Work permit

A work permit is the official, government-issued document that authorizes Third-country nationals to work full time and reside in Malta.

Application Process

  1. The first step in qualifying for employment is to have an employment offer from an employer in Malta.

  1. If the Third-country nationals entered as a tourist to Malta, 90 days will be given in order do apply for the work permit.

  1. Employment must be located in Malta and the holding of a residence permit does not give the holder the right of movement within the EU in terms of employment.

General Conditions

  1. If the Third-country nationals needs a Schengen visa, the process of applying for a work permit will have to be done under the category "Still abroad".  Once the Approval in Principle letter is issued, the application for the Schengen visa "employment purposes" will follow.

  1. To proceed either with the visa application or work permit application all documents and requirements need to be properly addressed according to the job position and uploaded to the Online government portal.

  1. Third-country nationals cannot directly submit an application for a work permit. The prospective employer needs to apply online on their behalf.

  1. Third-country nationals cannot work with any other employer unless a secondary part-time license is issued by job plus. 

  1. Once the work permit is approved, the applicant will receive a residence id card which will allow him/her to work in Malta for a definite period. 

  1. Successful applicants may renew their permits.

  1. The estimated processing time is up to 4 months.

Change of Employer

Application Process

  1. The application process follows a similar  procedure as the work permit  through the Online Government Portal 

  1. If the third-country national is already terminated from the previous employment, the application by the new employer should be submitted within a 10-calendar day grace period.

  1. A Change of Employer application may be submitted by the new employer, prior to the non-EU National terminating previous employment.

Appeals

An appeal is a formal written request to reconsider the rejection for either a visa, a work permit, a renewal or change of employer.

Application Process

  1. The appeal must be submitted within three (3) working days from the date of receipt of the rejection letter and a fee payable to the Registrar of the Immigration Appeals Board maybe charged.

  1. The appeal must be submitted with all supportive evidence and documents.

  1. An appeal process can take up 18 months do be resolved. 

  1. If you do lodge an appeal, you may appoint a representative to represent you at any sitting that is held. 

General Conditions

  1. During the time the appeal is processed the appellant is not authorized to work in Malta, travel abroad or apply to any other work permit whatsoever.  

  1. Any appeal you may lodge with the aforementioned Board will not affect the above-mentioned decision until the Appeals Board’s proceedings are completed.  

Student employment licence

An employment license is the official, government-issued document that authorizes Third-country nationals student to work part-time

Criteria

  1. Student (as per Legal Notice): Students who have a residence card under the legal notice with a residence card issued under SL 212 of 2018, AL 29/2008 or AL 217/22, and are studying for a course leading to MQF Level 5 (higher education) are able to work for a minimum of 15 hours a week from their first year of studies. These applications can take about 2-4 weeks to be completed.

  1. Student (other): Students who do not hold the above legal notice status can still apply as long as their course is for a duration of at least 90 days, they hold a type D visa, and are either studying for an MQF level 1-4 qualification or on an English language course. They can work not earlier than 12 weeks from the start of the course. These applications can take about 4-6 weeks to be completed.

Application Process

  1. Get a job offer 

  1. Fill out the required documents 

  1. Apply for the employment license