Malta in the Schengen area
Entry documents, borders and short-stay rules
Documents to enter Malta
What you show at the border depends on your citizenship, not on which Schengen country you enter — arriving in Malta opens the whole area.
EU, EEA & Swiss citizens
Cross with a passport or national ID card. Free movement: the 90/180 limit doesn’t apply to you.
Visa-exempt visitors
Enter with a passport (valid 3+ months beyond departure, issued within 10 years) for up to 90 days in any 180. EES registers you biometrically at the border; the ETIAS authorisation comes next.
Visa-required passports
Apply for a uniform short-stay (type C) Schengen visa before travelling — one visa covers Malta and every other member.
Borders of Malta
Malta has no land borders — arrivals come by air or sea, through an external border check unless you travel from inside the area.
Visas Malta's consulates issued in 2025
In 2025, consulates run by Malta across 20 countries and 25 posts received 54,037 short-stay visa applications. 33,140 visas were issued and 38.7% of applications were refused. These are the totals for Malta's own consulates worldwide, counted by the office that handled each application — not by where applicants come from.
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