You do not apply for a single permit in Malta on your own. For almost every worker from outside the EU, the employer files the application online with Identità, the government agency that runs the Expatriates Unit. You then confirm the details through a link sent by email, the fee is paid online, and Identità, Jobsplus and the Police check the file. If the outcome is positive, you receive an Approval in Principle letter. You use it to get an entry visa where you need one, and after arrival you book a biometrics appointment in Malta. Once your fingerprints and photo are taken, you receive an interim receipt, which lets you start work, and later you collect your residence card. This guide walks through each stage of the single permit Malta procedure, with the fees Identità publishes.

What a single permit in Malta actually is

The single permit is Malta's combined residence and work permit for third-country nationals (TCNs), meaning people who are not citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. One application produces two authorisations at once: the employment licence, which Jobsplus assesses, and the residence permit, which Identità issues. The legal basis is the Single Permit Regulations, Subsidiary Legislation 217.17, made under the Immigration Act (Chapter 217). They apply the EU Single Permit Directive in Malta.

According to Identità's single permit overview, the permit lets you live and work in Malta for a defined period of more than six months, and it can be renewed. It has clear limits:

• It covers one identified employer only. You may not do paid work for anyone else.
• It covers the specific job (the "designation") stated in the application. Unrelated work is not authorised.
• The work must take place in Malta. The permit does not allow you to be assigned duties abroad, and it gives no right to work elsewhere in the EU.

The employer, the designation and the duration are printed on the residence card. If any of them changes or ends, Identità says the holder must notify the Expatriates Unit and return the card. Failing to do so breaches the Immigration Act. A change of employer or job title needs a new application, even if the card has not yet expired. Our separate guides on changing employers and on losing a job cover these situations in detail.

Other routes exist besides the standard single permit. They include the EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transfers, employment of less than six months, seasonal work and research. The Key Employee Initiative (KEI) and the Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI) are faster tracks through the same single permit procedure, compared near the end of this guide.

Who applies for a single permit: Malta employers or workers?

The application belongs to the employer. Identità's page on applying for a single permit states that only the Maltese organisation engaging the worker can submit it. A third-country national cannot file a single permit application directly. The exception is live-in carers, who may apply directly provided the employer endorses the application. That route has its own forms and a lower fee.

The employer must be a company registered and operating in Malta, and it must be registered with Jobsplus as an employer. It needs a Maltese electronic identity (e-ID) login and must first request access to the single permit portal. Identità approves that access before the employer can submit anything. Identità warns that using someone else's e-ID credentials can lead to prosecution.

You, the worker, must be in one of two positions when the application is made:

• still living in your country of residence outside the Schengen area (a "still abroad" application), or
• legally present in Malta or another Schengen state on a valid visa or a valid residence permit.

Identità states plainly that applying does not regularise an irregular immigration status. People in the Schengen area who hold refugee, subsidiary or temporary humanitarian protection, or who are waiting for a decision on such protection, cannot use the single permit route. If an applicant turns out to be ineligible under the Single Permit Regulations during processing, the application is refused, and the fee is not refunded.

What must happen before the application is filed

Several steps sit outside the portal but must be completed first.

A genuine job offer and a signed contract

You need a job offer from the Maltese employer and a written employment contract signed by both sides. The contract must state the basic wage and the length of employment in line with the rules of the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER). The job title must be the same in every document: contract, position description and application form. Check whether the pay stated is gross or net.

The labour market test

For a standard single permit, the employer must show that no suitable Maltese, EU, EEA or Swiss candidate was found. In practice, this means advertising the vacancy with Jobsplus and EURES for at least three weeks within the two months before the application. KEI, SEI, Blue Card and Skilled Occupation List applications instead need a local media advert of at least two weeks within the same window. The employer also completes a Jobsplus Declaration of Suitability confirming that you are qualified for the role. Our separate guide for employers hiring foreign workers explains these duties.

