WORK PERMIT

The island nation of Malta is a popular destination for expatriates as well as international businesses. If your company is planning to expand operations to Malta, you’ll probably want to relocate a talented group of existing employees and hire some new team members abroad. While working in Malta certainly comes with its advantages, you’ll need to ensure that any foreign employees you hire have the appropriate visas and permits to do so legally.

If you’re not sure how to get a work visa in Malta, you run the risk of operational delays and even fees if your company is noncompliant with the local laws and regulations.

Types of Work Visas in Malta

Malta offers a variety of visas for foreign nationals, including tourist visas, business visas, and visas for medical purposes. Foreign nationals who intend to travel to Malta to work have a few options when it comes to visas:

• Short-Stay Visa, or C Visa: The short-stay visa is a type of Schengen visa, which means it allows foreign nationals to enter multiple countries within the Schengen area. This visa is available in three forms to accommodate single entries, double entries, and multiple entries. The C visa allows the holder to remain in Malta for up to three months regardless of how many entries are allowed.
• National Long-Stay Visa, or D Visa: The D visa allows foreign nationals to stay in Malta for more than three months. This is the visa foreign employees will need to live and work in Malta for an extended period of time. Individuals who are traveling to Malta to study will need a D visa as well.

In addition to a long-stay visa, foreign employees will need a work permit. In Malta, this permit is known as an employment license.

VISIT VISA

If you are planning to visit Malta on a tourist visa, then you must know the visa requirements. Residents of EU/EEA nations do not require a visa to travel to Malta. They must register with the local authorities if their stay extends for more than 90 days.

If you are not an EU/EEA resident, you will need a short-term visa to visit Malta which is valid for 90 days. This short-term visa is also known as the Schengen visa. As you may be aware the Schengen visa is valid in all the European countries which are part of the Schengen agreement. Malta is one of the countries under the Schengen agreement.

With a Schengen visa you can travel to and stay in Malta and all the other 26 Schengen countries.

STUDENT VISA

For longer courses, it is necessary to enter the country with a confirmation of enrolment with a maximum duration of 90 days for the tourist visa to be issued at the entrance of the country. Once the course has started, the student needs to apply for a visa extension, in other words, the exchange for the LONG STAY “D” student visa, which will be issued for a maximum stay of 365 days. This visa can only be requested in Malta in case there is no Malta Consulate in the student country.

The student visa for Malta is valid for courses lasting more than 3 months. However, it is necessary to request the same within Malta. It is important to know that the student must study 15 hours per week or more

International students can study and work in Malta if the course takes more than 90 days. English students in Malta are allowed to work from the 13th week

With the extended visa approved in Malta, the student can get a job and thus apply for a work permit. The student is allowed to work 20 hours a week legally. The minimum wage is approximately EUR4.60 per hour.

To apply for a visa extension, the student must attend the Central Visa Unit personally, which is Malta’s visa centre. It is recommended that the student request the extension of the course in the first 2 weeks after arriving in the country.

Payment of the application fee for this visa in the amount of 66.00 Euros (It might change). This fee must be paid in cash.

It is very important to bring all the documents mentioned below, which must be presented at the chosen school office in the first two weeks, in order to start the visa application process.

The following documents must be submitted:

• Filling out the visa application form;
• Two passport size photos;
• Original passport. This must have the validity of the course that will be studied in the next three months;
• Copy of passport pages;
• Letter of acceptance from the Malta school. The letter must show the amounts paid and detail the course you are taking in Malta for more than 3 months;
• Financial proof to stay in Malta. You must prove that the student has enough money for the full period of the stay. The amount to be shown must correspond to 75% of Malta’s minimum wage for each month of stay. Regarding the costs, this corresponds to 18 Euros per day, if the student has already paid the total period of accommodation, according to the period of the course. Just multiply this daily value times 30 days and then times the months of study in Malta. If the student has not paid the full accommodation period, 30.00 Euros per day must be shown. It is possible to prove this amount through a bank statement from an international account. The statement must show the student’s name and must accompany a debit card that can be used in Malta.
• Proof of accommodation in Malta.
• Health insurance within the rules of the Schengen treaty valid for the period of the course in Malta (minimum coverage of 30,000 euros).
• Return airfare corresponding to the end of the course;
• Payment of the visa application fee

Documents must be in English. The time taken to analyses the visa application is about 4 weeks. During this process the student cannot leave Malta.

The school will deliver the missing documents and review all documents required to process the application.