Malta Student Visa: Requirements & How to Apply

Below: the full requirements checklist, the two-stage funds rule that catches genuine students, the fees, insurance and TB rules, a step-by-step guide, an honest note on Malta’s tough Schengen refusal record, and your work and post-study rights.

Who this is for. This page is for students from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa and across Africa applying for the Malta student visa (the National Long-Stay D visa, mandatory since 1 March 2024 for courses over three months). For the full first-year budget in your currency, see our cost of studying in Malta breakdown.

Malta student visa requirements (checklist)

To get a Malta student visa you must hold a confirmed, full-time place at an MFHEA-licensed institution in a course recognised at MQF level 5 or above. In plain terms, you need:

• An acceptance/enrolment letter from a licensed Maltese institution — the University of Malta, MCAST, ITS, or a properly MFHEA-licensed private college — with the course details and proof you’ve paid (or part-paid) your fees.
• Proof of funds — a 3-month bank statement plus a bank certificate showing at least 75% of the national minimum wage for every month of study (about €746/month at the 2026 wage).
• Medical insurance — Schengen-valid cover of at least €30,000 for the visa stage.
• A valid passport — valid at least 10 months beyond your application, with blank pages.
• The visa fee paid — about €100 for applicants aged 12 and over.
• Proof of accommodation for your first nights (commonly 14 nights’ booking) and a return/onward flight reservation.
• A TB chest X-ray and immunisation certificate — completed after arrival, within four weeks, for students from high-risk TB countries (most African origins).

Each of these is explained below. The two details that trip up genuine African students most are the two-stage funds rule and Malta’s strict scrutiny of bank evidence — so read those sections carefully.

Pick an MFHEA-licensed institution first

Your visa rests on where you’re enrolled. Malta only issues a student visa for a full-time course at an MFHEA-licensed institution, recognised by MQRIC (Malta’s qualification-recognition centre) at MQF level 5 or higher. Key things to know:

• The safest, lowest-risk providers are the public institutions — the University of Malta, MCAST and the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS).
• Malta has tightened scrutiny of bogus colleges and student-visa abuse. If a college cannot show its MFHEA licence and an accredited programme, treat it as a red flag — that is exactly the kind of provider we screen out.
• There is no APS for Malta (that is a Germany-only check). Credential recognition runs through MQRIC, and your Maltese course must be MQRIC-recognised for the residence permit.

If you’re still choosing where to study, start with our study in Malta from Africa hub, then see how our application support works.

Proof of funds & the two-stage rule

After your acceptance letter, money is where most applications are won or lost — and Malta checks it twice, at different amounts:

The trap is that the two figures are different. The lower ~€746/month gets you the entry visa; the higher €950/month (excluding tuition) is checked again in Malta for the residence permit you must apply for within your first 90 days. Budget to the higher figure from the start so you’re not caught short after you land.

A few details that catch African applicants out:

• The funds can be in your own account (statement + bank certificate + a copy of your international Visa/Mastercard) or a sponsor’s account (their 3-month statement + a signed declaration + their ID).
• The University of Malta states plainly that these minimums are not enough to actually live on — realistic living costs run closer to €1,200–1,600/month. See our cost of studying in Malta page for the real budget.
• Show clean, well-documented funds. For the principle behind what counts as acceptable evidence, read our proof of funds for a student visa guide.

This is the single most common reason a genuine student runs into trouble — so we review every applicant’s statements against both stages before submission.

Fees: visa and residence permit

There are two official charges, paid at two different stages:

• Some agents quote a single “€300 premium residence” figure. We could not confirm that against the official Identità schedule — the verified fees are the €100 D-visa and the €50 e-Residence permit. Treat any higher “premium” figure as unconfirmed until checked on the day.
• Beyond these, budget for your medical insurance, the TB screening on arrival, MQRIC credential recognition (€15–€65) and VFS service charges.

For the full first-year cost in Naira, Cedi, Shilling and other currencies, see our cost of studying in Malta guide. (EUR figures are from Identità and the University of Malta; re-check on the day you apply, as fees and the minimum wage are uprated.)

