# Malta Work Permit Checker

> Malta work permit check: EU nationals need none, third-country nationals need a single permit (€600, employer applies), with fast tracks at €45,000 and €30,000.

## Key facts

- 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.

## Key pages

- [Malta work permit check: do you need a single permit?](https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/): the main tool, answer above the fold.
- [Malta single permit: cost, process and the 2026 pre-departure course](https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/malta-single-permit-cost-and-process/): 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](https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/malta-key-employee-initiative/): 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](https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/malta-employer-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.
- [Malta work authorisation routes: who applies, what it costs, how long](https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/#data): original data table, updated 2026-08-15.
- [Full site content as markdown](https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/llms-full.txt)

## Data

- Malta work authorisation routes: who applies, what it costs, how long. Methodology: 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.
- Last updated: 2026-08-15. Every figure cites its source inline.
- Source: Identità, single permit: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/single-permit/
- Source: Identità, applying for a single permit and fees: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/single-permit/single-permit-application/
- Source: Identità, single permit eligibility: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/single-permit/who-is-eligible/
- Source: Identità, pre-departure course for first-time applicants: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/single-permit/expatriates-unit-single-permit-pre-departure-course/
- Source: Identità, Key Employee Initiative eligibility: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/highly-qualified-individuals/key-employee-initiative/who-is-eligible/
- Source: Identità, Specialist Employee Initiative eligibility: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/highly-qualified-individuals/specialist-employee-initiative/who-is-eligible/
- Source: Identità, EU Blue Card: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/highly-qualified-individuals/blue-card/
- Source: Identità, employment under six months: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/employment-under-six-months/
- Source: Identità, termination obligations: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/termination/
- Source: Identità, change of designation or employer: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/change-of-designation-or-employer/
- Source: Identità, EU nationals and eResidence: https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/eu-nationals/
- Source: Jobsplus, employing non-EU nationals: https://jobsplus.gov.mt/find-candidates/non-eu-nationals-tcns
- Source: Jobsplus, engagement and termination forms: https://jobsplus.gov.mt/knowledge-base-employer/employment-forms
- Source: Residency Malta Agency, Nomad Residence Permit eligibility: https://nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt/nomad-eligibility/

## Citation

Cite as: "Malta work authorisation routes: who applies, what it costs, how long", Malta Work Permit Checker, https://maltaworkpermitchecker.com/ (updated 2026-08-15).

## About

- 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.
- Operated by maltaworkpermitchecker.com. Contact: enquiries@maltaworkpermitchecker.com