Malta Student Visa Fees Triple as Study Costs Hit €1,200

On 26 October 2026, Malta's finance minister Clyde Caruana presented the 2027 budget and the accompanying Bill 15 to parliament on budget day. On 12 November 2026, local media read through the 270-page schedule of fees filed with the budget documents: from 1 January 2027, the government charges inside the cost of studying in Malta rise sharply — the student visa application fee goes from €100 to €300, the student residence permit from €50 to €500, plus an annual €400 infrastructure contribution. For a first-time student heading to a Maltese language school or university, the visa and status charges alone climb from roughly €200 to about €1,200.

How much are Malta student visa fees rising?

According to the fee rates compiled by the Malta News Agency (MNA) and Times of Malta, the standard student visa fee rises from €100 to €300, and from €150 to €400 where extended services are needed. The student residence permit rises from €50 to €500, with renewals at €150, and every student pays a €400 annual infrastructure contribution. Language schools, foundation courses and degree programmes all fall under the same schedule, because the charge attaches to residence status rather than to the type of school.

The increase is not limited to students. In the same schedule, the family reunification application fee rises from €50 to €800, residence permit applications by non-EU partners of Maltese residents also go to €800, and the long-term residence fee doubles from €500 to €1,000. Employers pay €200 more per newly recruited non-EU worker, taking the total to €800, and non-EU residents holding a Maltese driving licence face an €83 monthly charge. The minister did not mention these items in the budget speech or at the press conference that followed; the schedule was picked apart by reporters only in mid-November.

Where does the official process stand?

Material published by the Office of the President shows that on budget day Caruana handed President Myriam Spiteri Debono the whole budget package — the bill itself, his speech, the 2027 Financial Estimates and the 2027 Economic Survey — and that she signed the proclamation of the estimates on the spot. The fee schedule is therefore part of a legislative document rather than an internal departmental notice. At the time of writing the Bill is still moving through parliament and the final legal text has not yet appeared in the Government Gazette.

Current versus new fees: what a student pays in year one

Who is affected, and when does it start?

The new rates apply from 1 January 2027 and are generally keyed to the date an application is filed. Newcomers are not the only ones affected: students already in Malta who need to renew a residence permit prepare for the new rate, €150 for the renewal plus that year's €400 infrastructure contribution, and non-EU workers hoping to bring a spouse, parent or child face the €800 family reunification application fee.

The backdrop is a broader tightening towards non-EU labour. Caruana frames the changes as moving the economy away from reliance on manpower towards capital and technology. Malta's business chamber says higher work permit charges may discourage firms from recruiting more foreign workers, but criticises the absence of measures encouraging investment in productive capital, while the TCN Alliance, which represents third-country nationals, called the budget a slap in the face for tens of thousands of workers already struggling with the cost of living. Citing official data, Times of Malta reports that four out of five non-EU workers earned less than €21,000 in 2024, and that they make up 87% of domestic workers and 54% of catering staff.

For families planning a 2027 intake, the practical effect is that "status costs" move from a rounding item to a line of their own. Tuition, accommodation and living costs are set by schools and the market and are untouched here, but visa, permit and annual infrastructure charges together add roughly €1,000 a year — money that is non-refundable and unrelated to whether a qualification is completed.

AIAIG View

• Students starting in 2027 should budget about €1,200 rather than €200 for visa and residence costs, and confirm with the school right after admission whether it handles the visa and whether those fees are already inside the quoted tuition.
• Students already in Malta whose permits expire in the first half of 2027 should, where possible, file the renewal before the end of December 2026, since old and new rates are normally split by filing date.
• For non-EU workers whose main goal is family reunification, the €800 fee is only the visible cost; weigh income thresholds, housing and insurance requirements at the same time and total everything before filing in 2027.
• When choosing a school, compare status costs and tuition separately. Against English-taught EU options such as Ireland or the Netherlands, looking at tuition alone easily leads to the wrong conclusion.
• The Bill is still in the parliamentary process and figures or effective details may still be adjusted; check Identità and Ministry for Finance notices before filing.

Sources

• Office of the President of Malta
• Malta News Agency
• Times of Malta