EU Blue Card in Malta

You need a work contract or binding job offer of at least six months for a job requiring higher professional qualifications, with a salary of at least 1.5 times the average gross annual salary in Malta. Identità does not print the figure itself: it refers to the average wage published by the National Statistics Office in its Labour Force Survey, so check the latest release before signing.

Higher professional qualifications mean a post-secondary programme of at least three years at a recognised institution, with foreign degrees recognised in Malta. Malta also accepts at least ten years of professional experience in the sector of the contract instead of the degree. You also need a valid travel document and health insurance for yourself and any relatives joining you.

The first Blue Card costs €600 and each renewal €150 per year of validity, up to three years. A first card is valid for two years under Directive (EU) 2021/1883; if the contract is shorter, it is issued for the contract plus three months. On renewal you can opt for a three-year card if all documents, including the passport, cover that period.

Blue Card applications are online only. The employer requests access to the Single Permit platform and, once approved, submits the file. The employer must show proof of one job advert on an appropriate local media platform for at least two weeks within the two months before applying. Renewals and changes of address, passport or entry visa must be filed before the relevant document expires; late applications are not accepted. If you need a visa, you apply for the D visa once the approval is issued.

Regulation 14 of S.L. 217.27 sets derogations from the ordinary family reunification rules so that the family of a Blue Card holder can join in Malta. Family members still need valid passports and health insurance, and those who need a visa apply for a D visa once their reunification is approved.

Identità can refuse when the conditions are not met, information is false or the applicant is a public-safety risk. It may also refuse when the home country lacks qualified professionals in the field, when the employer has employed irregular migrants, or when a Maltese, EU or legally resident non-EU worker can fill the vacancy.

Blue Card holders enjoy equal treatment with Maltese nationals for the socio-economic rights listed in regulation 13 of S.L. 217.27, can move to another member state under the directive’s mobility rules, and their residence counts towards EU long-term resident status. A change of employer is notified to Identità by e-mail with the EU Blue Card Change of Employment Notification Form; during the first 12 months the right to change may be suspended for up to 30 days while Identità and Jobsplus check the conditions.

If you lose your job you have three months to find a new one; after that the card is withdrawn and you must leave. Overstaying the card makes your stay illegal.