Working in Malta from Nigeria: Visa, Permit, Costs (2026)

If you are living in Nigeria and looking for a legal path to work in Europe, Malta is an attractive choice because English is an official language. However, getting a work visa from Nigeria to Malta requires patience and strict attention to official steps. You must secure a job offer from an authorized employer first, and you must deal with real processing delays at both the Maltese immigration agency (Identità) and the visa application centre in Nigeria.

Malta actively hires foreign labor in skilled trades, construction, healthcare, and hospitality. However, waiting times for Nigerian applicants can be long, often ranging from three to six months or even longer due to background checks and visa appointments. If you need a faster route to Europe, countries like Poland or Romania sometimes process third-country worker permits with fewer delays, but Malta remains a top destination for English-speaking Nigerian workers who want to live and work legally in the EU.

The Official Route: Malta Single Permit

To work legally in Malta as a Nigerian national, you cannot apply for a general work visa on your own. You must go through the Single Permit process, managed by the Maltese government agency Identità in partnership with the national employment agency, Jobsplus.

This path combines your residence permit and work authorization into one card. Here is how the process works and who moves first:

• Employer applies first: Your prospective Maltese employer must submit an online application for your Single Permit while you are still in Nigeria. They must demonstrate to Jobsplus that the position could not be filled by a Maltese or EU citizen.
• Still-Abroad Application: Because you are applying from outside the European Union, your employer lodges a Still-Abroad Single Permit application on the Identità portal.
• Approval in Principle: If Identità approves the application, they issue an official Approval-in-Principle letter. This letter is not a visa, but it grants you authorization to apply for an entry visa at the visa centre in Nigeria.
• National Type D Visa: Once you receive the Approval-in-Principle letter from your employer, you apply for a National Long-Stay Visa (Type D) to travel to Malta.

Where to Apply in Nigeria

You do not travel to Malta to apply, nor do you visit an embassy in another country. After your employer secures your Approval-in-Principle letter from Identità, you must submit your visa paperwork inside Nigeria.

Maltese visa processing for Nigerian residents is handled through an authorized visa application centre, such as VFS Global, with locations in Abuja and Lagos. You must book an appointment online, submit your physical application forms and original documents, pay the visa processing fees, and enrol your biometric data (fingerprints and facial photograph).

Never pay an unverified agent who claims they can hand-deliver your file to an embassy official. Official submissions happen only through the recognized visa application centre serving Nigeria.

Required Documents and Legalisation

Preparing your documents correctly is the most important part of the application. Missing or unverified documents from Nigeria will cause visa delays or immediate refusals.

• Signed Employment Contract: A binding job offer signed by you and your Maltese employer, stating your job title, working hours, and fixed salary.
• Approval-in-Principle Letter: The official document issued directly by Identità in Malta to your employer.
• Valid International Passport: Your passport must be valid for at least three to six months beyond your planned stay and contain blank visa pages.
• Police Character Certificate: You must obtain a central police clearance certificate from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
• Legalisation at MFA Abuja: Malta requires your Nigerian documents, specifically your Police Character Certificate and relevant qualification certificates, to be authenticated and legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Abuja.
• Proof of Qualifications and Experience: Trade certificates, apprenticeship records, or signed reference letters from previous employers in Nigeria proving you can do the job.
• Travel Health Insurance: Coverage for emergency medical treatment and hospitalization in Malta for the initial months of your stay.
• Proof of Accommodation: A lease agreement or accommodation declaration from your employer showing where you will stay upon arriving in Malta.

Official Fees and Costs in Nigeria

Moving to Malta involves both official government fees and local preparation costs in Nigeria. Currency values fluctuate, so keep these figures in mind as rough guidelines.