The mandatory course before departure

Every third-country national applying for a single permit for the first time must now hold a valid Pre-Departure Course Certificate. Identità checks it as part of the application. According to the Ministry for Home Affairs Pre-Departure Course page, Part 1 is mandatory for all first-time applicants. It consists of two online modules, "Living and Working in Malta" and "Rights and Obligations at the Workplace". Each takes about 10 to 12 hours and ends with an assessment. Candidates have up to 42 days to finish, followed by a 20-minute live interview that checks English and understanding of the content, held at the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) or an authorised assessment centre. The fee stated by the ministry is €250. The whole process runs through the Skills Pass portal operated by ITS.

The Skills Pass for tourism and hospitality

Part 2 applies only to sectors with their own subsidiary legislation. At present, Identità lists tourism and hospitality. If you work directly or indirectly in that sector, you need both the Pre-Departure Course and the Tourism and Hospitality Skills Pass, issued through ITS. For applicants still abroad, Phase 1 must be completed before the employer applies, and its certificate is uploaded with the other documents. Phase 2 follows after Identità issues the Approval in Principle letter. You must hold the full Skills Pass before you apply for an entry visa and travel. Workers moving into a hospitality role from another sector, or changing designation within the sector, must also present the Skills Pass.

Recognition of qualifications

Qualification certificates submitted with the application need recognition from the Malta Qualifications Recognition and Information Centre (MQRIC). If recognition is still pending, a receipt showing that you applied can be submitted. Regulated professions need registration with the competent Maltese body. For example, nurses and midwives need a certificate from the Council for Nurses and Midwives.

Health screening

Many applicants need health screening clearance from the infectious disease unit (IDCU) of the health authorities. This depends on the job and on where you were born or have lived. The health screening page for first-time work permit applicants explains that the employer starts the request online through a dedicated portal. Tests and vaccinations are then done in Malta through private healthcare providers on the authorised list. A chest X-ray is needed for people born in, or who lived six months or more in, a country on the high or very high tuberculosis risk list. Processing takes up to 15 working days from a correctly completed request, and urgent requests are not considered. Book your Identità appointment only after you have the clearance email.

Documents required for a single permit application

Identità publishes a separate checklist for each type of application: new, still abroad, renewal, change of employer and change of designation, with variants for KEI, SEI and recruitment or temping agencies. Download the current version from the employment application checklists page, because these lists change.

Documents uploaded with the application.n

• The completed and signed residence application form. Form C5 is used when the worker is still abroad,d and Form C2 for a new application.
• A full copy of your passport, including the blank pages. It must be valid for more than eight months from the application date.
• The employment contract signed by the employer and employee, stating basic wage and duration.
• A position description on the official Jobsplus template, signed by both sides and matching the contract.
• Proof of the job advertisement, showing the full publication dates.
• The Jobsplus Declaration of Suitability, completed and signed by the employer.
• Your Pre-Departure Course Certificate.
• For tourism and hospitality, the Skills Pass Phase 1 certificate (still abroad) or the full Skills Pass (new application in Malta).
• A curriculum vitae in Europass format, signed by you.
• Qualification certificates with MQRIC recognition or the recognition receipt.
• The privacy policy declaration signed by you and the employer.
• For temping agency employers, a Declaration of Posting describing the assignment.

Documents presented at the biometrics appointment

For still abroad applications, several documents are presented after you arrive in Malta. You must also bring the originals of everything uploaded online. The appointment is nullified if the listed documents are missing.

• A copy of your entry visa, where applicable, and the passport bio page.
• The health screening approval email from IDCU, where screening applies.
• A lease or purchase agreement for your accommodation in your name, with start and end dates. Hotel or guest house residents use a Keeper's Declaration Form. Free or employer-provided housing needs a Declaration of Accommodation.
• The Housing Authority approval confirming that the rental property is registered.
• For new applications, a Lease Agreement Attestation Form signed by the landlord and stamped by a lawyer, notary or legal procurator.
• Health insurance with cover of at least €100,000, including outpatient and hospital treatment in Malta and, where needed, elsewhere in Europe, valid for the first year of the permit.
• Sector documents where relevant: a food handler's certificate for catering, a security tag and police licence for security officers, a Maltese electrician licence, or the nursing and midwifery council certificate.
• A driving licence for driving jobs. Light passenger transport roles require a Maltese or EU licence.

