Malta Visa - Applying for a Schengen Visa to Malta (2024)

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You will have to apply for a visa when travelling to Malta if you are:

• A citizen of a non-EUcountry that has not reached a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU.
• A citizen of a non-EU country that has reached a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU, but you were rejected from entering Malta or any other Schengen country visa-free.

You are exempt from applying for a visa to enter Malta if you fall into any of the following categories:

• You are a citizen of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland.
• You hold a passport from the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, or anyother country with a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU.
• You possess a valid residence permit from any country within the Schengen area.

For those exempt from a visa, check out the required documents for entry into Malta. It’s always good to be prepared!

The Malta Schengen visa is only one visa, but it may be issued for purposes such as:

• Aiport Transit Visa. If you are transiting through a Maltese airport and switching flights, you need to apply for an airport transit visa.
• Tourist visa. If your visit to Malta is for sightseeing or leisure activities, you must apply for a tourist visa.
• Visiting Family or Friends. When travelling to Malta to visit family or friends, you’ll need this visa type and must provide a letter of invitation from your hosts.
• Business visa. If your trip to Malta is for business purposes, you’ll need to select this visa type and provide a business invitation letter from the company or organization you’ll be visiting.
• Cultural Activities. Apply for this visa type if you’re attending cultural events in Malta, such as festivals, filming, or religious activities.
• Official Visit. If you’re travelling to Malta on official duty representing your country’s government, you should select this reason for travel.
• Medical Treatment. If you’re seeking medical treatment in a Maltese medical facility, you must apply for this visa type.
• Short-Term Study. If you’ve been accepted into a short-term study program in Malta, you’ll need to apply for this visa.
• Other. For any other purposes of travel not listed above, you should select this option when applying for the visa.

You can specify the purpose of your travel in section 23 of the visa application form. You can select from various reasons for traveling, including tourism, business, education, or medical concerns.

If you intend to stay in Malta for more than three months, you must apply for a D-visa, also referred to as a national visa.

To learn more about Malta’s Long-stay visas, you can refer to the following article provided by the Maltese government:

• VFS Global – If you live in Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Palestinian Territories, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam.
• A Maltese Embassy, Consulate, or High Commission – If you live in a country which has diplomatic representation from Malta, like Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Malta, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands, the United States of America.
• If no Malta embassy or consulate is nearby, you must apply for a visa at other Schengen embassies or consulates to which Malta has outsourced visa applications.

It’s important to note that while many countries have outsourced Schengen visa applications to third parties like VFS, these centers are responsible solely for collecting your application. The Maltese diplomatic mission makes the final decision on your visa application.

If Malta is the only country in the Schengen Area you plan to visit, it’s straightforward – apply at the Maltese embassy/consulate or the authorized Visa Application Center (VAC) in your country of residence.

However, if your journey includes Malta and at least one more Schengen state, apply at the Maltese embassy/consulate/VAC in your country of residence only if:

• You will spend more days in Malta than in the other Schengen countries.
• You will spend an equal amount of time in each country, but you are starting your Schengen adventure by entering through Malta.

You can’t apply for a short-stay Malta visa from a country where you are currently on a short-stay visa. You must hold a residence permit in the country where you are applying.

For more in-depth details, please refer to:How to Choose the Right Embassy/Consulate/VAC to Submit the Visa Application

You can schedule your appointment with VFS Global if you live in Algeria, Bangladesh, China, People’s Republic of, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Palestinian Territories, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, or Vietnam.

Select your country of residence on the first dropdown menu box and then Malta short stay as the destination. You will be redirected to the relevant website with information on how to schedule an appointment.

See for example, the website for the VFS Global visa application center in Algeria:

Scheduling an appointment for a Maltese visa application is free of charge. However, there are other fees associated with the application process, which we have outlined below in this article.

We highly advise against scheduling appointments through non-accredited third-party intermediaries, as they may add extra fees.

It’s generally advisable to apply for a Malta short-stay visa (Schengen visa) at least 15 calendar days before your intended visit but no more than six months before your departure.

Remember that you have to submit your application at least 15 days before your intended departure date, so you have to start collecting your documents and looking into scheduling your appointment earlier than that.

Travel Medical Insurance is compulsory for Schengen visas under Regulation (EU) 2009/810 of the European Parliament.

To visit Malta, you’ll need to demonstrate that you have at least €48 per day available for your stay to meet the visa requirements set by foreign representative offices.

One of the main reasons why you have to appear in-person at the appointment is to submit your biometric information (photo and fingerprints). This information is then stored into the Schengen Visa Information System.

If you have provided your fingerprints in the last five years, you might be exempted from submitting them again.

During your appointment for the Malta visa, the visa officer who is accepting your documents might ask you a set of questions regarding your trip, such as what you plan to do there, do you know anyone in the Schengen Area, do you plan to visit other Schengen countries. Other frequent visa questions include personal questions about your work, studies, and life in your country of residence.

Make sure you answer all questions truthfully and without hesitation.

If you applied for your Malta visa through a VFS Global center, you can track your visa application through this website.

If you applied through a Maltese embassy, consulate, or high commission, or through the diplomatic representation of another Schengen State, please inquire at the time of application or check the relevant embassy website to see whether it is possible to track your application.

If your visa to Malta is refused, it means you did not satisfy the requirements. The reason why the visa was rejected with be stated on the decision letter. Once you know the reason, you have two possibilities:

• You can re-apply for the visa, fixing the mistakes you originally made.
• You can appeal the decision. If you feel that your visa was unfairly rejected, you have the possibility to appeal the decision.

To appeal a Malta visa rejection, submit an appeal within 15 days of receiving the refusal notice, accompanied by a €120 fee.

Appeals must be filed at the Immigration Appeals Board’s office in Valletta, either in person or through a representative.

With the appeal application, include a copy of the refusal letter and any relevant, certified documents. The appeal date is recorded when initial contact is made with the Board’s office. For more details, contact the Board via their provided email addresses ([emailprotected] or [emailprotected]).

To extend your short-stay Schengen visa in Malta, it’s important to note that extensions are generally allowed only in exceptional circ*mstances. These circ*mstances may include late entry into the Schengen area, humanitarian reasons (such as medical treatment or a family emergency), force majeure (like natural disasters or severe travel disruptions), professional obligations, or personal reasons that necessitate a longer stay. Each of these reasons has specific criteria that must be met to qualify for an extension.

If you fall in one of those categories, then you can request an extension of your short-stay visa through the Malta Immigration Authorities (Identità).

If you meet specific criteria and entry requirements, in some cases, you can visit other non-Schengen countries with a Malta Schengen visa.

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