If you hold an EU or EEA passport you do not need permission to live or work in Malta. You are registering a right you already have, rather than asking for one.
That does not mean there is no paperwork. There is. The sequence matters.
The framework is the Free Movement of European Union Nationals and their Family Members Order 2007, which transposes EU Directive 2004/38 into Maltese law.
What EU citizens have to do
You are registering a right you already have
Identita states it plainly: EU nationals do not need a permit to reside and work here. The process confirms your status rather than granting it.
You still have to do it, and other things depend on it being done.
The order to do it in
A reason to be here
Employment, self-employment, study, or sufficient means and health cover. Which one you pick decides which documents you bring.
Bring more than you think you need. A second proof of address has saved a lot of return trips.
Working in Malta
The card and everything else
The eResidence card follows, and with it the bank account, the tax number and registration with a GP.
Family members who are not EU citizens have their own route. It is worth reading before they travel.
Bringing family
After three months you must register
Staying under three months requires nothing at all. If you intend to live or work here for longer than three months, you must register your residence with Identita. You will be issued an eResidence document showing the basis on which you are here.
Which basis applies to you
The right to reside comes from exercising a treaty right, and the category you register under determines what evidence you need to produce.
The six categories
- Worker
- Employed in Malta. Usually the simplest route, evidenced by a contract or an employer letter.
- Self-employed
- Running your own economic activity here.
- Economically self-sufficient
- Not working, but with sufficient resources and sickness insurance so as not to become a burden.
- Family member
- Joining or accompanying an EU national who is exercising one of these rights.
- Student
- Enrolled in study here, with cover and resources.
- Exempt
- A defined category with its own basis for residence.
It can be restricted on grounds of public policy, public security or public health. It can also be affected if you become an unreasonable burden on Malta’s social assistance system. Registering under the self-sufficiency route in particular means the resources and insurance conditions matter.
How it works in practice
Applications go through the Identita expatriates portal, and appointments are booked online rather than by turning up. Get the appointment early, because everything else waits on it. Banks, employers, ARMS and Transport Malta all ask to see the eResidence document.
The order to do things in is set out under your first 30 days.
Registration, the document checklist for each category, fees and the right of appeal are published by Identità, which administers free movement in Malta.