Foreign documents, translations and legalisation

Supporting documents must be in English or Maltese, or translated. Documents issued outside Malta are accepted only as originals or certified true copies. Identità's guidance on documents issued outside Malta says documents from non-EU countries must carry an apostille or full legalisation. Documents from EU member states benefit from the EU rules on public documents and do not need either. Arrange this before you travel.

How to apply for a single permit on the Identità portal

The employer manages the application on the single permit portal (singlepermit.gov.mt), which is reached through the Identità Expatriates Portal. The official online application guide describes the flow below.

1. The employer logs in with e-ID, chooses to submit an application as a company, selects the company and the single permit, and picks the application context. Examples are "still abroad", new application, renewal, change of employer, or change of designation.
2. The employer completes your personal details, residence details,s and employment details, uploads the compulsory and additional documents, and reviews the summary.
3. You receive an email with a link. You open it using your date of birth and travel document number, or your e-ID if you have one. You check every detail, update residence information or upload missing documents, and then either request a correction or submit the file back to the employer.
4. The fee is paid online. The employer can pay before sending the file to you, mark that you will pay, or pay at the submission stage. Payment can be made by bank card or by applying a credit note.
5. The employer makes the final submission to Identità. It is possible only after payment.
6. Identità refers the case to Jobsplus and the Police for their checks.

You can follow progress through the email link. The review step is your chance to correct mistakes in your name, passport number, address, SSN, SS, or job title, and mismatched documents are one of the problems Jobsplus checks for.

Single permit fees in Malta and what they cover

Identità states the following fees on its single permit pages:

• First-time single permit application: €600.
• Renewal: €150 per year of validity.
• Live-in carer applications by private individuals: €27.50.

The single permit fee pays for Identità's processing of the combined residence and employment application. It does not cover the costs around it. Budget separately for the Pre-Departure Course (€250 according to the ministry), any Skills Pass assessment, the entry visa and any visa centre charge, private medical tests and vaccinations for health screening, health insurance, translations, apostilles, and accommodation. Identità warns that application fees are non-refundable, even if the application is refused, withdrawn, revoked or found inadmissible.

The portal allows either the employer or the worker to make the online payment, so check your contract and your agreement with the employer. The Government has stated, in announcing its labour migration measures, that employers may not take money from workers for recruitment or for termination. It also announced higher fees for new worker applications, with exceptions for health, elderly care and disability services. Confirm the amount the portal shows at payment. If anyone asks you for money for a "guaranteed" permit, treat it as a warning sign. No one can guarantee the outcome, which depends on checks by three public bodies.

Single permit processing time and the checks involved

Identità's page on the single permit processing period says the Single Permit Regulations allow four months for a decision. The same page says the average is closer to two months. The clock starts only once every required document has been submitted.

During processing, three bodies carry out due diligence:

• Identità checks the residence side, your documents and your eligibility.
• Jobsplus checks the employment side. This covers the labour market test, the employer's compliance, its workforce limits for hiring third-country nationals, the Declaration of Suitability and the consistency of your application history.
• The Police carry out security and immigration checks.

The outcome depends on all three results together. Applications under the Key Employee Initiative have a target of five working days from a complete submission, according to Identità's KEI page. Time spent obtaining the visa, health clearance,nce and documents comes on top of the processing period.

The recast EU Single Permit Directive sets a general target of a decision within 90 days of a complete application, with a possible extra 30 days in exceptional cases. Identità's guidance still cites the four months, so ask which period applies to your file.

Approval in principle and the entry visa

A positive decision produces an Approval in Principle (AIP) letter, sent to both you and the employer. It is not a residence permit and does not authorise you to work. Identità says the letter has a validity period that cannot be extended. If it expires, the application cannot continue. Read the date on your letter as soon as it arrives and plan every later step around it.

