Employing someone who needs the Pre-Departure Course — an employer's guide

Your role, in two separate parts

It helps to keep these apart, because they happen on different systems and at different points in your new hire’s timeline:

• Registering the candidate for the course. In the Skills Pass system, employers or establishments often initiate registration before the candidate enrols — see how registration works for the exact walkthrough. Whoever registers, the 42-day Phase 1 clock starts from that registration date.
• Submitting the Single Permit application. This is a separate process, at Identità, from the Pre-Departure Course itself. Identità’s guidance states plainly that “Single Permit applications may only be submitted by the employer”, with one narrow exception: live-in carers, who “may apply directly, provided that the application is endorsed by the employer”. See how the certificate fits into the Single Permit application for the rest of that relationship.

What your new hire needs to do before they arrive

1. Confirm the requirement actually applies to them — most first-time Single Permit applicants need it, but there are exemptions. See who needs the Pre-Departure Course.
2. Register on the official Skills Pass portal with a passport copy and a passport-size photo — see the full documents checklist.
3. Complete the two Phase 1 online modules — “Living and Working in Malta” and “Rights and Obligations in the Workplace” — within the 42-day window.
4. Book and attend the Phase 2 live interview.
5. Receive the digital certificate and keep it ready to include with the Single Permit application — see what the certificate covers.

The timeline you should plan around

Once registered, official materials describe a 42-day window to complete both Phase 1 modules — starting at registration, not at first login. Realistically, budget 6–10 weeks from registration to certificate if Phase 1 is completed promptly and the Phase 2 interview is booked without delay. See the full timeline breakdown for how each stage adds up, and factor in Identità’s 1 March 2026 verification date if your hire’s Single Permit application will land on or after it — having the certificate ready in advance avoids a documentation-driven delay at that step.

If the 42-day window is missed

Official materials describe Phase 1 as needing to be completed within 42 days of registration, and they do not describe an automatic extension if that window is missed. If it looks like your new hire will run out of time, the most useful thing you can do is encourage them to contact the Skills Pass team as soon as possible — ideally before day 42, not after. This guide cannot extend a deadline or intervene on their behalf; only Skills Pass can. See common portal problems for this and other situations that come up during the course.

If the employer changes mid-course

This comes up more often than it might seem: a candidate is registered by one employer, then changes jobs before finishing the course or receiving the certificate. Official materials do not describe an automatic process for updating employer details mid-course — the guidance is simply to contact the Skills Pass team promptly if this happens, rather than assuming the record updates itself. If you are taking on someone who started the course under a previous employer, it is worth having them confirm their registration details with Skills Pass before you rely on a certificate they expect to receive.

Verifying a certificate you’re shown

If a new hire presents a Pre-Departure Course certificate, official materials describe it as verifiable through the portal where it was issued — ask for the official digital document itself, not a screenshot. Official sources describe the certificate as coming from a “secure document and credential management system”; if you cannot verify a certificate you have been shown, direct the check to the official Skills Pass portal rather than accepting it on trust.

Where the official process actually happens

Every action described above — registration, course completion, payment, and certificate issuance — happens on the official Skills Pass portal, and the Single Permit application itself happens through Identità. Malta Pre-Departure Course does not register candidates, collect payment, or verify certificates; it only explains what the official materials say so you can plan with fewer surprises.