You may view the list of nationalities that require a visa prior travelling and those nationalities who are visa exempt for the first 90 days in every 180-day period by accessing the following link: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-visa-application-requirements-for-a-visa/

A Schengen type C visa is a visa that is issued for short visits in the Schengen area of not more than 90 days. Whilst a D-national visa is for visits that exceed 90 consecutive days in one specific Schengen country.   

If your intention is to visit Malta for not more than 90 days, you must apply for a Schengen type C visa. On the other hand, if the intention is to visit Malta for more than 90 days, you must apply for a Malta D-visa.

No, you do not. Visa exempt nationals can visit the Schengen area for the first 90 days in every 180-day period without a visa.

You can only apply for a Schengen type C visa from either a Maltese Embassy/Consulate in your residing country or from a foreign representation that represent Malta in your residing country. You may view the list of Representations and list of Maltese Missions abroad by accessing the following link: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-sec-page-schengen-visa/

Schengen type C visas are only processed by the Maltese Missions or foreign representations and not by Identità.

You must contact directly the Maltese Mission or representation you will submit your visa application with, in order to guide you further about the entire visa process.

You must check the status directly with the Maltese Mission or representation you applied with.

In that case, you may contact the Malta’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism (MFT) for further assistance on visa.foreign@gov.mt since these agreements fall under their remit.

Please note that the Central Visa Unit only assists third-country nationals who wish to visit Malta. For queries about visa requirements of other countries, you may contact the Protocol department within MFT on protocol.foreign@gov.mt and they will assist accordingly.

Since you are already a legal resident of another Schengen state, you do not need to apply for another visa but you can travel to Malta with your valid passport and valid residence card of the other Schengen state and remain in Malta for up to 90 days. If your intention is to reside in Malta for more than 90 days, you must apply for a Maltese residence card with the Expatriates Unit.

No, Malta D-visas are only being processed by the Central Visa Unit within Identità.

You can apply for the D-visa using Identità's Extended service by booking an online VFS appointment in any country the service is available in. You view the list of countries the Extended service is available in and you may also book the VFS appointment by accessing the following link and creating an account on the VFS Global website: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-visa-extended-service-branches/

No, you can submit the visa application in any country without being an actual resident of such country.

The entire visa process may take up to 8 weeks from the date of VFS appointment.

The difference between the two services is that you will be able to find earlier available VFS appointments when choosing the Extended service. However, the visa process will still remain the same of 8 weeks long for both services.

You can find the cost of a D-visa application on every checklist as the visa fee may vary according to the visa purpose and age group. You may access the checklists on the Identità website: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-applicable-fees-applications-applications/

Yes, you may be charged a VFS admin fee of approximately €150 per application at the VFS office when applying with the Extended service.

Unfortunately not. The visa process is 8 weeks long due to other third parties involved in the process.

You can travel to any other country where the service is available and apply from there. Kindly ensure that you abide by all legal requirements of the country you will lodge your visa application in.

You may find the latest checklists of all D-visa purposes by accessing the following link: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-applicable-fees-applications-applications/

If your intention is to visit Malta for more than 90 days, you must apply for a D-visa prior travelling even if you are a visa exempt national.

It is highly suggested that you transit through a non-Schengen country and that you follow the same travel route of the flight itinerary that you submitted for your D-visa application.

A single-entry visa allows you to enter the Schengen area only once. Whilst a multiple entry visa allows you to enter and exit the Schengen area multiple times throughout the visa validity.

No, you cannot re-enter as a single-entry visa allows you to enter the Schengen area only once. You would need to apply for another visa to be able to enter the Schengen area again.

You may travel to other Schengen countries using a valid D-visa for short visits however you may be subject to questioning by the Immigration Police of the respective country since the D-visa would be valid for mainly Malta.

You can track your visa application on the VFS Global website by accessing the following link: https://visatracking.vfsglobal.com/Global-Passporttracking/Track/Index

If you are unable to track your visa application on the VFS Global website, your host in Malta can send us an email on visa.identita@gov.mt to enquire about the status of your visa application.

Please ensure that you are accessing the VFS Global website through the Identità website: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-visa-extended-service-branches/ and choosing the Long Term Extended / Standard Service for D-visa. If the issue still persists, please send us an email on visa.identita@gov.mt with a screenshot of the VFS Global website showing the lack of VFS appointments availability so we can liaise with VFS accordingly.

Please note that the interview may be part of your visa application process however it is not always required. Therefore, please wait for an email notification from CVU or VFS regarding any interview schedule.

You will be notified by the VFS office when your passport is ready to be collected and this will most likely be at the end of the 8-week period.

Please note that all fees are non-refundable.

