What are the Malta travel restrictions?

All travellers:

Before visiting Malta, all passengers must complete the Passenger Locator Formula. On arrival in Malta, you must show the QR Code (verifiable 2D-barcode) from your email confirmation to airline officials. Please complete the forms before departing.

For travel purposes, it is best not to use the NHS to test for a passport. You should take a private exam.

For more information about entry requirements, please visit the Maltese Government website. The Maltese Govt will frequently review the list to see if prior testing is necessary.

There may be cancellations at short notice for scheduled flights. You can check the Malta Airport website for more information or call your airline to verify the status of your flights.

If you have been fully vaccinated:

The Maltese authorities require that all international arrivals from the United Kingdom present proof to prove they have received the full vaccine. This must be proof that you received a full dose of vaccines at least 14 days before arriving in Malta. Suppose you are in England or Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales or Northern Ireland. In that case, Malta will accept your COVID certificate from the UK (both the digital version and the letter versions) as proof that you have been vaccinated. You must have a 2D barcode (QR Code) on your digital certificate. Your NHS appointment card at vaccination centres should not be used as proof or documentation of vaccination.

You can now accept EU digital COVID certificates if you have had your vaccinations administered in the EU.

If you received your vaccinations from a country where only one dose is available after COVID-19 treatment, and the Maltese authorities accept it, you may enter Malta if your certificate demonstrates that you have had your COVID treatment for at least six months and one dose EMA-approved vaccine.

The Maltese will accept your Maltese-issued certificates of vaccination starting January 17, 2022. The validity of vaccine certificates for Maltese residents returning from Malta is subject to a grace period. Maltese-issued, valid vaccination certificates are exempted for pre-travel testing or self-isolation.

British Nationals holding a valid Maltese citizenship card will be allowed to temporarily exempt themselves from the requirement to have their vaccine certificate valid. This allows them entry to Malta with all the vaccine certification requirements that were in place before January 17 2022. If you don’t have a valid vaccine certificate after February 1 2022, you will be asked for a 14-day quarantine upon your arrival.

British nationals with a valid Maltese citizenship card who have been abroad since January 17 2022, are exempted from quarantine. As long as they present a certificate with a primary vaccine schedule and a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arriving in Malta, and make an appointment to receive a booster vaccination within five working days, they will be exempted. This exemption does not apply to those returning from the dark red.

The guidelines issued by Maltese authorities will help you determine if the Malta government considers you fully vaccinated.

Evidence of vaccination status

To enter Malta, proof must be presented that you have been properly vaccinated.

For entry to Malta, you will need the NHSCOVID Pass. This will allow you to prove that your records are up-to-date.

If you aren’t fully vaccinated

If you do not have a full vaccination certificate, you will be required to provide evidence of a PCR test dated within 72 hours before arrival, and quarantine for 14 days on arrival at an officially-designated quarantine hotel.

British Nationals who possess a valid Maltese citizenship card and have not received a full vaccine certificate may request prior authorization to quarantine for 14 days at your residence or preferred address. You must submit an application at https://travelauthorisation.gov.mt/ at least ten days prior to your arrival in Malta. You will be asked to produce evidence of a PCR test that was conducted within 72hrs before your arrival.

If you’ve had COVID-19 during the past year

If you’re travelling to Malta, you can’t use the UK proof COVID-19-recovery record, which certifies that you have recovered COVID-19 over the last 6 months.

Young people and children

Children aged 5 to 11 years can travel if accompanied by their vaccinated parent/legal guardian. Tests are not necessary for children younger than 5. Children 12-18 years of age can travel only if they show proof that they have been fully vaccinated. Children 12 years and older who don’t have a vaccine certificate can travel, provided they have proof of full vaccination.

If you’re travelling through Malta

All arriving passengers in Malta will need to present proof of vaccination. Depending on your travel history in the last 14 days, you might be required to quarantine.

If you have not visited the UK in 14 days, there may be entry requirements.

Malta has a traffic light system for international arrivals. The list is broken into countries and countries. You can travel to Malta from any red zone country as long as you have lived there for at most 14 days.

A permit from the Maltese authorities is required to travel to Malta if you are from a dark-red listed country. For further information, please contact the nearest Maltese High Commission and Embassy.

Exemptions

Compassionate reasons

Certain very limited exceptions may be granted to the rules, as determined by Maltese authorities in the health sector.

Before you travel, be sure to verify your passport and travel documents.

Passport validity

You must be aware of the Schengen requirements if you intend to travel within the EU (except Ireland), Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Andorra.

There are 2 requirements for your passport to be valid. It must satisfy the following conditions

• It is less than 10 years old when you enter the program (check the date of issue’).
• Valid for at the very least 3 months starting on the day you plan your departure (check the expiry date’).

We are asking for clarification from the European Commission on the 10-year rule. Their guidance regarding Schengen border guards may not get updated until 2022. For some Schengen country passports, it may be necessary to be less than 10 years old throughout your visit. Also, the 3 month period at the end of your stay may need to be within 10 years of the issue date of your passport.

Double-check the expiry date as well as the issue date of the passport. An extra month may have been added to your passport’s expiry if you renewed your passport before it expired. This could result in your passport needing to be less than 10 years old.

If you think your passport does not comply with these requirements, speak to your travel provider. Renewal of your passport if needed.

