How the Pre-Departure Course works — the full process from registration to certificate

Create your account on the official Skills Pass portal. The Skills Pass How to Register page lists personal details, passport information, contact details and category-dependent uploads. Online learning takes place through the portal; interview attendance is described separately. See the registration page for the published account requirements and this guide’s preparation advice.

Identità and Home Affairs describe two online modules:

1. “Living and Working in Malta” — covering practical information about daily life, services, and culture.
2. “Rights and Obligations in the Workplace” — covering employment rights, obligations, and what you should know as a worker in Malta.

Both modules are followed by assessments. The Skills Pass FAQ also lists English-proficiency and occupation-related online examinations. This guide recommends completing all requirements shown in your official account before booking Phase 2.

Identità and Home Affairs allow up to 42 days for Part 1, which their descriptions include the interview in. The Tourism Skills Pass process page instead publishes 42 days for Phase 1 and a €50, 14-day extension for that window. These descriptions have different scopes and do not state whether the timer starts at registration or first login. This guide recommends confirming your account’s deadline and any extension eligibility with Skills Pass.

The Skills Pass FAQ and its “Obtaining the Skills Pass” page place interview booking after successful Phase 1 completion. Identità and Home Affairs describe a 20-minute live online interview, while the Skills Pass FAQ describes a 30-minute onsite interview at a VFS centre. Published assessment topics include:

• English-language proficiency — the official FAQ notes it is assessed “in both online as well as during the interview.”
• Understanding of the online assessment topics and responses to occupation-related scenarios — as described in the Skills Pass FAQ.

Identità and Home Affairs place the live online interview at ITS Malta or an authorised Global Assessment Centre and also use wording about in-person verification at a designated centre. The Skills Pass FAQ describes onsite attendance at a VFS centre; its “Obtaining the Skills Pass” page says the closest VFS centre. The pages do not explain how all these descriptions fit together. This guide recommends following your official booking instructions and asking Skills Pass to clarify any difference before travelling.

The Skills Pass FAQ says successful completion of Phase 1 and Phase 2 leads to the Pre-Departure Course certificate. Identità’s 28 February 2026 notice states that formal verification began on 1 March 2026 for covered new and still-abroad applicants, and lists exemptions. See the certificate page for issuance details and the published verification requirement.

The course is completed through Skills Pass, and Identità verifies the certificate for covered permit applications. Identità’s 28 February 2026 notice exempts current or former Single Permit holders unless applying again as first-time applicants after leaving the Schengen Area or through a Still Abroad application. It also exempts TCNs who have resided in Malta for eight years or more; it does not specify continuous residence. See who needs the course before registering, and ask Identità about uncertain eligibility.