Malta Pre-Departure Course: a plain-language, source-linked guide

Who needs the Pre-Departure Course

The course is aimed at third-country nationals applying for a Maltese Single Permit for the first time. Identità’s guidance describes it as a requirement for “all Third-Country Nationals (TCNs) applying for a Single Permit for the first time”, with the certificate becoming a mandatory part of that application.

Some applicants are described as exempt: people who currently hold, or have previously held, a Single Permit (subject to limited exceptions named on the official page), and third-country nationals who have already been resident in Malta for eight years or more. If you think you might fall into one of these categories, the official Identità Pre-Departure Course page is the authoritative source — check it directly rather than relying on a summary, including this one.

A separate, additional requirement — the Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass — applies only to people entering MTA-licensed hospitality roles. We cover how that relates to the Pre-Departure Course further down this page.

For a closer look at the eligibility rules, exemption groups, and how the certificate fits into your wider Single Permit application, see who needs the Pre-Departure Course and how it connects to the Single Permit.

How the course works

Official sources describe the course as having two main parts, completed through the Skills Pass portal:

1. Part 1 — two mandatory online modules: “Living and Working in Malta” and “Rights and Obligations in the Workplace”, each described as taking roughly 10–12 hours and including video lessons, reading materials, practice assignments, and an end-of-module assessment. Identità’s guidance gives candidates up to 42 days to finish this part after starting.
2. Phase 2 — a live interview: a roughly 20-minute live interview that checks English-language proficiency and your understanding of the course material. Identità describes this happening “at ITS Malta or authorised Global Assessment Centres”, while the Skills Pass FAQ describes attending “a short in-person interview at their closest VFS centre”. The exact venue can vary by candidate and booking, so treat your own registration confirmation as the authoritative word on where to go.

Registration for the whole process happens on the official Skills Pass portal at skillspass.org.mt, where you create an account, enter your details, upload the requested documents, and accept the terms before starting Part 1.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of registration, what to have ready beforehand, and what the live interview actually involves, see how registration works, what to prepare in advance, and the Phase 2 interview in detail.

What it costs — and where official figures differ

For the mandatory Pre-Departure Course, the official sources agree on the total: €250. The Skills Pass site breaks this down as “€245 + €5 (Phase 2 Booking Fee for Phase 2 Interview)”, while Identità states the figure directly as “the Pre-Departure Course fee is €250”. These two descriptions are consistent with each other — €245 plus the €5 booking fee adds up to €250.

Where the official pages genuinely disagree is on the price of the optional Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass add-on:

• The Skills Pass “obtaining the Skills Pass” page states the fee as “€230 (including €5 Booking Fee for Phase 2 Interview)”.
• The official Skills Pass FAQ instead states “Skills Pass is for the price of € 225.00”, and separately gives a combined total for doing both courses of “€475.00” — which would only be reached by adding €250 (the Pre-Departure Course total) and €225 (not €230).

In short: the mandatory course reliably costs €250. If your role also requires the Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass, budget somewhere in the €225–€230 range for that add-on (roughly €475–€480 combined) and confirm the exact figure on your registration screen before paying — the small gap between these two official figures looks like a difference in how the €5 booking fee is allocated, but neither page explains it directly, so we are not guessing at a reconciliation here.

The official FAQ is also direct about refunds: “If a candidate fails no refunds will be issued”, and refunds for withdrawals are described as being “up to senior management discretion”.

See the full cost breakdown for itemised tables covering both the mandatory course and the Skills Pass add-on, including the exact source quotes behind the figures above.

The certificate and the interview

Passing both parts of the course produces a digital certificate. Official pages describe the issuing system slightly differently — one Skills Pass page mentions certificates being managed “through Hyland, the official document and credential management system”, while the official FAQ says certificates “are issued digitally weekly through Blockcerts”. Whichever platform is current when you complete the course, what matters for your application is the certificate itself, which the FAQ describes as having “no expiry” once the whole process is complete.

From 1 March 2026, Identità says it will begin formally verifying this certificate as part of the work-permit application process — so applicants and employers are encouraged to gather all required documentation, including the certificate, well before that date to avoid processing delays.

The live interview itself focuses on two things: your spoken English and your grasp of what the online modules covered, often through short workplace scenario questions. The official FAQ notes that English proficiency is “assessed in both online as well as during the interview”, so the modules and the interview work together rather than as separate hurdles.

For more detail, see the certificate and the 1 March 2026 verification change and how to prepare for the Phase 2 interview.

Pre-Departure Course vs. the Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass

These are two related but distinct requirements, and official guidance is fairly clear about the difference:

• The Pre-Departure Course is, in the official FAQ’s own words, “Mandatory by Law” for every third-country national applying for a first-time Single Permit, regardless of industry.
• The Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass is an additional, sector-specific requirement that applies only, as the FAQ puts it, “if candidate will be working within the Hospitality Industry or with an establishment that has an MTA licence”. It is completed after — and on top of — the Pre-Departure Course, through the same portal.

If your job offer is outside tourism and hospitality, official guidance indicates you generally only need the Pre-Departure Course. If you’re unsure which category your role falls into, the safest step is to ask your employer or check directly with Identità or Skills Pass before you register and pay — that avoids registering for, and paying for, a course you may not need.

See the full side-by-side comparison for a detailed breakdown of legal status, cost, and sequencing.