You can appeal the decision with the Immigration Appeals Board within the first 15 days of receipt of visa refusal letter. You may find further information about the appeal process here: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-sec-page-visa-appeals-procedure/ or on the Visa Refusal Letter.

You will be able to know the reason for the visa refusal by opening an appeal with the Immigration Appeals Board.

Please note that the official procedure is to open an appeal if you still wish to visit Malta.

Unfortunately, you cannot extend your stay on such purpose. You are required to abide by either the visa exemption period or the current visa validity and exit the Schengen area accordingly. If you would like to visit Malta again, you can apply for another Schengen type C visa from your residing country.

You are required to send an email with your request on visa.identita@gov.mt and our office will review every request on case-by-case basis. However, if you have a host in Malta, the host must send an email to our office with the request by providing an updated invitation letter, applicant’s full passport copy and copy of any current visas and all entry/exit stamps.

If you have a specific and justified purpose in Malta, our office may only consider extending on a Schengen type C visa if the current C-visa is issued by a Maltese Embassy or a foreign representation that represents Malta. If this is the case, you are kindly requested to send an email on visa.identita@gov.mt and our office will review accordingly.

Please note that the Central Visa Unit cannot change the purpose of your stay. If your intention is to work in Malta, you must exit the Schengen area, apply for the single work permit with the Expatriates Unit and apply for an Employment D-visa using Identità's Extended service, once the Approval in Principle Letter has been issued.

A visa cannot be issued for the purpose of waiting for a decision on another application process. You must contact the Expatriates Unit to check whether you are able to remain in Malta beyond your visa exemption period or current visa validity.

Unfortunately, a visa cannot be issued for the purpose of waiting for a decision on another application process. You can travel whilst your residency application is still in process but you would need to apply for another visa to be able to re-enter Malta.

In such cases, our office highly suggests to wait for your Maltese residence card to be issued before any travelling.

Please note that if you have been residing in the Schengen area for more than the past 6 months with a valid visa/residence card, you are able to exit the Schengen area for at least two (2) days upon expiry of the visa/residence card and then re-enter the Schengen area using the visa exemption period of the first 90 days in every 180-day period.

Kindly note that if you lost your passport, you should first make a police report and then inform the Central Visa Unit by sending us an email on visa.identita@gov.mt and attaching the police report so our office can revoke the valid visa. We will then guide you on how you can re-apply for another visa using your new passport so that you can remain in Malta.

In the case that you lost your passport or Maltese residence card whilst you are abroad, you should also make a police report in the country you lost it in and then inform the Central Visa Unit by sending an email on visa.identita@gov.mt. You will then have to apply for a D-national visa under the ‘Lost documents’ D-visa category to be able to re-enter Malta.

No because the R number can only be used once to book the VFS appointment. Therefore, it is important that you attend the VFS appointment as this cannot be rescheduled.

If you need to book another appointment, you must obtain a new Approval in Principle Letter and then book another appointment accordingly.

You must submit your D-visa Employment visa application within the first sixty (60) days from the issue date of the Approval in Principle Letter.

Visa applications submitted beyond the stipulated deadline will not be accepted.

You will most likely require an employment licence from Jobsplus to be allowed to conduct work in Malta. Once you receive the employment licence, you may apply for a Temporary Employment D-visa using Identità's Extended service if your stay in Malta will exceed 90 consecutive days.

If your stay in Malta will not exceed 90 consecutive days, you must apply for a Schengen type C visa with the Maltese Embassy or foreign representation or visit Malta using the visa exemption period if you are a visa exempt national.

All students (except EU nationals) who are interested in studying a course of minimum 105 days or more, must apply for a D-national visa prior travelling. You must apply for a Study D-visa using Identità's Extended service by booking an online VFS appointment in any country the service is available in. You may book the VFS appointment here: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-visa-extended-service-branches/

You may find the list of required documentation here: https://identita.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/03a.-List-of-Required-Documents-Student_National_Visa.pdf

Please note that the visa application must be submitted at least 8 weeks before the course commencement date in order to give ample time for the visa process to be completed. You can also submit your visa application by maximum six (6) months before course commencement date.

If the intention is to study a course of more than 105 days, you must apply for a D-visa prior travelling.

If you are studying a MQF Level 4 or lower course and you decide to extend your course, you must apply for a visa extension with the Central Visa Unit. Please contact your school as they know about the visa process and how they can apply for your visa extension. For any queries, you may still send us an email on studentvisa.identita@gov.mt and we will assist accordingly.

If you are studying a MQF Level 5 or higher course, you must immediately apply for a Maltese residence card with the Expatriates Unit upon arrival into Malta by sending an email on noneu.identita@gov.mt.

