The basic courses for starting work in Malta. Every non-EU worker needs the Pre-Departure Course, and many jobs need a card of their own. Here is what each one asks, what to study and practice questions, so you pass first time.
Pre-Departure Course (first work permit)
Required since 1 March 2026
Who needs it
Every non-EU worker applying for a first Single Permit, whatever the job. Not needed if you already hold or held a Single Permit, have lived in Malta 8 years or more, hold a full Skills Pass, or apply for an EU Blue Card.
When
Before your employer applies. Identità does not accept a first application without the certificate.
Cost
€250 in total (€245 + €5 booking). Resits €100 each, with a limited number allowed.
Valid for
Digital certificate with a QR code. Use it before it expires or you repeat the process.
How to get it
Register on the Skills Pass portal with your own email, passport and a live photo.
Phase 1, online: two modules of about 10–12 hours each, “Living and integrating in Malta” and “Rights and obligations at the workplace”, then 30-minute online exams with camera supervision (true/false, multiple choice, putting steps in order).
Choose your occupation and book Phase 2 when the confirmation email arrives (5–7 working days).
Phase 2: a 20-minute interview in English at the nearest VFS centre. It checks your English and what you learnt. Result within 24 hours, certificate in 5–7 working days.
What to study
Malta basics: government, Maltese and English, the euro, culture
Your permit: Single Permit, residence card, what happens if your job ends
Renting legally: leases registered with the Housing Authority
Health services, health insurance, buses and the Tallinja card, waste separation
Your contract, minimum wage, overtime, leave, payslips, tax and social security
Recruitment fees are illegal for employers and agencies in Malta; where to report exploitation
Work ethics, punctuality and hygiene
Speaking practice for a 20-minute interview in English
Practice questions
1Where should you pay for the Pre-Departure Course?
To an agent who promises a quick pass
Only on the official Skills Pass portal Correct
Cash to your future employer
The course and exams are only on skillspass.org.mt. Agents asking for more are a warning sign.
2How are new non-EU workers in Malta paid their wages?
In cash every Friday
Through a bank or licensed payment institution Correct
However the employer prefers
Since October 2025 wages of newly employed workers must be paid electronically. Cash wages are not allowed.
3What happens in Phase 2?
A 20-minute interview in English Correct
A practical cooking test
Nothing, Phase 1 is enough
Phase 2 is a 20-minute interview at a VFS centre that checks your English and the course content.
Anyone who handles food at work. Category A (4 hours): waiters, counter and bar staff who only serve, delivery staff, storemen. Category B (8 hours): chefs, cooks, kitchen assistants, bar staff who prepare food, supervisors.
When
Food workers upload the card (front and back, with QR code) for the health screening. The course certificate alone is not accepted.
Cost
Course about €21–40 at private providers. Card fee €2.60.
Valid for
Category A: 2 years. Category B: 5 years.
How to get it
Take a Category A or B course with an approved trainer (Jobsplus, ITS and private providers, some online).
Pass the written multiple-choice test: 30 minutes, pass mark 45%.
Apply for the card online on servizz.gov.mt with your photo and course certificate.
Carry the card at work and show it to inspectors when asked.
What to study
Why hygiene matters and the causes of food poisoning
Biological, chemical and physical hazards, and the 14 allergens
High-risk and low-risk foods
Personal hygiene, handwashing, reporting illness
Cross-contamination: separate boards, storage order in the fridge
Temperature control, cooling, reheating, stock rotation
Category B: cleaning and disinfection, waste, pest control, the law
Practice questions
1Which category does a chef need?
Category A
Category B Correct
No card
People who prepare open, high-risk food need Category B (8-hour course).
2What must a food worker upload for the permit health screening?
The course certificate
The food handler's card with its QR code Correct
A letter from the employer
Health screening asks for the card itself. The course certificate is not accepted.
3You feel sick with vomiting before your shift. What do you do?
