Types of visas for Malta

If you have Spanish nationality, you do not need a visa to travel to Malta. Being a citizen of the European Union, you have absolute freedom to live, study, and work in Malta without the need to apply for a visa.

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

If you have nationality from any of these Latin American countries, you also do not need to apply for a visa before traveling to Malta or other Schengen countries.

Upon passing customs, if you meet the requirements we will mention below, you will be granted a short-stay visa valid for 3 months. This visa is called a “Schengen short-term visa” (type C) and will allow you to do tourism or even study an English course in Malta.

It is important to know that if you want to stay in the country for more than 3 months (90 days), you will need to apply for a study, work, or residence permit. These permits are usually applied for once you are in the country.

Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

If you are a citizen of Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, or the Dominican Republic, you will need to apply for a visa before traveling to Malta or any other Schengen country. In the following section on this same page, we will review the most common types of visas to travel to Malta.

The visa application process is handled directly at the embassies or consulates of the destination country. The embassy closest to Latin America is located in Washington, USA.

You can check the countries that require a visa application and where it can be done at this link.

Next, we will go over the requirements you must meet to obtain a short-stay tourist visa, formally known as the Schengen Visa Type C.

Important! These requirements also apply to Latin American countries exempt from applying for a short-stay tourist visa before traveling to Malta.

• Valid passport: The minimum validity of the passport is 3 months from the moment you land in Europe. However, it is recommended that the passport’s validity covers the entire period you plan to travel.
• Accommodation reservation for your first days: If you are staying in a hotel or Airbnb, presenting the payment receipt for your reservation will suffice. Another option is to present an invitation letter from a family member or friend residing in Malta who has offered to accommodate you in their home. This letter does not need to be notarized but must specify the personal information and passport number of the person signing the invitation, as well as the accommodation address and the date until which you will be staying there. Our Integration Coordination team will assist you in booking accommodation if needed.
• Return ticket to your country: It is important that the return flight date does not exceed the 90-day stay granted by this visa. If your intention is to extend your stay once you are in Malta, we recommend purchasing a change of date or cancellation insurance with your airline.
• Proof of financial means: You must prove through a bank statement that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in Malta without the need to work. The amount of money you must demonstrate is around €48 per day.
• Medical insurance: It is important to be prepared for any medical emergencies, and to demonstrate that you are covered, you must present a travel insurance policy with a minimum coverage of €30,000. At Dingoos, we will help you obtain a valid medical insurance policy.
• (Optional) Acceptance letter from your school: This is not a mandatory requirement, but it is highly recommended, especially if your course exceeds 3 months in duration and you plan to extend your stay with a long-term visa. Your Dingoos Guide will assist you with the school enrollment process and will send you the acceptance letter for you to present at customs

No. Although the Schengen Visa type C allows you to study for up to 3 months (90 days), you cannot legally work in Malta while holding this visa. If your intention is to work, keep reading because the visas we will discuss below do allow you to work.

Although some of the requirements for applying for a student visa in Malta are similar to those for a tourist visa, it is important to pay attention as there are details that change, and if you overlook them, you could jeopardize the approval of your student visa.

Don’t worry, below we will list all the documents you need to submit to obtain a student visa in Malta:

