Work in Malta as a foreign doctor, nurse or AHP (2026)

• Medical CouncilMedical Council Malta

  Doctors and dental surgeons

  Read the registration guide

• CNMCouncil for Nurses and Midwives

  Nurses and midwives

  How to register with the CNM

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   1. Identify your council and the register you need

   Doctors and dentists apply to the Medical Council Malta, nurses and midwives to the CNM, pharmacists to the Pharmacy Council and allied health professionals to the CPCM. Each council publishes separate forms for non-EU-trained applicants, so make sure you download the third-country version. Using an EU applicant's form is a common reason for an application to stall.
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   2. Get your English results in early

   Doctors need IELTS Academic with 7.5 overall and at least 6.5 in each part, or OET Medicine at grade B in all four parts, before they can sit the Medical Council's statutory examination. Nurses need IELTS Academic with an average of at least 6, or OET with B in speaking and at least C+ in writing, reading and listening. Check that your certificate will still be valid on the date you apply, and for doctors on the date of the examination.
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   3. Arrange primary source verification (nurses and midwives)

   Since 1 January 2025 the CNM requires every non-EU-trained applicant to send a primary source verification certificate from a reputable company with the application. Your diploma, transcripts and licence are checked directly with the issuing bodies, which takes time, so order it before you apply. A certificate of good standing is normally sent directly to the council by the body that issues it.
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   4. Submit a complete application to the council

   The Medical Council will only deal with an application once the form is fully completed with all requested documents; it also accepts applications online through its gov.mt registration service. The CNM charges a €192.50 application fee and says that if it asks for more documents you have 3 months to send them; after that the fee is not refunded and you must start again as a new application.
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   5. Sit the MCMSE or complete the nurses' bridging course

   Doctors and dentists whose qualification was not obtained in Malta or another EU state may be required to pass the Medical Council Malta Statutory Examination (MCMSE), and the council says you may sit it only twice. Non-EU-trained nurses must attend a non-EU nurses' bridging course, which the CNM lists as offered by MCAST, the University of Malta, IDEA Academy and APEX (Uniplural Group). Book a place early, because you cannot finish registration without it.
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   6. Receive time-limited registration

   If approved, non-EU-trained nurses and midwives are registered on a temporary first-level basis for 24 months. Doctors and dentists who are not EU citizens are entered in a register the Act limits to a maximum of two years at a time, with any conditions the council sets, and doctors may first be asked to serve as a house physician or surgeon. Keep a note of your expiry date from day one.
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   7. Get a job offer from a Maltese employer

   Registration gives you the right to seek work, not a job. Your employer must be registered with Jobsplus and must first advertise the post: Identità asks for proof of a Jobsplus and EURES advert of at least three weeks within the two months before the application, or two weeks on a local media platform for KEI, SEI, Blue Card and Skilled Occupation List roles.
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   8. Complete the pre-departure course and health screening

   Identità says all third-country nationals applying for a single permit for the first time need a Pre-Departure Course Certificate, which it has checked since 1 March 2026: two online modules and a 20-minute live online interview that checks your English, for a fee of €250. Some applicants also need health screening with the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit (IDCU), which says applications may take up to 15 working days and that you should book with Identità only after you have its approval.
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   9. Your employer applies for the single permit or KEI permit

   The employer applies online through the single permit portal and you confirm the details by email link. You need a passport valid for at least eight more months, a signed Europass CV, health insurance covering at least €100,000, your contract, accommodation documents and your qualifications with MQRIC recognition (or the MQRIC receipt). After an Approval in Principle letter you apply for a national (D) visa if your nationality needs one.
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    10. Renew registration and permit on time

    The CNM asks non-EU-trained nurses to apply for renewal one month before the expiry date on their registration certificate, with payslips, a reference from their supervisor and proof that they practised in Malta for the whole period. Single permits and KEI permits are renewed separately with Identità. Letting either lapse means you cannot lawfully keep working.

