Identità and Jobsplus rules

Malta work permit check: do you need a single permit?

EU, EEA and Swiss nationals need no permit. Third-country nationals almost always do, and the employer applies, not the worker. The authorisation depends on your nationality, your status, who employs you and for how long.

Question 1

What passport do you hold?

Nationality decides whether a work authorisation is needed at all, before anything else is considered.

Malta work authorisation routes: who applies, what it costs, how long

Last updated 2026-11-02

Every route Identità and Jobsplus publish for working in Malta, with the fee and the processing time each authority states. The applicant is never the person who applies for a single permit: the employer is.

Malta work authorisation routes: who applies, what it costs, how long
Route	Who it fits	Who applies	Fee	Stated processing time
Single permit, standard	Third-country national with a job offer from a Malta-registered employer, six months or more	The employer, through the Single Permit Online Portal	€600 first time, €150 a year on renewal	Up to 4 months under S.L. 217.17; Identità says the average is nearer 2 months
Key Employee Initiative	Managerial or highly technical post, gross salary at least €45,000	The employer	€600 first time, €150 a year on renewal	5 working days
Specialist Employee Initiative	Gross salary at least €30,000 with MQF 6, or a lower qualification plus 3 years' experience	The employer	€600	15 working days
EU Blue Card	Higher professional qualifications, contract of at least six months, salary at 1.5 times the Maltese average gross annual salary	The employer, through the Single Permit platform	€600 first time, €150 a year for up to three years	Not published by Identità
Employment under six months	Short engagements and seasonal work	Jobsplus licence first, then an Identità application	€50 for the Identità permit	Not published; the permit is not renewable
Jobsplus employment licence	Protection beneficiaries, asylum applicants, students, secondary part-time work, service providers	The individual for protection cases; otherwise the employer	Not published on the pages cited	Not published; asylum cases need Police Immigration Office clearance
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals	Anyone with an EU, EEA or Swiss passport	No permit. Register with Identità if staying over three months	eResidence document free; €16.50 damaged, €22 lost	Not applicable
Pre-Departure Course	All first-time single permit applicants, from January 2026	The applicant, through the Skills Pass portal	€250	Up to 42 days to complete Part 1, then a 20 minute online interview

A Maltese single permit costs €600 first time and €150 a year to renew, and the employer applies for it: third-country nationals cannot submit their own application, except for live-in carers, who may apply directly if the employer endorses it.
Malta's Key Employee Initiative is processed in five working days for managerial or highly technical posts paying at least €45,000 a year, against up to four months for a standard single permit.
Since January 2026 every first-time single permit applicant must complete a mandatory Pre-Departure Course costing €250, and Identità began verifying the certificates on 1 March 2026.

How this was compiled, and how to cite it

Compiled from Identità's Expatriates Unit pages and Jobsplus's employer guidance, read at source on 15 August 2026. Salary thresholds are Identità's published figures, because Identità issues the permit. Jobsplus's own page quotes lower figures for the two fast tracks (€35,000 for the Key Employee Initiative and €25,000 for the Specialist Employee Initiative); where the two Maltese authorities disagree we publish the issuing authority's number and flag the discrepancy rather than average them. Processing times are the authorities' own statements, not observed averages.

Cite this page

“Malta work authorisation routes: who applies, what it costs, how long”, Malta Work Permit Checker, https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/ (updated 2026-11-02). Compiled from Identità's Expatriates Unit pages and Jobsplus's employer guidance, read at source on 15 August 2026. Salary thresholds are Identità's published figures, because Identità issues the permit. Jobsplus's own page quotes lower figures for the two fast tracks (€35,000 for the Key Employee Initiative and €25,000 for the Specialist Employee Initiative); where the two Maltese authorities disagree we publish the issuing authority's number and flag the discrepancy rather than average them. Processing times are the authorities' own statements, not observed averages.

Scope of this checker

The 6 things it checks

Single permit under Subsidiary Legislation 217.17, the combined residence and work permit
Key Employee Initiative and Specialist Employee Initiative fast tracks
EU Blue Card for higher professional qualifications
Jobsplus employment licences for protection beneficiaries, students and short engagements
EU, EEA and Swiss free movement, and UK nationals under the Withdrawal Agreement
Posted workers assigned to Malta from another EU or EEA state

Malta Work Permit Checker is an information site. It is not affiliated with Identità, Jobsplus, the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations or the Government of Malta, and nothing here is immigration or legal advice. Rules, fees and thresholds are quoted from the authorities' own pages on the updated date above and change without notice; confirm the current position with Identità or Jobsplus before making a hiring or relocation decision.

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Frequently asked

Do EU citizens need a work permit for Malta?

No. Identità states that EU nationals do not need a permit to reside and work in Malta. If they intend to reside or work there for more than three months they must register with Identità, which issues an eResidence document free of charge.

Who applies for a Malta work permit, the employer or the employee?

The employer. Identità states third-country nationals cannot submit a single permit application themselves. The prospective employer, registered with Jobsplus, applies online for them through the Single Permit Online Portal. Live-in carers may apply directly if the employer endorses the application.

How long does a Malta work permit take?

Subsidiary Legislation 217.17 allows four months for a single permit application, and Identità says the average is closer to two months for a complete application. The Key Employee Initiative is stated at five working days and the Specialist Employee Initiative at fifteen working days.

Can I work in Malta for less than six months without a single permit?

Yes, on a different route. Employed under six months, a third-country national may apply for a residence permit with a valid Jobsplus employment licence for that period, at a €50 Identità fee. That permit is not renewable; six months or more requires a single permit.

Do UK nationals need a work permit for Malta?

It depends on when they arrived. UK nationals living in Malta before 1 January 2021 who hold a residence card citing the Withdrawal Agreement do not require an employment licence. UK nationals who arrived on or after that date are treated as third-country nationals.

What is the mandatory pre-departure course for Malta work permits?

From January 2026, every first-time single permit applicant must complete a Pre-Departure Course on living and working in Malta and workplace rights and obligations. It ends in a 20 minute online interview. It costs €250, allows up to 42 days for the first part, and Identità began verifying certificates on 1 March 2026.

Go deeper

Sourced, dated, kept current.

Malta single permit application fee and process
Malta single permit application fee: €600 first time, €150 a year to renew, filed by the employer, four month legal limit, plus the €250 pre-departure course.
KEI Malta: the Key Employee Initiative and the SEI compared
Malta's two single permit fast tracks: KEI at €45,000 salary in five working days, SEI at €30,000 in fifteen. Eligibility, fees, and a salary discrepancy to watch.
Employing a third-country national in Malta: the employer's obligations
Malta employer duties: the labour market test, the four working day Jobsplus engagement and termination forms, and why work cannot start before the permit issues.
Change of employer Malta: the new application and the 60 day rule
Change of employer in Malta: a new job voids the permit, the new employer files a €600 Change of Employer application, and a 60 day window applies.

Sources

This site's own datasets, every figure quoted from its source and dated:

The Malta Permit Cost Stack carries 8 published figures read from 4 sources' own pages, from 5.74 to 600 EUR, read 7 November 2026.
The median published figure in the Malta Permit Processing Times is 58 percent across 9 figures from 2 sources' own pages (range 11.20 to 97 percent), read 11 November 2026.
The Malta Work Permit Routes carries 18 published figures read from 9 sources' own pages, from 27.50 to 50,000 EUR, read 7 November 2026.

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