Once your school informs us about your visa extension request, a token is generated to your preferred email address. Once the token is generated, you will gain access to our online student portal where you will submit the required documentation online. After the visa application is accepted by CVU, you will be requested to settle the payment of €100 online by credit/bank card. The list of required documentation can be found here: https://identita.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Documentation-required-for-study-visa-extension.pdf

You are kindly requested to submit your actual passport, 2 passport photos as per ICAO standards and a copy of the online receipt at our front office within 7 days of payment.

Students who applied for a visa extension can visit the front office in Msida to collect their passport by presenting the online receipt or student ID card after two (2) weeks from passport submission.

It is highly suggested that you do not book any flights out of Malta during the visa extension process. This is because a visa is never guaranteed to be issued and in case of a visa refusal, you will be unable to travel to other Schengen countries.

You can apply for a Maltese residence card with the Expatriates Unit once you receive one consecutive year of visas from the Central Visa Unit.

No, your initial intention must be to visit Malta to study a short-term course of at least 8 weeks long to be eligible to apply for a visa extension. Both letters of acceptance must be submitted as part of your visa extension application. Furthermore, the course must also be extended by a further 8 weeks.

You are allowed to work part-time a maximum of 20 hours per week once the employment licence is issued. You can obtain the employment licence from Jobsplus, which is another government entity - https://jobsplus.gov.mt/

You must first complete your studies before switching to full-time employment since a student D-national visa is issued for individuals to study only in Malta. For further information on how you can switch to full-time employment after finishing your course, you can contact the Single Permit department within the Expatriates Unit on singlepermit.identita@gov.mt.

If you wish to switch to full-time employment during your studies, the school have the responsibility to report you to the Central Visa Unit and our office will subsequently revoke your visa and you will be required to exit the Schengen area within 15 days and you will be unable to apply for the single work permit.

Yes, you are allowed to change schools. However, it is important that you inform the new school to inform the Central Visa Unit about this change by sending us an email on studentvisa.identita@gov.mt.

Yes, you are allowed to change accommodation. However, it is important that you inform the school so the school can inform the Central Visa Unit about this change by sending us an email on studentvisa.identita@gov.mt.

In case of an early departure, you should always inform the school so that the school will be able to inform the Central Visa Unit to cancel your visa after you depart from the Schengen area since you will no longer be utilizing your Malta D-national visa according to its visa purpose.

The Premium service is the Central Visa Unit’s online portal system that allows the submission of certain visa applications online. However, this is offered to applicants on case-by-case basis and as deemed necessary by the Central Visa Unit.

Once the applicant is given access to the portal by the CVU, he/she will be able to submit all the required documentation online. When the visa application is accepted by CVU, the applicant will be requested to settle the payment of the visa fee by credit/debit card online. Once the payment is settled, a courier is booked by the CVU to the applicant’s preferred address to collect the actual passport, 2 passport photos and a copy of the original visa application form. The visa process will commence once the shipment arrives at our office in Malta and this may take up to 2-3 weeks to be completed. Once the visa process is completed, the passport is shipped back to the applicant by registered courier.

Although an interview is not a mandatory step in the visa process, you can be requested to conduct an online interview with one of the CVU officers. Therefore, it is important that applicants check their email address daily for any invitations.

The cost of the Premium service includes the visa fee and the courier service fee.

In the case of a study D-visa, the cost is €270 whilst any other D-visa category costs €300.

Please note that the Premium service is currently being phased out so it is only offered to applicants on a case-by-case basis. Therefore in such cases, you may wish to send us your request by email on visa.premium.identita@gov.mt and we will advise accordingly.

Please note that first you must apply for the Nomad Residence Programme with the Residency Malta Agency - https://nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt/. Once you receive the Letter of Final Approval from the Residency Malta Agency, you will then be eligible to apply for a D-national visa.

Please note that further information about the visa process will be communicated to the applicant once the Residency Malta Agency informs the CVU about the final approval.

Our office can only consider such request if you have received the Letter of the Final Approval from the Residency Malta Agency. If this is the case, please send an email on visa.identita@gov.mt to guide you further on the visa process. If you do not have this document yet, you must abide by the current visa validity, exit the Schengen area and wait for a decision from abroad.

Please note that you may only apply for a D-national visa if you have at least received the Letter of the Approval in Principle or the Receipt of Temporary Residence Permit from the Residency Malta Agency. If this is the case, you may submit your D-visa application using Identità's Extended service.

On the other hand, if you do not have either of these documents and still wish to visit Malta, you can apply for a Schengen type C visa with the Maltese Mission or a foreign representation that represents Malta in the residing country and visit Malta for up to 90 days only.

