That is 24 eight-hour workdays on a five-day schedule. The legal minimum is expressed in hours, and your total may change with your work pattern, time employed and public holidays falling on rostered days off. Sick and other special leave are separate entitlements.
| Situation | What to know |
|---|---|
| You work 40 hours a week, five days of eight hours each | The minimum annual vacation leave is 192 hours, equal to 24 of your eight-hour workdays. |
| You work part-time, reduced hours or only part of the year | Annual leave is calculated pro rata or in proportion to the period employed. The entitlement is expressed in hours, so your normal hours and work pattern matter. |
| A public holiday falls on a day you are not rostered to work | For a whole-time employee, the equivalent of one working day is added to annual leave for each qualifying holiday; part-time and reduced-hours employees receive a pro-rata adjustment. |
| You want to know your sick-leave allowance | It depends on the applicable sector Wage Regulation Order. If none applies, the statutory entitlement is two working weeks per year, calculated in hours. |
| You are a third-country national or have a pending Single Permit application | Jobsplus says people legally working in Malta are entitled to the same conditions of work as Maltese and EU nationals. A pending Single Permit application alone does not authorise work; Identità says interim work authorisation is needed. |
The basic minimum: 192 hours, or 24 standard workdays
For an employee working 40 hours a week, Malta’s statutory minimum paid annual vacation leave is 192 hours a year. That equals 24 days if you work five days of eight hours each. The entitlement is set in hours, so 24 days is a conversion for that schedule—not a universal day-count. DIER’s vacation-leave guidance sets out the minimum.
An employment contract or collective agreement may provide more favourable terms. The 192-hour figure is the statutory minimum for the stated 40-hour working week.
Part-time, reduced hours and employment starting partway through the year
Part-time employees and full-time employees working reduced hours receive annual leave on a pro-rata basis. If you have been employed for less than 12 months, your entitlement is proportionate to the time employed. Because the entitlement is calculated in hours, your normal working hours and pattern matter more than simply counting days. DIER explains these pro-rata rules.
Where average normal hours, excluding overtime, over a 17-week period are above or below 40 hours a week, DIER says the hours entitlement is adjusted accordingly. If you work shifts or your roster changes, ask your employer to show how your leave balance was worked out in hours against your normal schedule.
Public holidays can add leave when they fall on a rostered day off
For a whole-time employee, if a national or public holiday falls on a day they are not scheduled to work—including a weekly rest day—the equivalent of one working day in hours is added to vacation leave. Part-time and reduced-hours employees receive the equivalent pro rata. DIER’s public-holiday adjustment applies to the employee’s normal roster.
This rule has applied since 1 January 2021. The added hours depend on the employee’s working day and roster, so they do not create one fixed extra number of days for everyone. Check which holidays fell on your scheduled non-working days and how the hours were added to your balance.
Sick leave and other leave are separate entitlements
There is no single guaranteed total of paid leave days that combines annual leave, sickness and every other leave type. Sick-leave entitlement varies substantially by the Wage Regulation Order that applies to the sector. If no such Order applies, the statutory allowance is two working weeks per year, calculated in hours. Check which Order covers your work before relying on a specific sick-leave figure.
Other separate categories include maternity, paternity and parental leave, with distinct eligibility, timing and pay rules. For example, maternity leave is 18 uninterrupted weeks, with the first 14 paid by the employer. Paternity leave is 10 paid working days, taken immediately after birth or adoption.
Parental leave is a separate entitlement of four months per parent. For the entitlement applying to births or adoptions from 2 August 2022, two months are paid at the sickness-benefit rate, subject to the applicable rules. DIER states that 12 months’ continuous service with the employer is generally required, unless a shorter period is agreed.
Nationality and permission to work
Jobsplus says that any person legally working in Malta is entitled to the same conditions of work as Maltese and EU nationals. For employees, the annual-leave calculation therefore turns on matters such as hours, roster, time employed and applicable sector rules—not nationality.
A pending Single Permit application is not, by itself, permission to work. Identità says a qualifying applicant who applied before their current legal stay or permit expired may remain in Malta while waiting, but employment is not authorised unless interim work authorisation is received. This guidance concerns Single Permit applicants; do not assume it applies to other residence routes.
What to check with your employer
Ask for your annual-leave balance in hours, the hours and work pattern used to calculate it, any pro-rata adjustment for part-year employment, and any hours added for public holidays that fell on rostered days off. For sick or other special leave, ask which Wage Regulation Order or employment terms apply to your sector.
Questions people ask
Is Malta’s annual-leave minimum always 24 days?
No. The minimum is 192 hours for a 40-hour week. It equals 24 days only for someone working five eight-hour days each week; other schedules are calculated in hours and may be pro rata.
Do public holidays count as annual leave?
Public holidays are a separate entitlement. If a national or public holiday falls on a day a whole-time employee is not scheduled to work, including a weekly rest day, the equivalent hours of one working day are added to vacation leave. Part-time and reduced-hours employees receive a pro-rata adjustment.
How much sick leave do employees get in Malta?
It depends on the applicable sector Wage Regulation Order. If no Order applies, the statutory entitlement is two working weeks per year, calculated in hours.
Does a pending Single Permit application let me work?
Not by itself. Identità says a qualifying pending applicant may be allowed to remain while awaiting a decision, but employment is not authorised unless interim work authorisation is received.
Sources
- Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) — Vacation Leave
- Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) — Sick Leave
- Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) — Leave
- Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) — Maternity Leave
- Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) — Paternity Leave
- Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) — Parental Leave
- Jobsplus — Employing Non-EU Nationals in Malta
- Identità — Frequently Asked Questions: Non-EU Employment
- Legislation Malta — Minimum Special Leave Entitlement Regulations
General information, not individual immigration or legal advice. Confirm your own status and current requirements with the relevant authority.