Work but wash hands more
Tell your supervisor and stay away from food Correct
Take medicine and work
Food handlers must report illness and stay away from food until cleared.
Non-EU workers in hotels, guesthouses and licensed restaurants, cafés and bars in front-facing roles: waiters, bar staff, baristas, chefs and cooks, receptionists, porters, hosts. Not needed for room attendants, cleaners, kitchen porters, dishwashers, couriers, office and stores staff.
When
Before the work permit, together with the Pre-Departure Course. It is valid only for the role you passed.
Cost
€475 with the Pre-Departure Course (€245 + €230), plus €5 booking. Lower fee if your qualification is recognised by MQRIC.
Valid for
Valid for the role it was issued for. Higher levels (Yellow to Platinum) allow 3-year permit renewals.
How to get it
Phase 1, online: the Pre-Departure modules plus an English test, a Basic Customer Care course and assessment, a Maltese Tourism Product course and assessment, and the test for your occupation (for example Line Waiter, Bar Waiter, Line Chef, Receptionist, Luggage Porter).
Phase 2: one combined interview in English at a VFS centre. Every part must be passed.
You receive two certificates: the Pre-Departure certificate and the Skills Pass.
Announced for 1 January 2027; the legal notice was not yet published on 17 October 2026
Who needs it
Everyone working on a construction site in Malta: labourers, masons, tile layers, plasterers, steel fixers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians on site.
When
After you arrive and before you work on site.
Cost
Card €15. BCA health and safety course €30 (supervisory €70). Jobsplus trade test €34.95.
Valid for
5 years, or until you move up a skill level.
How to get it
Get a recognised health and safety certificate. The BCA runs its own course; check that a private course is recognised before you pay.
Show your trade skill: a recognised qualification (foreign ones need an MQRIC letter) or a Jobsplus trade test (interview, portfolio, theory and practical; 3 years of experience for most trades).
Email the application form with your photo and certificates to the BCA and pay €15 by bank transfer.
Your level is printed on the card: Trainee, Skilled Worker, Trained Operative, Craftsperson (MQF 3), Technician (MQF 4), Supervisory or Professional.
What to study
Site safety: working at height, edges and openings, ladders
Scaffolds: only put up and changed by trained workers under a competent person
Personal protective equipment: hard hat, safety boots, gloves, eye and hearing protection, hi-vis
Excavations, moving machinery, lifting and manual handling
Reporting hazards and accidents
Your trade test: tools, measuring, reading simple drawings
Collecting your certificates for MQRIC recognition
Practice questions
1What two things do you need for the Construction Skill Card?
A driving licence and a bank account
A health and safety certificate and proof of your trade skill Correct
Only a work permit
The card needs a recognised health and safety certificate plus a trade test or recognised qualification.
2Who may put up or change a scaffold?
Anyone on site
Trained workers under a competent person Correct
Only the client
Scaffolds are erected and altered only by trained workers under a competent person.
3You see an unprotected edge on the third floor. What do you do?
Walk carefully around it
Stop and report it to the supervisor Correct
Ignore it, it's not your area
Report hazards straight away. Falls from height are a leading cause of deaths on Maltese sites.
Required by care-home standards; a separate “carer skills card” is announced but not in force
Who needs it
Carers in elderly homes need at least an MQF Level 3 award in care. Live-in carers in private homes need no qualification for the permit, but one is needed if the family uses the government Carer at Home subsidy.
When
Care homes check it when they hire. Foreign qualifications need MQRIC recognition.
Cost
MQF Level 3 courses at private colleges about €550–850. Care permits pay a reduced €150 fee.
Valid for
Qualification does not expire. Conduct certificates are renewed yearly in care homes.
How to get it
Have your care qualification recognised by MQRIC, or take an MQF Level 3 award in Malta (Jobsplus, MCAST and private colleges).
Get police conduct certificates from every country you lived in over the last 10 years.
