Your Moving to Malta Checklist

I'm Vincent, I live in St Julian's and I've watched a lot of people make this move, so this is the checklist I wish everyone had before landing. Download the PDF version to print and tick things off as you go, or just work through it right here. Each item links to the full guide on the site when you need the detail.

6 months before

• Confirm your visa route. EU citizens just register their residence once they're living here (the obligation kicks in beyond three months); non-EU citizens need a route sorted before flying, such as the Nomad Residence Permit (gross income of at least €42,000 a year from outside Malta) or a single permit via an employer. Americans, read the moving from the USA guide first.
• Research neighbourhoods with where to live in Malta: Sliema/St Julian's for the expat core, Gzira/Msida for value, central towns for space, Gozo for quiet.
• Email international schools now if you have children; the popular ones (roughly €4,000-12,000 a year) fill up fast, and Verdala in particular can carry a waitlist beyond a year.
• Open a Revolut or Wise account. You get a European IBAN immediately that handles salary, rent and direct debits while a Maltese bank grinds for weeks.
• Budget €3,000-5,000 up front for deposit, agency fee, furnishing and setup, on top of the monthly numbers in the cost of living guide.
• Renew your EHIC/GHIC card if you're from the EU; a replacement is free but can take weeks.
• Stock up on at least three months of prescription medication and get dental work done at home (a filling here runs €80-150, entirely private).
• Request a medical-history summary with generic drug names from your doctor.
• Start pet paperwork if applicable: microchip, rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel, EU pet passport or the non-EU equivalent. Begin at least four months out.

3 months before

• Hunt for an apartment remotely via Facebook groups (owners direct, no fee) or agencies like Quicklets and Dhalia (half a month to a month's rent). Always get a live video walkthrough, check the street on Street View, and confirm the bedrooms have modern, working AC.
• Sign nothing without a written contract registered with the Housing Authority; an unregistered lease leaves you with essentially no rights. Details in the renting guide.
• Apostille your birth certificate (and marriage certificate if relevant) in your home country now. It costs about €10-30 and takes days at home; done from Malta it takes weeks and ruins timelines.
• Check your passport is valid at least six months beyond arrival; renew if it's close.
• Decide what to ship: if you can buy it in Malta at a reasonable price, don't ship it. A full container from mainland Europe runs €1,500-3,000, courier boxes €100-300 each.
• Remember Malta uses UK-style Type G plugs at 230V. Buy new chargers here for a couple of euros; 120V appliances with motors or heating elements won't run properly even with an adapter.
• Get an International Driving Permit if you're from outside the EU.

1 month before

• Tell your bank you're moving abroad, or their fraud system freezes your card on your first Maltese transaction.
• Notify your pension provider and cancel or adjust home and car insurance.
• Cancel subscriptions that won't travel, and set up mail redirection for final bills.
• Keep your home phone number active; you'll need it for two-factor authentication until your Maltese number is live.
• Pack mostly summer clothes plus warm layers and a real rain jacket for the December-to-February damp, sunscreen (pricey locally), your usual over-the-counter medicines, and all important documents in your hand luggage, never the hold.
• Download the day-one apps: Tallinja (buses), Bolt (Malta has Bolt, not Uber), Wolt, and Revolut or Wise.

First week in Malta

• Buy a prepaid SIM from GO, Epic or Melita with just your passport; plans start around €10-15 a month. Comparison in the telecom guide.
• Register for your tax number and social security with the MTCA; bring passport, residence documentation and proof of employment or self-employment.
• Register with a GP: the public system via your local health centre, and a private GP (about €15-30 a visit) for quick everyday appointments. See the healthcare guide.
• Start the Maltese bank account (Bank of Valletta or HSBC) knowing it typically takes four to eight weeks; live off Revolut or Wise meanwhile, as the personal banking guide explains.
• Book your Identità appointment online for the residence card: the EU eResidence document follows within a few weeks of your biometrics, while non-EU routes take two to three months. Step-by-step in the residence card guide.
• Set up electricity (Enemalta) and water (ARMS) in your name, or confirm they're included in your lease. Summer AC can push electricity to €150-300 a month.
• Order internet from Melita or GO (100 Mbps-plus from around €25-35 a month); installation usually takes one to two weeks.
• Apply for a personalised Tallinja card at publictransport.com.mt (€25 one-off, arrives in about two weeks, then buses are free for residents). Until then singles are €2.00 in winter, €2.50 in summer. More in the transport guide.

First month

• Confirm your tax registration if it isn't done, then read how you'll actually be taxed in the personal tax guide.
• Sort your driving licence: an EU licence is valid indefinitely, most non-EU licences (including US) are good for 12 months and then require the Maltese test, per the driving guide.
• Register with your embassy (the US STEP programme, the British High Commission, or your country's equivalent). Five minutes, do it and forget it.
• Join expat groups, sports clubs or a coworking space; the admin resolves itself, the social life is the part that takes deliberate effort.
• Learn a few Maltese words: bongu (good morning), grazzi (thank you), saħħa (cheers). They buy real goodwill at the corner shop.

Setting up a company?

If part of your move is a Maltese Ltd, these are the first steps. The full picture is in the corporate tax guide.

• Understand the tax mechanics before committing: 35% headline rate, roughly 5% effective on trading income after the 6/7ths shareholder refund, or an optional flat 15% election since 2025.
• Budget the minimum share capital for a private limited company: €1,164.69 with 20% paid up.
• Open an EMI business account (Wamo, Revolut Business or Wise) rather than waiting on a traditional bank; EMIs are live in days while banks take weeks to months, and HSBC Malta isn't taking new business accounts at all. See the business account guide.
• Add a second EMI as backup; if your only account freezes for a compliance check, your whole business freezes with it.
• Hire an accountant for year-end even if you run the books yourself; my own setup is in the company accounting guide.
• Diarise the statutory deadlines: Annual Return to the Malta Business Registry within 42 days of your company's anniversary (late penalties can top €2,300) and the tax return generally nine months after year-end.

That's the whole move. Prices and rules change, and when they do I send the updates by email, so you don't need to re-check this page. And if anything is unclear or your situation is unusual, just reply to any of my emails, I read them all.