Official Malta Permits and Visa Fees:

• Single Permit Application Fee: Approximately 280 EUR to 300 EUR, usually paid online to Identità when the employer lodges the file.
• National Long-Stay Visa (Type D) Fee: Approximately 80 EUR to 100 EUR, paid at the visa application centre in Nigeria, plus local service fees of approximately 30,000 NGN to 50,000 NGN.
• Processing Time: Expect approximately 3 to 6 months from the time your employer files online to the day your visa is issued.

Costs Paid on the Nigeria Side:

• NPF Police Character Certificate: Approximately 40,000 NGN to 80,000 NGN depending on location and processing speed.
• MFA Legalisation in Abuja: Approximately 15,000 NGN to 35,000 NGN per document.
• Medical Screening: Approximately 50,000 NGN to 100,000 NGN at approved medical clinics.
• Flight Ticket to Malta: Approximately 800 EUR to 1,500 EUR (around 1,200,000 NGN to 2,200,000 NGN depending on airline and season).

Recruitment Fees and Job Scams

In Malta and across the European Union, it is illegal for employers or recruitment agencies to charge job seekers a fee for securing a job. The employer is legally required to cover the costs of recruitment. You can verify employment rules with Malta's Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) if you are unsure.

Be extremely cautious of agents in Nigeria who demand millions of Naira as a processing fee, job guarantee fee, or visa slot deposit. Scammers often create fake job offer letters using stolen company logos. Real Maltese employers interview candidates directly via video calls, issue valid contracts, and pay the main application fees directly to Identità.

In-Demand Trades in Malta Right Now

Malta relies on international workers to support its growing infrastructure, health services, and tourism industry. Here are three trades actively hiring:

• Caregivers and Care Assistants: Private nursing facilities and residential care homes in Malta frequently recruit trained caregivers to assist elderly and vulnerable residents.
• Construction Workers and Welders: Commercial building projects across the island generate steady demand for experienced welders, masons, and general construction workers.
• Hospitality and Kitchen Staff: Malta's large tourism sector creates regular openings for cooks, kitchen helpers, housekeepers, and food service staff.

Myths vs facts

• Myth: You can travel to Malta on a visitor visa and convert it to a work permit after arriving.
  Fact: Working on a tourist visa is illegal in Malta and can lead to immediate deportation, detention, and a ban from entering the Schengen zone. You must receive your Single Permit approval before you travel.
• Myth: Paying a private agent in Nigeria guarantees you a Maltese work visa.
  Fact: Only the Maltese government and immigration officials can approve a permit or visa. No agent or intermediary has the power to guarantee a visa outcome.
• Myth: You can apply for a Malta Single Permit on your own without an employer offer.
  Fact: The Single Permit application requires an active, registered Maltese employer who acts as your official sponsor.
• Myth: Employers in Europe will pay for your passport and local document attestations in Nigeria.
  Fact: While employers cover job filing fees in Malta, you are responsible for paying your own personal expenses in Nigeria, such as passport fees, medical tests, and document legalisation.

Before you sign

Before you sign a contract or pay for your local Nigerian logistics, review this checklist:

• Verify the company: Check that the Maltese employer is registered on the Malta Business Registry (MBR) website and has a physical business location in Malta.
• Review salary and hours: Make sure your written contract states your exact basic salary, weekly working hours, and overtime rates.
• Confirm housing arrangements: Check whether housing is provided by the employer or if you are responsible for finding your own rental apartment.
• Legalise your documents early: Get your NPF Police Character Certificate authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja well before your visa appointment.
• Never pay for a job offer: Walk away if anyone asks you to pay money in exchange for an employment contract.

Build Your Workuro Profile Today

If you are ready to work legally in Malta, start by making your skills visible to legitimate European employers. Create your profile on Workuro and include your trade qualifications, practical work experience in Nigeria or abroad, your level of English proficiency, and whether your passport and police clearance are ready.

When companies in Malta search Workuro for skilled workers, having an organized profile makes it simple for them to contact you directly, conduct interviews, and start your official Single Permit paperwork.

Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.