Everything hangs off your Identità registration: the eResidence card unlocks the tax number, social security, healthcare entitlement and a usable bank account.
Overview
Malta's settling-in machinery is centralised in Identità (the former Identity Malta Agency). EU, EEA and Swiss nationals staying longer than three months must register with Identità's Expatriates Unit for an eResidence document — applications start online through the Expatriates Portal, which issues a biometrics appointment, with different CEA forms for employment, self-employment, study and economic self-sufficiency. Third-country nationals must hold a single permit or other residence authorisation before arrival in most cases, with health-screening approval from the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate required for many work-permit categories before Identità will decide. The residence card then feeds everything else: the Malta Tax and Customs Administration registers single permit holders for tax automatically (others file the Expatriates Taxpayer Registration Form for a TIN), the Department of Social Security issues the social security number that anchors contributions and public-healthcare entitlement, and banks expect the card for full onboarding. Verified against identita.gov.mt, mtca.gov.mt, hpdp.gov.mt and servizz.gov.mt as of June 2026.
Statutory Deadlines and the Dependency Chain
| Step | Authority | Deadline / trigger | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single permit approval (third-country nationals) | Identità — Expatriates Unit | Before starting work; employer-led | No legal work without it; EUR 600 first-time fee since 1 Aug 2025 |
| Health-screening approval (TCN work permits) | Health Screening Unit, IDCU (hpdp.gov.mt) | Before the Identità appointment; from 4 May 2026 all TCNs, via the automated system | Identità will not process the work permit without the approval |
| eResidence registration (EU/EEA/Swiss) | Identità — Expatriates Unit | Required if residing in Malta longer than 3 months | Malta operates a constitutive system — the eResidence document is your proof of right of residence |
| Tax Identification Number (TIN) | Malta Tax and Customs Administration | Automatic for single permit holders; others file the Expatriates Taxpayer Registration Form | Needed for payroll, tax returns and many financial services |
| Social security number | Department of Social Security | On taking up employment/self-employment | Anchors contributions, benefits and public healthcare entitlement |
| Bank account | Commercial banks | After residence documentation | Maltese banks' onboarding for non-residents is slow — start early and bring full paperwork |
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
I'm an EU citizen — do I really need to register if I move to Malta?
Yes, if you stay longer than three months. Malta operates a constitutive registration system: EU, EEA and Swiss nationals residing beyond three months must register with Identità's Expatriates Unit and are issued an eResidence document matching their basis of stay — employment or self-employment (CEA Form A), study, or economic self-sufficiency (CEA Form J, which requires proof of sufficient resources and health cover). Apply online through the Expatriates Portal; Identità replies within 48 working hours with a biometrics appointment and the document list. Without the card, banks, employers and government services will repeatedly hit friction on your file.
What order should I do things in during my first weeks in Malta?
Residence first, everything else second. Complete your Identità biometrics and get the eResidence card moving, because the tax number, social security number, healthcare entitlement and bank account all key off your residence status. Single permit holders are usually registered for tax automatically; EU workers get a TIN via the Department of Social Security registration; the genuinely unregistered file the Expatriates Taxpayer Registration Form with the Malta Tax and Customs Administration. Then open the bank account with the card, registered lease and employment contract. Trying to open a Maltese bank account before residence documentation exists is the single most common time-waster for newcomers.
Does Malta require a medical exam before I can move there?
Not for EU/EEA/Swiss nationals — there is no immigration medical. Third-country nationals applying for work permits need health-screening approval from the Health Screening Unit (Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit): all applicants must show polio and diphtheria immunity, those born in or resident 6+ months in high/very-high TB-risk countries need a recent chest X-ray, and certain jobs (healthcare, carers, food handlers) carry extra requirements such as measles or hepatitis B immunity. From 4 May 2026 the process runs through a new automated system and applies to all third-country nationals regardless of country or job category. Identità will not process the work permit without the screening approval.
How do I get a Maltese tax number, and is it automatic?
It depends how you arrive. Third-country nationals issued a single permit are generally registered for tax and social security automatically as part of the permit process. EU citizens who register for a social security number through the Department of Social Security typically receive a TIN automatically as well. If neither applies — economically self-sufficient residents, Nomad Residence Permit holders, accompanying spouses — submit the Expatriates Taxpayer Registration Form to the Malta Tax and Customs Administration (mtca.gov.mt); straightforward requests are processed in a few working days. You will need the TIN for payroll, filing returns, and increasingly for bank compliance reviews, so do not leave it until your first tax deadline.
When can I use Malta's public healthcare system?
Entitlement to free state healthcare in Malta is tied to the social security system: once you work and pay contributions (employed Class 1 or self-employed Class 2), you and eligible dependants can use government health centres and Mater Dei Hospital. EU visitors and new arrivals can rely on the EHIC for necessary care in the interim. Several immigration routes require private insurance regardless — the Nomad Permit demands cover for risks across the EU and UK, and MPRP beneficiaries and dependants must maintain comprehensive cover as a condition of their residence cards — so keep private cover active until your contribution-based entitlement is confirmed through the Department of Social Security.
What should I sort out before leaving my home country?
Three things are much harder to fix after arrival. First, document authentication: non-EU police certificates and civil-status documents need apostilles or legalisation in the issuing country — Malta cannot do this for you (EU documents in covered categories are exempt under Regulation 2016/1191). Second, approvals that precede travel: third-country workers normally need both health-screening approval and Identità's permit decision before relocating, and chest X-rays expire 6 weeks after issue for screening purposes. Third, housing: a registered lease or purchase agreement is required documentation for most routes and for every later step — registration, banking, schooling — so secure it before or immediately on arrival.