Identità and Jobsplus rules
Malta work permit check: do you need a single permit?
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals do not need one at all. Third-country nationals almost always do, and the permit is applied for by the employer, not by the worker. Which authorisation applies depends on your nationality, your status, who employs you and for how long. Answer a few questions to see which route is yours.
Question 1
What passport do you hold?
Nationality decides whether a work authorisation is needed at all, before anything else is considered.
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Malta work authorisation routes: who applies, what it costs, how long
Last updated
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.
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.
| 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.
Cite this page
“Malta work authorisation routes: who applies, what it costs, how long”, Malta Work Permit Checker, https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/ (updated 2026-08-15). 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
- 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 independent information site operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. 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.
Need a Malta work permit handled properly?
Tell us the role and the nationality, and we will introduce you to an immigration adviser or employment consultant who files these applications in Malta.
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 that third-country nationals cannot directly submit a single permit application; the prospective employer applies online on their behalf through the Single Permit Online Portal, and the employer must be registered with Jobsplus. 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. A third-country national employed for less than six months may apply for a residence permit on presentation of a valid Jobsplus employment licence for that period, at a €50 Identità fee. That permit is not renewable, and 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 all third-country nationals applying for a single permit for the first time must complete a Pre-Departure Course covering living and working in Malta and rights and obligations in the workplace, ending 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: cost, process and the 2026 pre-departure course
What a Maltese single permit costs and how it works: €600 first time, €150 a year to renew, employer applies, four month legal limit, plus the €250 pre-departure course.
- Key Employee Initiative and Specialist Employee Initiative 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.
Sources
- Identità, single permit
- Identità, applying for a single permit and fees
- Identità, single permit eligibility
- Identità, pre-departure course for first-time applicants
- Identità, Key Employee Initiative eligibility
- Identità, Specialist Employee Initiative eligibility
- Identità, EU Blue Card
- Identità, employment under six months
- Identità, termination obligations
- Identità, change of designation or employer
- Identità, EU nationals and eResidence
- Jobsplus, employing non-EU nationals
- Jobsplus, engagement and termination forms
- Residency Malta Agency, Nomad Residence Permit eligibility
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