Malta family reunification visa

S.L. 217.06, which transposes Directive 2003/86/EC, gives a right to family reunification when the sponsor holds a residence permit valid for at least one year and has reasonable prospects of obtaining permanent residence, with resources at least equal to the average wage plus 20% per family member. Identità says most migrant workers do not have such prospects and must prove them if they claim to.

For everyone else Identità offers, on an ex gratia basis, the family members policy (version 5.3, updated 4 April 2025). It does not apply to EU citizens and their families, beneficiaries of international protection or applicants for it, or residents whose permits will not be extended beyond one year.

Under the policy the sponsor must hold a residence permit valid for at least one year and may apply only 12 calendar months after the first permit was issued; earlier applications are inadmissible. KEI and SEI holders can ask for this year to be waived if they earn at least €50,000 gross (sponsor and one dependant) plus €6,000 for each further dependant. Eligible family members are a spouse aged 21 or over in a monogamous marriage, unmarried children aged 18 or under including legally recognised adopted children, and, after an individual assessment, unmarried adult children who depend on the household.

The request must be made while the family members are outside Malta. If they are already in Malta, it is inadmissible unless they are children born there, and no further stay is authorised.

The policy threshold is the latest median wage published by the National Statistics Office, currently €18,940 (release of 12 June 2024), plus 20% for each family member covered by the application; disposable income after tax and social security must exceed it. Gross basic pay declared to the Commissioner for Revenue counts, as do regular overtime worked for six months or more in a year, pensions, benefits, declared rental income and other listed sources. Show the last six payslips, or six months of other stable income.

The sponsor uploads a written request and the documents on the Non-EU section of the Expatriates portal; Identità communicates its decision within 60 days, and applicants over 12 are vetted by the Police Immigration Office. Under S.L. 217.06 the legal limit is nine months. Once approved, family members who need a visa apply for a long-stay D visa at the Maltese mission or visa application centre responsible for your place of residence, typically with the family reunification certificate issued by Identità, the sponsor’s bank statement, legalised marriage and birth certificates, an invitation letter from the spouse in Malta legalised by a Maltese notary or lawyer, and passport copies. On arrival they go straight to the Expatriates Unit for a residence permit.

Permits under the policy do not give automatic access to work; a family member who wants a job applies for a Single Permit, except dependants studying at ITS, MCAST or the University of Malta who take up apprenticeships or placements. Under S.L. 217.06, family members may face a labour-market test during their first twelve months. Permits are renewed only while the conditions are still met, and documents not apostilled earlier will be requested at renewal.

Identità gives written reasons when a request is refused. Under S.L. 217.06 the sponsor and family can appeal to the Immigration Appeals Board, and an application not decided within nine months passes automatically to the Board. A refused D visa can be appealed to the same Board within 15 days of the final decision.