Within 6 months of starting: training in moving and handling, first aid and fire safety. Carers who handle food also need the Food Handler's Card.
What to study
Dignity, rights and communication with older people
Personal care: washing, dressing, toileting, eating and drinking
Moving and handling residents safely
Infection control and handwashing
Dementia awareness and calming challenging behaviour
Spotting abuse and how to report it
Pressure sores, continence care, observing and recording
Useful English and Maltese phrases for care
Practice questions
1What is the minimum qualification for carers in Maltese elderly homes?
None
MQF Level 3 in care Correct
A university degree
Care-home standards require at least MQF Level 3 in care.
2Police conduct certificates are needed from which countries?
Only Malta
Every country you lived in over the last 10 years Correct
Only your birth country
Care homes ask for conduct certificates from every country of residence in the last 10 years.
3Before helping a resident out of bed, you should:
Pull them up quickly
Explain what you will do and use the safe handling method in their care plan Correct
Wait until a nurse is free
Always explain, ask for consent and follow the moving and handling plan.
Security guards and officers working for private security companies, including hotel security.
When
After you arrive and before you start working as a guard.
Cost
Licence €23.29, yearly renewal €11.65. Course fees vary by provider.
Valid for
1 year, renewed yearly with 10 hours of training.
How to get it
Take a course with a provider approved by the Commissioner of Police, for example the Jobsplus Award in Private Security Guard Services: 40 hours, two modules, each with a 1-hour exam, pass mark 45%.
Have a clean police conduct certificate.
Apply to the Police Licensing Office. The application is published in the Government Gazette and decided in about 2–3 months.
Wear the police ID card on duty and do at least 10 hours of training each year to renew.
Door supervisors at entertainment venues need a separate licence and 5 years of service as a guard, police, soldier or prison officer.
What to study
The law on private guards and what you may and may not do
Communication, customer care and calming conflict
Patrols, CCTV and access control
Fire, flood and bomb-threat procedures
Searches, incident reports and giving evidence
Practice questions
1Who issues the private guard licence?
Your employer
The Commissioner of Police Correct
Jobsplus
The licence is issued by the Commissioner of Police under Cap. 389.
2What is the pass mark in each module exam of the guard course?
45% Correct
90%
There is no exam
Each 20-hour module ends with a 1-hour exam with a 45% pass mark.
3A visitor becomes aggressive at the entrance. First step?
Push them out
Stay calm, keep distance and talk to calm the situation Correct
Call friends to help
Conflict resolution comes first: calm communication and keeping a safe distance.
Workers already in Malta in jobs such as hospitality, cleaning, care, construction and production (ISCO 5–9) who want a 2-year renewal instead of 1 year. You need a year with your employer and a 2-year contract.
When
Before you renew. You apply for the exam through Identità.
Cost
Schools charge about €250 for the course; the exam fee is separate.
Valid for
Used for the renewal it was taken for.
How to get it
Attend a 40-hour course (20 sessions of 2 hours) at a licensed school, in person.
Sit the exam set by the Examinations Department. Schools report 50 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour, pass mark 45%.
Use the certificate with your renewal application.
What to study
Maltese heritage, traditions and how the state works
The legal system and your rights
Staying safe and healthy, renting, budgeting
Clean and green Malta: waste and recycling
Digital skills and online safety
Everyday English and basic Maltese greetings and phrases
Practice questions
1Who can use the integration course for a longer renewal?
Only managers
Workers in jobs like hospitality, care, cleaning and construction after a year with their employer Correct
Tourists
It lets ISCO 5–9 workers with a year of employment and a 2-year contract apply for a 2-year renewal.
2How long is the course?
4 hours
40 hours Correct
400 hours
The course is 40 hours: 20 sessions of 2 hours each.
Checked on 17 October 2026 against Identità, the Skills Pass portal, legislation.mt, Jobsplus, the Building and Construction Authority, REWS and the professional councils. Rules change: confirm with the official body before you pay or travel.