Please note that the travel medical insurance policy must be clearly valid for the Schengen area, must be valid for at least 180 consecutive days and must cover at least €30,000 in Medical Expenses and Repatriation.

Our office can consider such request if you have at least received the Letter of the Approval in Principle or the Receipt of Temporary Residence Permit from the Residency Malta Agency. If this is the case, please send an email on visa.identita@gov.mt to guide you further on the visa process. If you do not have either of these documents, you must abide by the current visa validity, exit the Schengen area and wait for a decision from abroad.

Please note that only spouses and direct children of a Maltese national or an EU national with a valid Maltese residence card are eligible to apply for a Family Member of EU D-national visa.

Other relatives such as parents or parents-in law are only eligible to apply for a Schengen type C visa with the Maltese Mission or foreign representation that represents Malta in the residing country and visit Malta for up to 90 days only.

Maltese nationals and EU nationals with a valid Maltese residence card in Malta can invite their Non-EU spouse to Malta by applying for a Family Member of EU visa using Identità's Extended service by booking an online VFS appointment in any country the service is available in. One may do so by accessing the following link: https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-visa-extended-service-branches/. Once the D-visa is issued, the spouse can travel to Malta and apply for a Maltese residence card with the EU section of the Expatriates Unit upon arrival. Their contact email is eu.identita@gov.mt.

The marriage certificate must be registered in EU country or in case of a Maltese national, the marriage certificate must be registered with the Public Registry within Identità in Malta.

In the case that the marriage certificate is registered in a non-EU country, the marriage certificate must be apostilled, legalized and officially translated.

No, you do not because the fee for a Family member of EU visa is waived as per checklist.

The family reunification certificate is issued by the Non-EU department of the Expatriates Unit within Identità. This can be applied by sending an email to the mentioned department on noneu.identita@gov.mt.

Before booking the online VFS appointment, you must first upload your family reunification certificate once for pre-verification on the following link: https://online.vfsevisa.com/mt/en/login. Once the family reunification certificate is verified by CVU during working hours, you will receive the VFS reference number as an automated email.

It is important that in the case of more than one family reunification certificate, the certificates are uploaded separately because every applicant must have a unique VFS reference number in order to book the VFS appointment.

Additionally, it is important to note that the pre-verification portal only allows a maximum of three (3) submissions per email address. Therefore, in the case of more than three (3) family reunification certificates, another account must be created on the pre-verification portal in order to submit the rest of the family reunification certificates.

Please note that once you book the VFS appointment, this cannot be rescheduled, but you may book another VFS appointment and pay the usual visa fee.

In the case that the VFS Global website does not allow you to book another appointment due to passport number/VFS reference number already in use, you must contact our office on visa.identita@gov.mt by providing us with a copy of the applicant’s passport and family reunification certificate and we will assist accordingly.

It is highly suggested that the child waits for the Maltese residence card to be issued before travelling out of Malta. If one decides to still exit the Schengen area whilst the residency application is still in process, the child must apply for a D-national visa using the Extended service once the family reunification certificate is issued.

Please note that most seafarers do not require a visa to travel to Malta to embark a vessel however it is important to inform the Maltese Immigration Police on visa.police@gov.mt about any on-signers as these are handled only by the Immigration Police as per current seafarer policy.

If the seafarers will transit through Malta back to their home country, our office can assist with an authorisation letter if their stay in Malta from the disembarkation time from vessel until departure time of the flight exceeds 36 hours. If the request is for less than 36 hours, it will be handled by the Maltese Immigration Police by sending an email on visa.police@gov.mt.

No you cannot. As a seafarer, you are only allowed to disembark Malta to exit the Schengen area back to your residing country. If your intention is to work in Malta, your employer must first apply for the single work permit as Still Abroad with the Single Permit department of the Expatriates Unit and once the Approval in Principle Letter is issued, you may apply for a D-national visa using Identità's Extended service from abroad.

For any queries about seamen and seafarers, please contact our office on seamen.visa.identita@gov.mt for further assistance.

Please note that any requests about diplomats or other staff that are appointed to work in a foreign Embassy in Malta, must first be communicated to the Protocol department within Malta’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism - https://foreign.gov.mt/public-bodies/directorate-protocol/. The visa process will then be communicated to you by the Protocol department.

If you are going to be issued with a Diplomatic ID card from the Protocol department, you will be required to apply for a Diplomatic D-visa and the visa fee will be waived together with any VFS fees.  

Furthermore, if you are going to be issued with a Special ID card from the Protocol  department, you will be required to apply for a Professional D-visa and you will be  required to pay the usual visa fee which can be found listed on the  checklist together with any VFS fees.