• Passport: The validity of your passport should cover the period of time you plan to study in Malta. Additionally, you will need to submit the original passport and photocopies of all passport pages (including blank pages).
• Two passport-sized photos: They should be 35×45 mm in size, in color, and with a white background.
• School acceptance letter: Your Dingoos Guide will assist you during the enrollment process at your English school and will provide you with the acceptance letter issued by the school, which you will need to submit when applying for the student visa. This letter will contain information about your course (type of course, duration, and the number of vacation weeks). Keep in mind that depending on the school, the issuance of the acceptance letter may be free or cost up to €40.
• Certificate of attendance at school: if you have been studying for the first 3 months with a tourist visa (Schengen Visa type C), you must present a certificate of attendance issued by the school. This certificate must show that you have attended at least 80% of your English classes. The same will apply in the future if you decide to renew your student visa (Schengen Visa type D). This requirement came into effect in July 2021, so you must present it to the Identity Malta staff who will assist you with the application.
• Proof of accommodation: you must present a document as proof of accommodation that covers the entire duration of your stay in Malta. Depending on where you are staying, this document can be a hotel reservation or a lease agreement, accompanied by a photocopy of your landlord’s identification document and the Rental Declaration Form that you can download here.
• Proof of financial funds: you must present a bank statement for the last 3 months in which you appear as the account holder. The amount to be demonstrated varies depending on whether your accommodation proof shows that you have already paid for accommodation or you have to pay it month by month. If you have already paid for your accommodation, it will be sufficient to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to cover expenses of €19 per day. If you have not paid for your accommodation in advance, you must demonstrate €35 per day.
• If you do not have sufficient funds in your bank account, you can also present a relative’s account (or even a friend’s account). If you choose this option, in addition to the bank statement of the person who will financially support you, you must also provide:
  • A signed declaration in English in which the account holder mentions the amount (converted to Euros) with which they will financially support you during your stay in Malta. The date of this letter should be within the last 2 months.
  • A transfer from their account to your personal account.
  • A photocopy of your credit or debit card.
  • A receipt of withdrawing money from an ATM with your credit or debit card.
• Medical insurance: it is important to be prepared for any health emergency and to demonstrate that you are covered, you must present a travel insurance policy with a minimum coverage of €30,000. Dingoos will help you to contract a medical insurance policy that meets this requirement.
• Return flight ticket to your country: the date of your return flight must not exceed the end date of your course or rental agreement. If your destination is different from your country of residence, make sure it is not a Schengen Area country.
• Visa application form: you can download it at this link or request a printed copy at your school, where they will also assist you in filling it out. Important! If you fill it out on your own (it’s not difficult), make sure to fill it out in English and that your signature matches your passport.
• Pay the fee for the Schengen Visa type D: the student visa in Malta (Schengen Visa type D) has a cost of €70, and you must make the payment in cash to the Identity Malta staff at the time of application.

Reading this list of requirements for applying for a student visa in Malta may have caused you some anxiety. Don’t worry, that’s precisely why we are here. We help you with all the paperwork for free so that you only have to worry about fully enjoying the experience of studying in Malta. Write to us!

If you are applying from within Malta

Now that you have all your documents prepared to apply for a student visa from within Malta, all you need to do is go in person to the Central Visa Unit of Identity Malta.

• Address: Central Visa Unit, Head Office, Valley Road, Msida, MSD9020, Malta
• Phone: +356 2590 4550
• Email: visa.ima@gov.mt
• Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 2 pm

Once you submit the documents, if any are missing, they will ask you to obtain them and return another day to submit them all together. If you have all the necessary documents, they will keep your passport and give you a receipt to collect it within approximately 20 days.

If you are applying from outside Malta

If you are applying for a student visa from outside Malta, you should know that visa applications can only be submitted, reviewed, and granted by a Maltese Embassy or Consulate. In the following link, you will find a list of countries with Visa Application Centers for Malta.

The nearest Visa Application Center to Latin America is the Embassy of Malta in Washington.

• Address: 2017 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008, United States
• Phone: +1 202-462-3611
• Email: visa.ima@gov.mt

The answer is yes. The student visa in Malta allows you to apply for a work permit once you have completed the first 3 months (90 days) of study in Malta.

The cost of the work permit is €230, but it is definitely an investment that you will recover very soon as there are abundant job opportunities in Malta.

To give you an idea, the unemployment rate in Malta is only 3.2% (Date: August 2021 – Source: datosmacro.com). The main sectors where our students work are tourism, hospitality, IT, and iGaming.

With this work permit, you can work part-time (up to 20 hours per week).

Note: Remember that if you are Spanish or a citizen of the European Union, you can work full-time without the need to apply for a visa or work permit. You will simply need to apply for the Maltese ID.

