Moving to Malta

Relocation and immigration guide for international professionals planning to move or settle in Malta.

Malta is an EU and Schengen member that uses the euro. Most skilled non-EU workers come on a Single Permit, with faster tracks for higher earners: the Key Employee Initiative, the Specialist Employee Initiative and the EU Blue Card.

🇪🇺 EU Member 🛂 Schengen Zone

Moving to Malta: what you need to know

Verified facts on visas, salaries, housing, tax, and arrival steps for non-EU professionals — sourced from official sites, with confidence noted where limited.

Use the jump links above or scan the sections below; topic guides and profession rails follow.

Immigration and work permits

Most non-EU workers need a job offer from a Maltese employer, who applies for a Single Permit on their behalf through the Single Permit online portal. Identità runs the process and Jobsplus carries out the labour-market test inside the same application; every application goes through due diligence by Identità , Jobsplus and the Police Corps. Higher earners can use faster tracks inside the Single Permit system: the Key Employee Initiative, the Specialist Employee Initiative or the EU Blue Card.

Single Permit — typical processing ~2 months
Key Employee Initiative — typical processing ~5 working days
Specialist Employee Initiative — typical processing ~15 working days

→ Full Malta visa and immigration guide

Salaries and cost of living

Average gross pay is about €27,384 a year (average monthly basic salary × 12, NSO Labour Force Survey, second quarter of 2026). Minimum wage: €229.44 a week (national minimum wage for 2026).

→ Jobs and salary benchmarks in Malta

Housing and rentals

Private residential leases in Malta must be registered with the Housing Authority by the landlord within 30 days of the lease starting; an unregistered lease is void. The rents below are medians of registered leases for H1 2026 by locality and number of bedrooms (Housing Authority Rent Calculator), not asking prices from listing sites.

→ Housing guide for Malta

Tax for new arrivals

Malta charges personal income tax in four bands (0%, 15%, 25% and 35%) on the single-filer scale, applied to income earned in 2026. Married couples and parents have higher tax-free bands. Social security (Class 1) is charged separately.

→ Malta tax guide

Permanent residence and citizenship

Long-term residence, family reunification and citizenship rules for non-EU nationals in Malta, from Identità’s Expatriates Unit and the Maltese Citizenship Act.

→ Permanent residency and citizenship in Malta

How to settle in Malta

After your permit is approved, register for a tax ID, banking, and healthcare — the checklist further down covers the full sequence.

Once your Approval in Principle letter is issued, book an appointment via the online booking system for your biometrics and interim receipt at Identità
Collect your residence card from Identità with the collection letter, your interim receipt and your passport
Get your tax identification number: for non-Maltese nationals it is generated following the submission of a completed registration form
Once you hold your Single Permit, make sure your employer will register the employment with Jobsplus through the submission of an engagement form; this starts your Class 1 social security contributions
Open a bank account (bring your ID; a Maltese Residence Permit is required for non-EU citizens)

Announced, not yet in force Upcoming changes

Work permit fee rising to €800, plus a yearly €400 contribution
The government announced that the fee for a new work permit for non-EU workers will rise from €600 to €800 per person. A new infrastructure contribution of €400 a year will be charged to new applicants and to people renewing their permits, but not to anyone under 18. Fees for many other Identità permits will also go up; the new amounts and the start date have not been published yet.
Start date not announced yet · Announced in the Budget 2027 speech, October 2026 · Ministry for Finance (Malta)
Free public transport and free childcare limited to citizens, resident EU citizens and long-term residents
From January 2027, free public transport will only be available to Maltese and Gozitan citizens, EU citizens living in Malta and long-term residents. Other non-EU residents will pay fares. Free childcare follows the same rule for new places from 2027; children already using the service keep their place.
From January 2027 · Announced in the Budget 2027 speech, October 2026 · Ministry for Finance (Malta)
New rules for non-EU driving licences
If you hold a residence permit, you can drive on a licence from outside the EU for 12 months from arrival, and the period does not restart when you leave and come back. After that you need a Maltese or EU licence. From January 2027, category B and B1 licences issued or renewed carry an administrative fee of €83 a month. EU and EEA citizens, long-term residents and their spouses are exempt, and so are some other nationalities and people with a residence permit for driving work.
From January 2027 · Announced in the Budget 2027 speech, October 2026 · Ministry for Finance (Malta)
Minimum wage rising in 2027
The national minimum wage will rise by €10.41 a week in 2027, including the cost-of-living adjustment. That takes it from €229.44 to about €239.85 a week (Settily's calculation). DIER publishes the official rate.
From January 2027 · Announced in the Budget 2027 speech, October 2026 · Ministry for Finance (Malta)

The figures elsewhere on this page are the rules in force today. Settily updates them when the change takes effect.

Everything you need to settle in Malta

Visa & Immigration

Complete guide to work permits and visas for Malta.

Permanent residency & citizenship

Settlement routes, PR timelines, and citizenship rules for Malta.

Tax Guide

Income tax brackets, freelancer registration, and tax treaties in Malta.

Jobs

Portals, top sectors, and salary benchmarks.

Schools & Education

Public and international schools for expat families in Malta.

Healthcare

How to register with public health insurance and find a doctor in Malta.

Banking

Best bank accounts for new arrivals and expats in Malta.

Housing

Rental market overview, average rents by city, and tenant rights in Malta.

Students

Study visas, universities, and practical tips for international students in Malta.

Guides by profession

Salary ranges and demand signals — open a guide for visa routes and qualification notes for your field.

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