• Malta has two official languages, Maltese and English, and the councils run registration in English. The Health Care Professions Act limits language checks on EU-recognised professionals to one official language of Malta, and the non-EU requirements published by the Medical Council and the CNM ask for English evidence only.
• Doctors and dentists: the Medical Council accepts IELTS Academic with an overall band of 7.5 and no component below 6.5, or OET Medicine with grade B in all components. Results may be combined from no more than two certificates, both sat within one year, and certificates must be less than a year old when you submit them and still valid on the examination date.
• Nurses and midwives: the CNM will not accept a registration application without IELTS Academic with an average score of at least 6, or OET with B in speaking and at least C+ in writing, reading and listening. Certificates must be valid, not past their expiry, when the application is submitted.
• The Medical Council Malta Statutory Examination for doctors and dentists is held in English and is described in the Act as a professional and linguistic proficiency test, so English is assessed again within the exam itself.
• The pre-departure course that Identità requires for first-time single permit applicants includes a live online interview that checks English language proficiency.
• Maltese is not a registration requirement on the council pages we reviewed. Identità runs a Maltese Language and Culture Course for third-country nationals already living and working in Malta, covering basic Maltese, English and civic topics.

• Single permit

  The standard route under Subsidiary Legislation 217.17: a combined residence and work permit for employment of more than six months with a named employer and job. Only the employer can apply, through the single permit online portal. Identità lists the fee as €600 for a first permit and €150 a year on renewal, and says the law allows four months to process, with an average of about two months from a complete application.

• Key Employee Initiative (KEI)

  A fast track to the single permit for managerial or highly technical posts, which can include senior medical roles. You need a job offer with an annual gross salary of at least €45,000 and certified qualifications or proof of experience. Identità expects to process KEI applications in five working days; the permit lasts one year at first and can then be renewed for up to three years. The fee is €600, then €150 a year on renewal.

• Specialist Employee Initiative (SEI)

  A fast track for people who meet the single permit rules but not the KEI salary. You need a gross salary of at least €30,000 a year and either an MQF Level 6 qualification related to the job or a lower qualification plus at least three years of directly related experience. The fee is €600.

• EU Blue Card

  For highly qualified workers with a contract of at least six months and a salary of at least 1.5 times Malta's average gross annual salary, as published by the National Statistics Office. You need a higher education qualification from a course of at least three years. A first Blue Card lasts two years; if you lose your job you have three months to find another. The fee is €600 first time, then €150 a year.

• Entry visa and arrival

  Once the single permit is approved in principle, you apply for a long-stay (D) visa if your nationality requires one. Identità's visa page lists the employer's letter and either a Jobsplus employment licence or a valid Approval in Principle letter among the documents; an expired letter is not accepted. After arrival you follow the instructions in the letter to book biometrics with Identità.

• Family members

  Family reunification is a separate application under Subsidiary Legislation 217.06, with a €50 fee for new and renewal applications. Identità says Blue Card holders benefit from special rules for family reunification. Check the current eligibility conditions with Identità before your family plans to travel.

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

  You do not need a single permit. If your qualification is listed under the EU directive, the councils recognise it under the general EU rules, and the Act says decisions on recognition must be made within three months of a complete file, extendable by one month in some cases. You still register with the relevant council before you practise.

Public sector health workers in Malta are paid under government salary scales and sectoral agreements negotiated with the unions. We could not confirm a current official salary table for doctors or nurses from a government page that was accessible when we reviewed the sources, so we do not quote figures for those grades. The thresholds below are official, from Identità, and show the minimum salaries each permit route requires. Private hospitals set their own pay.

Yearly amounts

• Key Employee Initiative minimum

  €45,000 gross

  Identità KEI eligibility, 2026.

• Specialist Employee Initiative minimum

  €30,000 gross

  Identità SEI eligibility, 2026.

• EU Blue Card minimum: 1.5 times the average gross annual salary in MaltaAverage wage as published by the National Statistics Office.
• Public sector doctors and nurses: Set by government salary scales and sectoral agreementsCheck the salary scale stated in the official call for applications or your contract.
• Private hospitals and clinics: Set by employerNo national scale; check your offer and contract.