To obtain a work visa in Malta, you will need to submit the following documents:

• Passport: you will be asked for a photocopy of all pages of the passport, which must have a minimum validity of 3 months from the date of application.
• Two photographs: they should be 35×45 mm in size, taken in color with a white background.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV): you can use the European CV template provided in the following link to create your own.
• Employer’s letter: in this letter, your employer should explain the reasons for hiring you and why you are the perfect candidate for the position.
• Job description form: we recommend coordinating with your employer to fill it out. You will need their signature to submit it, and it should be consistent with the content of the employer’s letter mentioned in the previous point. You can download the job description form from this link.
• Employment contract: the employment contract must be signed by both parties, the employer and the employee.
• References from former employers: you should request recommendation letters from 2 or 3 of your previous employers. Make sure to mention these jobs in your CV and include the contact information of those employers.
• Proof of accommodation: you must provide a rental agreement along with a photocopy of your landlord’s identification document and the Rental Declaration Form. It is important that the lease agreement has been registered with Rent Registration.
• Medical insurance: it is also mandatory to present a travel insurance policy with a minimum coverage of €30,000. If you have any doubts when purchasing the policy, write to us and we will help you obtain a valid policy at the best possible price.
• Visa application form: you must fill out and sign the application form for the work visa in Malta. You can download it from this link.
• Pay the work visa fee: the Single Work Permit in Malta costs €280.50, and you must pay it in cash at the Malta Visa Application Centre or through a bank draft made out to Identity Malta Agency.

If you are applying from within Malta

Once you have gathered all the documents mentioned in the previous list, you must submit them to the Central Visa Unit at Identity Malta. Specifically at the “Department for Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs.”

• Address: Central Visa Unit, Head Office, Valley Road, Msida, MSD9020, Malta
• Phone: +356 2590 4800
• Email: eresidence.mgoz@gov.mt
• Office hours: Monday to Friday, from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm

It is advisable to go early as there is usually a large number of people waiting to be attended to.

If you are applying from outside Malta

If you are not yet in Malta but already have a job offer, it is best for your employer to apply for the work permit on your behalf. Once you receive notification that your work visa for Malta has been accepted, you can travel to the country and go through customs without any issues.

However, keep in mind that your residence permit will be tied to your employer, so if you or your employer terminate the employment contract, you will need to update the status of your visa.

As we have reviewed on this page, depending on the duration of your studies in Malta, you have two options:

• Tourist visa (Schengen Visa type C) for courses that do not exceed 90 days (3 months) in duration.
• Student visa (Schengen Visa type D) for English courses up to 1 year in duration.

If you want one of our Dingoos Guides to advise you, write to us, and we will assist you with all the paperwork for free.

With a student visa, you can work part-time (20 hours per week) once you have completed the first 3 months of your English course. This will undoubtedly help you cover the living costs in Malta.

The Latin American countries exempt from visa requirements to enter Malta or any other European country (except Ireland and the United Kingdom) are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The Latin American countries that need to apply for a visa before traveling to Malta or any other European country are Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

Yes, to obtain any type of visa for Malta, it is necessary to present a travel insurance policy with a minimum coverage of €30,000.

Unless you are a citizen of the European Union, both customs officials and personnel from the Identity Malta Agency will ask you to demonstrate that you have sufficient financial funds to cover your expenses during your stay in Malta.

We provide detailed information on how much and how you should demonstrate the financial funds in the requirements for each visa on this same page.

Yes, if your partner is from any European Union country and you present the documents proving that you are a couple, you can work in Malta full-time without the need to apply for a work visa.

However, to work full-time legally, both you and your partner must go to the Identity Malta Visa Centre in Msida to apply for your Maltese ID and obtain the Community Residence permit.

Whenever a visa is rejected, Maltese authorities send a letter explaining the reasons for the rejection.

If this is your case, do not despair because if you disagree with the reasons for the denial of your visa, you have the right to appeal the decision to the Immigration Appeals Board of Malta.

The deadline to do so is 15 days from the date of notification of the rejection.

If you decide to appeal, you must send a letter (in English) explaining why you disagree with the decision and provide the supporting documents for the reasons you believe the decision to reject your visa should be reviewed. These documents must be authentic copies and have been certified by a lawyer or notary.

The appeal must be sent through two channels: by certified mail to “The Secretary Immigration Appeals Board, 15, 1st Floor, City Gate Building, Ordinance Street, Valletta” and by email to “visa.appeals@gov.mt” and “immagrationappealsboard@gov.mt“.

Once your appeal is received, the Immigration Appeals Board will notify its final decision to both you and the Central Visa Unit.

If you possess the Schengen Visa, besides Malta, you can travel to any of the 22 countries in the Schengen Area. These countries are as follows: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, and Sweden.