Mandatory skills pass for Maltese and EU nationals deferred for a year

The Government is deferring the introduction of the mandatory skills pass for Maltese and EU nationals, from the originally planned date of 1st January 2026, to 1st January 2027.

The skills pass was introduced in May 2024 as part of a plan to “gradually augment the quality of human resources in the tourism industry”, in line with the Malta Tourism Strategy 2021-2030. 

It has since secured skills pass accreditation to over 13,000 workers in the catering and hospitality sectors.

The Association of Catering Establishments (ACE) welcomed the decision to defer the introduction.

“After weeks of discussions with The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism (MFT) and The Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, the Association of Catering Establishment (ACE) positively welcomes Government’s postponement of the iSkills Pass by a year for local and EU citizens,” Matthew Pace, Secretary of ACE said.

“ACE would like to thank all relevant authorities for their understanding on such a delicate matter. The association feels that such decision will surely alleviate the huge human resource challenge the industry is already facing on a day-to-day basis.”

This move, according to a statement, opens new opportunities for the Government to extend the success of the skills pass to other industries, beyond tourism and hospitality.

Non-EU nationals need to obtain a skills pass – assessing their level of English, knowledge about Malta’s tourism offering, and basic hospitality skills – before they are allowed to work in Malta.

Since May 2024, non-EU job seekers started being able to enrol in a mandatory online course covering English language proficiency, customer care, general hospitality practices, and knowledge of Malta’s tourist offerings. This online course, delivered by AI instructors, carries a fee of €450.

Upon successful completion of the online modules, applicants participate in an online verification interview.

Passing this interview, which comes with an extra €125 skills pass fee, is mandatory for employment in hotels, bars, restaurants, kitchens, housekeeping, and front office roles.