The letter also explains how to book biometrics and lists the documents you must bring. If you need a visa to enter Malta, you use the AIP to apply for a national long-stay (type D) visa. The Identità long-stay visa page describes two routes. In countries with a visa application centre, you apply in person. Where Malta has no diplomatic mission, a premium remote process run by the Central Visa Unit applies, for which the page states a fee of €300 covering the associated charges. The page puts visa processing at around six to eight weeks, and the AIP must still be valid when you apply. A refused visa can be appealed to the Immigration Appeals Board within 15 days.

Tourism and hospitality workers must complete Skills Pass Phase 2 after receiving the AIP and before applying for the visa. Plan for that step too.

Biometrics, the interim receipt and starting work

After you arrive, book a biometrics appointment through the Identità non-EU booking system. Bookings open only after the AIP has been issued, and screened applicants should book only after health clearance. Bring the documents listed in the AIP and copies of everything submitted online. Identità's biometrics and interim receipt guidance explains that your photograph and fingerprints are taken to international standards. Avoid tinted glasses, keep your face fully visible, and wear a head covering only for religious reasons.

Once your biometrics are captured and the documents accepted, you receive an interim receipt printed on security paper. For employment permits, it carries a "Temporary Authorisation to Work" stamp, so you can start work straight away without waiting for the card. Keep these points in mind:

• The interim receipt is not a travel document. Do not plan international travel on it.
• It is valid until the expiry date printed on it. If that date is close and no collection letter has arrived, contact Identità to ask about your card and request an extension.
• Employment must not start before the permit or approval allows it. Jobsplus says the employer then registers the employment with an engagement form through its online portal.

Collecting your residence card

When the application is fully approved, Identità posts a collection letter containing a PIN to the address registered in the application. According to Identità's card collection page, cards are collected at the Identità offices in Msida, Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 13:00, without an appointment. Only the person named in the letter can collect. Bring:

• the collection letter,
• your interim receipt, and
• your passport.

Once you have the card, carry it with your valid passport.

Validity and conditions of the single permit

Single permits are generally issued and renewed for one year at a time, according to Identità's renewal guidance. Longer periods are available in defined cases. Identità has announced that workers in lower-skilled roles can be considered for a two-year renewal instead of a one-year one if they complete a course on Maltese culture and language, taught by licensed Maltese institutions, and pass its exam. For higher-skilled roles, the two-year extension is linked to training. Renewals of up to three years are possible under the KEI, the SEI and the EU Blue Card, and for holders of a higher-level tourism skills card with a three-year contract. In every case,e the renewal period must be covered by an employment contract.

The permit stays valid only while its conditions hold. If you resign or are dismissed, the permit is no longer valid for that job. The employer must send a termination form to Jobsplus and notify Identità within four days. Our separate guide on job loss on a single permit explains what follows.

Holding a single permit gives you equal treatment with Maltese workers in areas such as working conditions and pay. It does not stop Malta from refusing to renew, or withdrawing, a permit when the conditions are no longer met.

Single permit renewal in Malta

A renewal follows the same procedure as the first application. The employer files it on the portal, al and the same checks apply. Jobsplus repeats its verification, including whether the working conditions in your original contract have actually been respected. The single permit renewal page sets out the timing rules:

• A renewal can be submitted only while the current permit is still valid.
• Identità advises starting about 90 days before expiry so there is time to process it.
• If you need repeat health screening, the application can be submitted only within 30 days of expiry.
• The fee is €150 per year of validity.

The warning on the page is clear. If no renewal is filed before your permit expires, you may fall into irregular status in breach of the Immigration Act. Remind your employer well in advance and keep the submission confirmation. Renewal has its own checklist, which may ask again for an updated lease and Housing Authority approval.

Refusals, appeals and withdrawn applications

If the outcome is negative, Identità issues a refusal letter stating the reason. Identità's right of appeal page says a decision may be appealed to the Immigration Appeals Board, an independent body set up under the Immigration Act, within three working days. Read any refusal immediately and seek independent legal advice quickly if you intend to appeal.

