have been.

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.