Malta work visa (Single Permit)

You need a job offer from a company that is registered and operating in Malta and registered with Jobsplus, the public employment service. Identità only processes applications when the worker is either still in their country of residence (a "still abroad" application) or legally in Malta on a valid visa or residence permit. If it turns out during processing that you do not meet S.L. 217.17, the file is refused and the fee is kept. Beneficiaries of international protection and people awaiting such a decision cannot use the Single Permit route.

Every file goes through due diligence by Identità, Jobsplus and the Police, and the decision depends on all three. Workers in tourism and hospitality must also hold a Skills Pass from the Institute of Tourism Studies.

Identità’s guidelines list a passport valid for at least eight more months with a PDF copy of every page, a signed Europass CV, health insurance with at least €100,000 cover for outpatient and hospital care in Malta and Europe for the whole stay, a health screening certificate where public health rules require one, and the employment contract signed by both sides with the same job title used everywhere. The employer adds the Jobsplus Declaration of Suitability, a position description signed by both parties and the proof of advertisement.

Qualifications must be recognised by MQRIC (the receipt is accepted while recognition is pending). Accommodation is proved with an original lease signed by landlord and tenant, a Declaration by Landlord, the Lease Agreement Attestation Form stamped by a lawyer or notary and the Housing Authority registration letter; hotel stays use a Keeper’s Declaration.

Since January 2026 every first-time Single Permit applicant needs a Pre-Departure Course certificate, and Identità has been checking it as part of the permit process since 1 March 2026. Part 1 consists of two online modules, Living and Working in Malta and Rights and Obligations in the Workplace, of 10 to 12 hours each, followed by a 20-minute live online interview that tests English and course knowledge at ITS Malta or an authorised Global Assessment Centre. You have up to 42 days to finish Part 1, and the fee is €250, paid through the Skills Pass portal. Tourism and hospitality roles also need Part 2, the sector Skills Pass.

The permit itself costs €600 the first time and €150 for each year of renewal. Fees are not refunded when an application is refused, withdrawn, revoked or found inadmissible.

The employer registers for the Single Permit Online Portal, waits for Identità to approve its access and then submits the application. You receive a link by e-mail to confirm the data; after your confirmation the employer makes the final submission, which is only possible once the €600 fee is paid online by either side. Before applying, the employer must advertise the vacancy with Jobsplus and on the EURES portal for at least three weeks within the two months before submission.

For a still-abroad application Identità issues an Approval in Principle letter. Workers who need a visa take that letter, which must still be valid, to the Maltese mission or visa application centre responsible for your place of residence and apply for a long-stay employment D visa. After arrival you book a biometrics appointment in Msida and receive the residence card.

Subsidiary Legislation 217.17 gives Identità four months, but the average is closer to two months from the date a complete file is submitted. Employers and workers can follow the real-time status on the portal dashboard. A D visa, where needed, comes on top; for applications through a visa centre the Central Visa Unit typically needs about four weeks.

Single Permits are generally renewed every year through the same online procedure, for €150. Start about 90 days before expiry, or 30 days before if you need a renewal health screening, and always while the permit is still valid: a late renewal leaves you in irregular status under the Immigration Act. A change of employer or job title makes the permit void regardless of its printed expiry date, so a new application is needed. If employment ends, the employer must notify Jobsplus with a termination form and inform Identità within four days, and the permit stops being valid.

Most Single Permit holders bring family under Identità’s family members policy: the sponsor can apply 12 months after the first permit was issued, with disposable income above the median wage of €18,940 plus 20% for each family member and €100,000 health insurance per person. Family members do not get automatic access to work. After five years of continuous legal residence you can apply for long-term resident status.

A refused Single Permit fee is not returned. If the D visa is refused after an Approval in Principle, an appeal can be lodged with the Immigration Appeals Board within 15 days of the final decision.