Medical insurance (two stages)

Like the funds, insurance is checked twice:

• For the entry D-visa: Schengen-valid medical and travel insurance with minimum €30,000 cover, valid for study from the day you enter.
• For the residence permit: students at the University of Malta, MCAST or ITS are exempt from the private-insurance requirement; students at private colleges need €100,000 cover for the whole stay.

Typical student plans run roughly €180–250/year through university-partnered schemes, or €300–600/year with Maltese insurers (indicative ranges — confirm a current quote). Choosing a public institution can remove the residence-stage insurance cost entirely — another reason the public route is lower-risk for many African applicants.

TB and medical screening on arrival

Unlike the UK, Malta’s tuberculosis check is done after you arrive, not before you fly:

• All third-country nationals provide an immunisation certificate.
• Students born in, or who lived 6+ months in, a high- or very-high-risk TB country (most African origins) must have a chest X-ray (TB screening) within four weeks of arrival.

This is part of the residence-permit and enrolment process, so build it into your first month’s plan rather than your pre-departure checklist.

Step-by-step: how to apply for a Malta student visa

1. Get your acceptance letter. Apply directly to an MFHEA-licensed institution (Malta has no UCAS-style central system), meet the conditions, and pay or part-pay your tuition so your enrolment letter shows proof of payment.
2. Prepare your funds evidence. Get a 3-month bank statement plus a bank certificate showing at least ~€746/month (about 75% of the minimum wage) for the visa — and plan for the €950/month residence stage.
3. Buy your insurance. Take out Schengen-valid medical cover of at least €30,000 for the visa stage.
4. Sort accommodation and flights. Book your first nights (commonly 14) and a return/onward flight reservation.
5. Apply at VFS at least nine weeks before your course starts. Submit the National Long-Stay D-visa application with your passport (valid ≥10 months), enrolment letter, funds, insurance, accommodation and flights, and pay the ~€100 fee.
6. Travel to Malta once the D-visa is granted, before your course begins.
7. Apply for your e-Residence permit in Malta within your first 90 days, online via the Expatriates Unit portal and in person — pay the €50 fee, give your biometrics, prove €950/month funds, and complete your TB screening within four weeks of arrival.

Want a second pair of eyes before you submit? See how we help with Malta applications — we check your funds against both stages first.

Honest note: Malta’s Schengen refusal record

We won’t pretend Malta is an easy visa. Malta has historically been one of the stricter Schengen processors — with a reputation for high short-stay (Schengen-C) refusal rates — and it has actively tightened scrutiny of student-visa abuse and bogus colleges. (Note: Malta does not publish a separate refusal rate for the National “D” study visa, so beware any specific percentage quoted as the “Malta student visa refusal rate” — the circulating figures are short-stay Schengen aggregates, not study-visa data.) That means borderline applications — vague enrolment, thin funds, an unlicensed college — get refused.

What it does not mean is that genuine, well-prepared students can’t succeed. The way to strengthen a Malta application is concrete:

• Enrol at an MFHEA-licensed institution (ideally a public one) and keep the licence and accreditation on file.
• Over-prepare your funds to the higher €950/month residence figure, with a clean 3-month history and a proper bank certificate.
• Document a coherent study plan — why this course, this institution, this country — so the genuine-student test is easy to pass.
• File early (nine-plus weeks out) so a request for extra documents doesn’t blow your start date.

We guide African students through the Malta student visa honestly — real costs, real licensing checks, and no inflated promises. Our core guidance is free; you only pay if you choose our optional premium visa support.

Talk to a World Study advisor on WhatsApp or take the free 2-minute eligibility check → to have your college, funds and documents checked before you apply.

Work during study & after you graduate

• Working while you study: non-EU students can work up to 20 hours per week, but only after the e-Residence permit is issued — not on the entry visa alone. Access runs through Jobsplus.
• After you graduate: master’s and doctoral (MQF 7/8) graduates can apply for a “Graduate Seeking Employment” residence permit, reported at around 12 months, to look for work. Bachelor’s graduates have a weaker post-study pathway — Malta has no UK-style automatic graduate route, so verify your eligibility per case before you rely on it.

For how these rights affect your overall budget and value, see the cost of studying in Malta page.