How to Apply for a Malta Work Visa: Permits, Documents & Fees

A Malta work visa for a non-EU national is really two documents working together: a Single Permit issued by Identità that combines work and residence authorization, and a long-stay (Type D) national visa that lets you enter the country to collect it. The Single Permit costs €600, takes up to four months to decide, and is usually valid for one year. Your employer drives most of the paperwork, starting with advertising the vacancy and ending with the biometric appointment that finally lets you begin work.

Which Permit Track Fits Your Job

The Standard Single Permit

The Single Permit is the default route for non-EU workers and implements an EU directive transposed into Maltese law under S.L. 217.17.¹ Before Identità will process it, your employer must show that the vacancy was advertised on the Jobsplus portal and the EURES portal for at least three weeks within the two months before submission, proving no suitable local or EU candidate was available.²

Key Employee Initiative

The Key Employee Initiative (KEI) is a fast-track version of the Single Permit for managerial or highly technical roles. It still runs through Identità, but sits in a prioritized queue.³ To qualify you need a job offer paying at least €45,000 gross annually plus certified qualifications or adequate professional experience.⁴ The advertising requirement is lighter too: two weeks on a local media platform instead of three weeks on Jobsplus and EURES.²

EU Blue Card

The Blue Card is aimed at professionals with advanced qualifications. Its salary threshold is 1.5 times Malta’s average gross annual salary as published by the National Statistics Office.⁵ For 2024 the average was €23,304, putting the Blue Card minimum at roughly €34,956.⁶ The figure is updated annually, so check the NSO Labour Force Survey before applying. A Blue Card also offers portability to other EU states after 12 months, which the standard Single Permit does not.

The Long-Stay Visa You Need Before You Fly

If you plan to stay in Malta longer than 90 days, you need a long-stay (Type D) national visa before traveling to the Schengen area, regardless of nationality.⁷ The sequence matters. Your employer files the Single Permit application first. Once Identità issues an Approval in Principle letter, you use that letter to apply for the D visa through Malta’s Central Visa Unit.

If your country has no Maltese diplomatic mission, a premium visa process lets you submit documents online and courier your passport. The visa fee is €300 and processing takes roughly six to eight weeks.⁷ That timeline sits on top of the Single Permit processing time, so build both into any start date you agree with your employer.

Documents You and Your Employer Must Produce

Identità publishes a detailed checklist and a single missing item can delay everything. The core documents are:

Passport valid for at least eight more months from the application date, submitted as a full PDF including blank pages.
Employment contract signed by both parties, with the job title matching exactly across every document.
Position description on the Jobsplus template, signed by both parties.
Declaration of suitability, completed and signed by the employer.
Proof that the role was advertised for the required period.
Curriculum vitae in Europass format, signed by the applicant.
Certified qualifications with a recognition statement from MQRIC.
Health insurance with at least €100,000 in coverage, including outpatient and hospitalization treatment in Malta and other EU countries where necessary, valid for the entire stay.
Health screening certificate issued by Malta’s health authorities.
Original accommodation lease with original signatures from landlord and tenant.

Travel insurance does not satisfy the health insurance requirement. It must be a dedicated policy at the €100,000 coverage level. If you are bringing dependents, their coverage must be included or provided separately.

Getting Your Qualifications Recognized Through MQRIC

All foreign qualifications must be recognized by the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC), which maps your degree to the Malta Qualifications Framework. Before applying, check MFHEA’s online list of already accredited courses. If your qualification appears there, no separate recognition is needed.⁸ If it doesn’t, submit through MQRIC’s online portal (walk-in and email submissions are no longer accepted). A fast-track option exists but is subject to capacity.

If MQRIC recognition is still pending when the Single Permit is filed, the MQRIC receipt can be attached as a placeholder.² Even so, starting the process early is worth it. Recognition delays are one of the more common reasons applications stall.

Fees, Filing, and Processing Time

Your employer submits the application through Identità’s online Expatriates Portal or at the Msida head office. The first-time Single Permit application fee is €600.¹ Renewals cost €150 per year.⁹ A later Change of Employer application is another €600.¹⁰

Identità can take up to four months to decide, consistent with the timelines set in the Single Permit Regulations.¹ KEI applications move faster because they are prioritized, though Identità does not publish a guaranteed KEI timeline.

When You Can Actually Start Working

This is where applicants often get caught out. After filing, Identità may issue an Approval in Principle letter. That letter does not authorize employment. You cannot legally start work until after your biometric appointment (fingerprints and photograph), at which point Identità issues an Interim Receipt and a Temporary Authorisation to Work.⁹ Working before that temporary authorization is issued puts both you and your employer in violation of the Immigration Act.

After the full review is complete, a formal approval letter arrives at your registered address or email. The final step is collecting your e-Residence card from Identità, which then acts as your official identity document in Malta for the life of the permit.

Validity, Renewals, and Switching Jobs

Most Single Permits run for one year, though some qualify for two or three.¹ The permit is tied to a specific employer and job title, and if either changes you cannot keep working on the old permit.¹¹ File renewals up to 90 days before expiry. Letting the permit lapse creates an irregular migration status and complicates future applications.

If you find a new job, the new employer can file a Change of Employer application through the Expatriates Portal while you are still working for the current one. If you have already been terminated, the new employer has 60 days from your termination date to file. After 60 days your status is irregular, and any new application must meet full initial eligibility from scratch.¹⁰ The clock starts immediately, so line up a next role before leaving if you can.

If Your Application Is Refused

You have 15 days from receipt of a refusal to appeal to the Immigration Appeals Board. The appeal must go by registered mail and also be emailed to the Board’s official addresses. All communication has to be in English, and supporting documents must be certified as true copies by a lawyer or notary.¹² Fifteen days is short, especially if you need to retain Maltese counsel or gather fresh evidence. If your file has a known weakness — a borderline salary, MQRIC recognition still pending, or a thin advertising history — assemble the backup documentation before a refusal arrives, not after.

Bringing Family

Family reunification is not immediate. You can apply to bring immediate family only after residing legally and continuously in Malta for at least two years.¹³ The formal route under S.L. 217.06 covers spouses, registered partners, and minor children, and lets them take up paid employment or self-employment under conditions tied to your status. Family members admitted under a separate discretionary policy, for those who don’t meet the S.L. 217.06 criteria, do not get automatic work rights and would need their own Single Permit to work.¹⁴

1
Identità. Working and Residing in Malta
2
Identità. Expatriates Unit Single Permit – Documents Required
3
Identità. Expatriates Unit Non-EU Nationals – Key Employee Initiative
4
Identità. Expatriates Unit Key Employee Initiative – Who is Eligible
5
Identità. Expatriates Unit Highly Qualified Individuals – Blue Card
6
European Commission. EU Blue Card in Malta
7
Identità. Central Visa Unit National Visa – Long-Stay Visa
8
Malta Further and Higher Education Authority. Academic Qualifications
9
Identità. Expatriates Unit Single Permit – Single Permit Application
10
Identità. Expatriates Unit Change of Designation or Employer – Change of Employer
11
Identità. Expatriates Unit Non-EU Nationals – Employment Related Permits
12
European Commission. International Service Provider in Malta
13
Identità. Expatriates – Non-EU Employment – Family Member
14
European Commission. Family Member in Malta