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

Step 1 — create your account on the official portal

Everything happens through the official Skills Pass portal. You create a single account that you use throughout the entire process. Official materials describe the registration form as collecting personal details, passport information, and contact details. See the registration page for a full list of what the portal needs and how to avoid delays at this stage.

Step 2 — Phase 1: the two online modules (42-day window)

After registering, you have a 42-day window in which to complete 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 have content to work through and then an assessment. The 42-day window runs from registration, not from your first login — so starting the modules promptly after registering is the right approach. A 14-day extension is available at €50 if you need more time.

Step 3 — Phase 2: the live interview

Once both modules are completed, you book a Phase 2 interview. Identità describes this as a 20-minute live online interview, while the Skills Pass FAQ describes an onsite interview of roughly 30 minutes. Two things are assessed:

• English-language proficiency — the official FAQ notes it is assessed “in both online as well as during the interview.”
• Understanding of the module content — via short workplace-scenario questions based on what you covered online.

Identità’s guidance places the live online interview at “ITS Malta or authorised Global Assessment Centres” and also mentions an in-person verification interview at a designated assessment centre worldwide; the official Skills Pass FAQ instead describes an onsite interview at the candidate’s closest VFS centre. Both descriptions are reproduced here as published. Your own booking confirmation is the definitive word on where to go.

Step 4 — your certificate

Passing Phase 2 completes the course. The certificate is issued through the Skills Pass portal. From 1 March 2026, Identità began verifying this certificate as part of the Single Permit application process — meaning the certificate is now a genuine gatekeeping document, not an administrative formality. See the certificate page for what the document contains and how verification works.

The Single Permit connection

The Pre-Departure Course is a requirement for the Single Permit — but it is not administered by Identità directly. You complete the course through Skills Pass and bring the certificate to the permit process. Identità’s published guidance sets out which applicants are exempt (existing Single Permit holders, those with 8 or more years of continuous residence in Malta) — if in doubt about whether the course applies to you, see who needs the course before registering.