Common grounds for refusal in the Jobsplus labour market testing guidelines include a failed labour market test or an advert that does not meet the criteria. Others are recent redundancies by the employer in the same post, an employer over its permitted hiring limit, inconsistent personal data or documents, and earlier breaches of immigration or labour rules. Fees are not refunded, and a new application means a new fee.

Bringing family members to Malta

A single permit holder does not bring family members automatically. Family members apply for their own residence permit under the Family Reunification Regulations, Subsidiary Legislation 217.06. The family reunification page lists Form G.01 for new applications and G.02 for renewals, with a stated fee of €50. Applications go through the Expatriates Portal.

Under the regulations, the sponsor must hold a residence permit valid for at least one year and have reasonable prospects of obtaining permanent residence. A rule on the sponsor's minimum period of lawful stay also applies, so check it with Identità. The sponsor must show:

• accommodation regarded as normal for a comparable family in Malta and meeting health and safety standards,
• sickness insurance covering the whole family, and
• stable and regular resources without relying on social assistance. The regulations set the benchmark at the national average annual gross wage published by the National Statistics Office, plus 20% for each family member.

Eligible family members under the regulations are a spouse aged 21 or over and unmarried minor children, including adopted children, subject to custody and dependency rules. Other relatives may qualify under a separate family members policy. Any job a family member takes needs its own authorisation.

Key Employee Initiative, EU Blue Card and other routes

• Key Employee Initiative. A fast track within the single permit procedure for managerial or highly technical roles above a minimum annual salary set by the authorities. Identità's target is five working days. KEI renewals can run up to three years.
• Specialist Employee Initiative. A track for specialised positions with a lower salary threshold than the KEI, plus qualification or experience requirements. Jobsplus publishes the current thresholds on its page on employing non-EU nationals.
• EU Blue Card. A separate EU permit for highly qualified workers with a higher-education qualification or equivalent and a high salary relative to the Maltese average. It has its own fees and rules on changing employment.
• Short and seasonal work. Jobs of under six months, seasonal work and intra-corporate transfers follow their own routes. Our separate guide on seasonal work covers this.

Whichever route applies, the employer still files the application, and the Pre-Departure Course remains a requirement for first-time single permit applicants.

Common mistakes that delay a single permit

• A passport valid for fewer than eight months, or a copy without the blank pages.
• Job titles or salaries that differ between the contract, the position description, ion and the application.
• Non-EU documents without an apostille, legalisation or translation.
• Booking biometrics before health clearance, or arriving without the documents listed in the AIP.
• Letting the AIP expire, or filing a renewal after the permit has expired.
• Starting work before receiving the interim receipt with the Temporary Authorisation to Work.

Where to get official help

Identità's Expatriates Unit is at Triq il-Wied, Msida, on +356 2590 4000, and the checklists list a dedicated single permit email address. Jobsplus answers employment licence questions through the government helpline 153. Rely on these official channels, and treat confident promises from unofficial intermediaries with caution.

Sources and References

• Single permit overview, Identità
• Applying for a single permit, Identità
• Single permit processing period, Identità
• Guidelines on required documents, Identità
• Employment application checklists, Identità
• Single permit online application guide, Identità
• Renewal of single permit, Identità
• Pre-Departure Course, Ministry for Home Affairs
• Tourism and Hospitality Skills Pass, Identità
• Health screening for first-time applicants, Ministry for Health
• Documents issued outside Malta, Identità
• Long-stay visa, Identità Central Visa Unit
• Biometrics and interim authorisation to reside, Identità
• Card collection, Identità
• Right of appeal, Identità
• Course for foreign workers on Maltese culture and language, Identità
• Key Employee Initiative, Identità
• EU Blue Card, Identità
• Family reunification, Identità
• Family Reunification Regulations, Subsidiary Legislation 217.06, Legislation Malta
• Single Permit Regulations, Subsidiary Legislation 217.17, Legislation Malta
• Labour market testing guidelines for clients, Jobsplus
• Employing non-EU nationals, Jobsplus
• Labour migration measures press release, Government of Malta
• Single Permit Directive recast summary, European Parliament