Destination · European Union

Working in Malta,
permit by permit.

Malta is in the European Union. If you qualified inside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, free movement replaces this half of the answer entirely and no work permit is involved. Everything below is for a qualification obtained outside that area.

Permits sourced
4
Professions answered
1
Official sources
19
Last checked
2026-08-03

Recognition

Whether Malta has to
approve your qualification.

Only some professions are regulated, and the difference is not a detail: a regulated one needs a decision from a named authority before you may hold the job at all. These are the professions we can answer for Malta today, and no others.

No licence decision

Software developer

Not regulated · no recognition decision required

No authority approves this qualification before you take the job in Malta. That is a sourced finding, not an absence of research.

All destinations for this profession →

Work authorisation

Every permit we can source
for Malta.

Every permit we source →

Key Employee Initiative (KEI)

Identità — Expatriates Unit (formerly Identity Malta Agency)

Checklist
Salary floor
EUR 45,000 a year (2026 figure)Identità's eligibility page for the KEI states this as a gross annual salary of at least €45,000, alongside a managerial or highly-technical post. The KEI is also extended to innovators endorsed by Malta Enterprise for a start-up project, a category the page does not tie to this salary figure — confirm with Identità which basis applies to your case.
Qualification
Certified copies of the qualifications, warrants or proof of work experience relevant to a managerial or highly-technical post, or endorsement by Malta Enterprise as an innovator in a start-up project.
KEI processing
Five working days from a complete online submission, per Identità
Initial permit validity
One year, renewable up to three years while a valid employment contract and an annual tax declaration are current
Single Permit application fee (first-time)
€600
Single Permit renewal
€150 per year, for up to three years
Pre-Departure Course (first-time applicants, from January 2026)
€250 — confirm with Identità whether the KEI is exempt
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 2 possible outcomes · 4 official sources

Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI)

Identità — Expatriates Unit (formerly Identity Malta Agency)

Checklist
Salary floor
EUR 30,000 a year (2026 figure)Identità's eligibility page for the SEI states this as a gross annual salary of at least €30,000, on top of the qualification or experience test.
Qualification
Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) Level 6 or higher directly related to the job offer, or a lower qualification combined with at least three years' experience directly related to the job offer.
SEI processing
Fifteen working days from a complete submission, per Identità
Initial permit validity
One year, renewable for up to three years while the eligibility conditions continue to be met
Application fee
Identità states two different figures on its own site — €600 on the eligibility page, €300 on the application-procedure page. Confirm the current amount before applying
Renewal
Up to three years, subject to a continuing employment contract — confirm the current renewal fee with Identità
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 2 possible outcomes · 5 official sources

Single Permit (standard track)

Identità — Expatriates Unit (formerly Identity Malta Agency)

Checklist
Processing
Legal maximum of four months under Subsidiary Legislation 217.17; Identità states the average is closer to two months from a complete submission
Application fee (first-time)
€600
Renewal
€150 per year
Pre-Departure Course (first-time applicants, from January 2026)
€250
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 2 possible outcomes · 7 official sources

Nomad Residence Permit

Residency Malta Agency

Checklist
Salary floor
EUR 42,000 a year (2026 figure)Residency Malta's eligibility page states a minimum gross yearly income of €42,000. Applicants who submitted before 1 April 2024 remained on the earlier threshold of €32,400 — not relevant to a new application today, but stated by the source alongside the current figure.
Application processing
About 30 working days from receipt of the application fee, per Residency Malta
Residence card issuance
Three to four weeks after biometric capture
Application fee
€300 per applicant and per family member, non-refundable, payable on application and on every renewal
Residence card issuance (paid to Identità)
€100 per person
Change of address after approval
€50
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 3 possible outcomes · 5 official sources

Written out in full

Guides for Malta.

Each of these takes one profession into Malta and runs both branches end to end, including the paperwork your country of qualification adds.

Verified route

Malta Work Visa for Software Developers

Key Employee Initiative Malta salary

Read this one →

Evidence

Every claim on this page, and where it came from.

19 official pages, each with the jurisdiction it speaks for and the date a human last opened it. The oldest of them is 2026-08-03, and that is the date this page is only as fresh as.

Your case, not the general case

What Malta asks of you specifically.

Which permit fits and what your country of qualification adds to it both depend on where you qualified. The planner only offers combinations it can answer.

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