FreeMalta / Identità Single PermitIndependent guide · October 2026
Workers / Employers / The next step matters
A job offer is a start. Permission comes next.
The contract, the residence application and the right to begin work are different things. This is a practical map of the sequence—what to prepare, what has changed and what not to assume.
Not yet authorised?An application is not permission to work.
01 / Where are you in the process?
The right checklist starts with the right application.
Select a situation to organise your preparation. This is a navigator, not an eligibility test.
Start with the job, location and documents.
Your employer submits the employment-related application. Establish whether you are still abroad or lawfully in Malta; entry category and timing matter. Prepare the signed contract, current document checklist, applicable course evidence and health clearance.
Do not use visitor status as an assumed permission to work.
If a visa is required, approval in principle and entry arrangements are separate steps.
Wait for the relevant work authorisation before your first shift.
Check the expiry date first, then the employment position, current documents and whether renewed health screening is required. Identità advises starting preparation 90 days before expiry; its published health-screening route has a 30-day pre-expiry filing window.
Submit while the existing permit is still valid.
Keep submission evidence and check the status of any interim document.
A receipt’s residence effect is not the same as its work or travel effect.
Do not assume an existing employer-linked permission transfers with you. Check the change-of-employer procedure, status of your current permission and any applicable vacancy or screening requirement before agreeing a start date.
A new contract does not, on its own, authorise the new job.
Check whether your valid-permit situation is exempt from the pre-departure course.
If employment has ended, promptly confirm the allowed stay and application position with Identità.
Residence pending a decision, temporary permission to work and the right to travel or re-enter are separate questions. Read the conditions of the document actually issued to you.
02 / The important 2026 change
Health clearance now has its own digital sequence.
Do not book the Identità appointment first and try to repair the order afterwards.
In force / 4 May 2026
Employer starts it. Doctor completes it. Clearance comes before the appointment.
Work-permit health-screening applications now use the official online system, not emailed paper forms. First-time screening has expanded to previously exempt low-TB-risk applicants in specified occupations, including administrative, construction, transport, cleaning and security work.
01
Employer / HR initiates
Use eID on the official portal and submit the required consent and identity documentation.
02
Registered doctor completes
Required tests take place in Malta through private providers. The doctor completes the clinical part and uploads the medical documents.
03
Receive the clearance
The approval notification is evidence of health-screening clearance—not just proof that an application was submitted.
04
Then book Identità
HPDP says Identità appointments should only be booked after health-screening approval has been received.
Renewal requirements depend on the occupation and relevant country-risk history. HPDP’s separate rules include one-year repeat screening in specified situations and exemptions for others. Let the official process and doctor determine the tests. Check renewal health requirements
03 / Preparation before arrival
The course and the job-specific requirements are not the same thing.
The requirement must be checked for the application category and role—not guessed from the applicant’s nationality.
Pre-departure / Verification from 1 March 2026
A course, not a visa.
The pre-departure course covers living and working in Malta, rights and obligations, and an English interview. The published course fee is €250. Completing it does not grant a permit or guarantee a job.
Tourism and hospitality requirements vary with the role and application circumstances. Do not assume the general course replaces sector requirements—or that every renewal requires a new course.
Current Identità guidance includes the course for study-to-work conversions. Check new/still-abroad, change-of-employer and renewal cases separately; an existing valid permit can change what is required.
04 / The employer’s side
A complete worker file cannot repair an unready employer.
Treat recruitment evidence, employer compliance and workforce limits as part of the application—not background admin.
01
Advertise the vacancy correctly
Jobsplus publishes a general requirement of at least three weeks in the two months before a new application, subject to exemptions. Jobsplus vacancies transfer automatically to EURES. Confirm any reduced period or exemption for the exact scheme.
02
Keep the recruitment evidence
Record candidate feedback and obtain the vacancy publication report. A live advert alone is not the full record.
03
Check the employer dashboard
Review preliminary labour-market-test results, workforce limits and any stated reasons for non-compliance. Headcount alone cannot establish whether an application will be recommended.
04
Coordinate the actual start
Confirm work permission before employment begins, then complete the required employment reporting. Do not substitute an estimated approval date for an issued authorisation.
Budget for the procedure. Not an invented promise of speed.
These are standard-category reference fees, not a quote. Sector exceptions and permit duration matter.
Standard new application
€600
Identità’s current work-and-residence guide lists €600 for a standard first application and standard change of employer. Health-sector and carer exceptions exist.
The current work-and-residence guide specifies €150 per year for a standard renewal. Course, medical, insurance and other preparation costs are separate.
Gather documents early, but check the permitted filing window. Do not promise a fixed approval date, purchase non-refundable travel on an assumption, or treat a pending renewal as unconditional travel permission. Confirm the renewal window
Further reading / FreeMalta
Go beyond the headline.
Independent editorial guides, not official application instructions. Check the review date of each article.
For businesses coordinating five or more applications—not individual permit support.
Employer coordination
Less guesswork. No invented guarantees.
Describe the cohort, employer situation and coordination problem. Any regulated advice or representation must be handled by an appropriately authorised professional; the authorities decide applications.
This enquiry does not grant residence or work permission.
No passports, medical records or other sensitive personal documents.
Use official channels for an individual application or urgent status question.
Frequently asked / The distinctions
The questions worth asking.
Short answers to common assumptions. Read the linked official guidance for your circumstances.
Can I start work because my application is being processed?
Not on that fact alone. Check the actual authorisation issued to you. A temporary receipt only authorises work where it includes the relevant temporary work-authorisation sticker; an approval in principle is not permission to start.
Do all renewals need another health screening?
No. HPDP publishes separate renewal rules based on occupation and country-of-birth or residence risk history. Use the current official renewal guidance rather than applying first-time rules to everyone.
When should I start renewing?
Prepare about 90 days before expiry. Identità states that where health screening is required the renewal application may only be submitted 30 days before expiry. Confirm the current filing window and submit while the existing permit is valid.
Does a Single Permit include my family?
No. Family residence is a separate application and assessment. Eligibility, income and documentary requirements must be checked under the applicable family route.
Is the pre-departure course the same as Skills Pass?
No. The pre-departure course covers living and working in Malta and includes an English interview. Sector-specific requirements, including tourism and hospitality Skills Pass, must be checked separately for the actual role.
Can I use the enterprise form for medical documents?
No. Never send passports, test results, diagnoses or other sensitive records through this form. The health-screening portal and authorised doctor are the appropriate channels.
Independent information reviewed on 4 October 2026, not immigration or medical advice. Identità, Jobsplus and HPDP determine the applicable requirements. FreeMalta does not issue permits, grant work permission or determine medical fitness.