Visas

You can travel within Schengen to any country for up to 90% of a 180-day span without obtaining a visa. This applies whether you are visiting relatives or friends or if your purpose is to travel as a tourist.

If you plan to travel to Malta or any other Schengen country, please make sure that your entire trip is within the 90-day period. The 90-day period includes any visits to Schengen Countries within the 180 days prior to your departure.

You must meet the Maltese government’s entry requirements to stay longer, study, work, or travel for other reasons. Ask the Maltese High Commission about which visas and/or work permits you may require.

If you are visiting Malta to work, please read the guide on visas/permits.

It does not count toward your 90-day visa-free limit if you are a resident permit holder or long-stay visitor to Malta.

Passport stamping

Your passport must be stamped before you enter the Schengen Area as a visitor. To ensure that you stay within the Schengen area’s 90-day visa-free period, border guards may use passport stamps. Border guards can assume that you have violated your visa-free time limit if they do not find the appropriate entry or exit stamps in your passport.

You can present evidence to prove when and where your entry or exit from the Schengen zone. The border guards may ask you to add this date/location to your passport. Acceptable evidence includes tickets and boarding passes.

You might also want to:

• Show a Return or Onward ticket
• Please show that you have sufficient money to pay for your stay

For information on passport stamping, visit the Living and Working in Malta guide.

Requests for Yellow Fever Certificates

You can find out if you need a yellow fever certificate at the National Travel Health Network and Centre’s TravelHealthPro web page.

UK Emergency Travel Documents

UK Emergency travel documents are accepted for entry, airside transport and exit to Malta.

Top Places to See in Malta

This small archipelago boasts so much diversity that it is hard to believe how they are able to pack it all in. Many cultures have been influencing and mixing each other for many generations. It will be hard to classify anything in this area. Maltese cuisine, for instance, is a combination between Middle Eastern and Sicilian. You will also find a mix of modern life and prehistoric life. There are plenty of places to find small pockets of time that you will think you’ve travelled back in history. Although the most popular asset is the magnificent deep blue water, Red-gold beaches with limestone cliffs, sheltered areas, and every type of sailing vessel are all the reasons to visit Malta. Here’s a list of the top places in Malta.

Valletta

Thanks to the famous defeat of the Ottoman Turks under the Great Siege of 1565, Valletta was named the capital city of Malta. The entire town, with a population of approximately 6000, was built on a peninsula located in the eastern portion of the country. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is perched on Mount Sceberras. This town has stunning examples of baroque architecture from the 16th and 17th centuries. St. John’s Cathedral (and other auberges’, bastions) are some of the most notable. They were all built by Knights of St. John. Valletta is Malta’s largest harbour city. You can see the Grand Harbour from The Upper Barrakka Gardens. The Maltese Carnival, which is three days long, is worth experiencing if you are able.

Julians

St. Julians is for those looking for a more active nightlife scene. This resort town, known for its entertaining ability, is alive and well with late-night entertainment. St. Julians contains Portomaso. Spinola Bay. St. George’s Bay. Paceville is where you’ll find the most action. The beaches are perfect for beach bums, and the flat rocks along the coast make for great sunbathing spots. Additionally, the promenade on the seafront makes for a nice place to take a walk. Portomaso Tower in Malta is the tallest, and Spinola Palace (17th century) is also located here. Enjoy the summer festa in August or visit any time for exceptional dancing, fine food, and wine.

Sliema

Sliema is just 5 km from Valletta. This Maltese town is known for its delicious food and incredible shopping. It is the country’s main resort, but it was once the place of choice for the country’s aristocracy. A lot of Maltese and ex-pats live here. There are many boat trips available around Grand Harbour. Sliema can be used as a starting point for hop on/off sightseeing tours that cover the entire island. Visit the Independence Garden in town and the De Redin tower (17th century).

Gozo

Gozo is an island located off the coast of Malta. Tourists travel to Gozo for a day to visit sites like the Temples of Ggantija or Inland Sea, The Citadel, The Citadel, and The Azure Window. Gozo is a mainly fishing and farming community, and people love the villages Xlendi & Marsalforn. A pleasant afternoon spent on the island wandering through its many villages will give you a sense of traditional Malta. The ferry is the most popular way to arrive, but if you are looking for something more exciting, then consider taking a seaplane.

National Museum of Archaeology

The museum is located in Valletta at the Auberge de Provence. There’s so much history in Malta. Here you can get an introduction and context for most of the places you’ll be visiting as you travel around the country. You can see Venus of Malta, Hal-Saflieni Hypogeum’s Sleeping Lady and bronze daggers of Tarxien Temples. And the Horus/Anubis pendant of Phoenician. It is the largest Baroque building in the capital and contains information about the lives and art of the first island dwellers.

Travelling back to the UK

If you are travelling to England from an overseas country, you:

• COVID-19 exams are not necessary before you travel or after.
• It is not necessary to fill out an application. UK passenger locator form
• When you arrive, there is no need for you to quarantine

This applies regardless if you are vaccinated.

It includes people who are passing through England.

You must follow all instructions given to you by your travel provider.

It is possible that other countries have different rules regarding what you should do to get out of your country in order to travel to England. Make sure to read the travel advice from the country you are visiting.