Your Malta residence card: Identità, the e-ID and surviving the queues

In Malta, the little plastic eResidence card does what your Medicare card, driver's licence and myGov login do at home. Get it right early and everything else gets easier.

The short version

• Identità (the agency once called Identity Malta) issues the eResidence document that proves you live in Malta legally. Its Expatriates Unit is on Valley Road in Msida, a short bus ride from Valletta [1][2].
• For a Single Permit the employer applies, you book biometrics once you get an approval or invitation letter, and you can start work only once you hold an interim receipt and are registered with Jobsplus [3].
• The e-ID account is Malta's government login. Residents with an eResidence card can request one, and Identità says you can ask for it while your residence application is running [4][5].
• Moving flat? Residence permit holders must report a change of address online through the Expatriates portal, with a €50 fee [6].
• Maltese-Australian dual citizens don't get a residence card. They get a Maltese ID card through the Identity Cards Unit instead [7].

Why this card matters more than you'd think

Australia doesn't have a national ID card, so the idea of one card that opens every door can feel odd. In Malta it's normal. Your eResidence document shows the legal basis of your stay and its scope [1]. Landlords, banks, employers, the tax office and health centres will all ask for it, and the ID number on it becomes your reference across government.

The card also comes with obligations. Identità says you must tell it immediately if the basis of your permit stops applying, for example if you leave your job [1]. A Single Permit stays valid only while its employer, job designation and duration still apply, and holders must return the card if any of these change [8].

Who issues what

Getting the card: the order of play

The process varies by permit, but most Australians on a work permit follow the same rhythm. Identità's own FAQs say third-country nationals cannot submit Single Permit applications themselves: the employer submits online on your behalf [3].

1. Line up a registrable lease. Identità expects leases to be registered, with the Housing Authority's approval and, for some applications, an architect's attestation [3]. An unregistered room in a shared flat can sink your file.
2. Get the employer to submit. The law allows up to four months for a Single Permit decision. Identità says the average is about two months when documents are correct and complete [3].
3. Watch for the approval in principle. Once you receive the approval in principle or invitation letter, book your biometrics appointment on the expats booking site [3].
4. Turn up with originals. Documents must be in English or Maltese, foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised, and you show originals at the appointment [3]. Australian documents are apostilled by DFAT.
5. Collect your interim receipt. After biometrics you receive an interim receipt with a temporary authorisation to work. Register with Jobsplus and you can start [3].
6. Collect the card. You get a collection letter when the card is ready. If your interim receipt is about to run out before that letter arrives, email Identità's extensions address to ask for more time [3].

What it costs in 2026

Most permits are issued for a year, some for two or three, and you can apply to renew up to 90 days before expiry [1]. Put that 90-day mark in your calendar the day you collect the card.

The queues, and how to dodge them

Identità's Msida building is where most expats spend at least one long morning. The counters keep tight hours. The Single Permit and non-EU collection desk opens Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 2pm, while the counter for Single Permits, live-in carers and lost, stolen or changed cards closes at 11.30am [2]. If you turn up at midday hoping to be seen, you're likely to be disappointed.

A few habits help:

• Book everything you can. Identità runs online booking for biometrics and for many card services [3][2]. Walk-ins are a gamble.
• Arrive early. Doors open at 7.30am. Buses from Valletta's terminus to Msida fill up with commuters, so allow extra time.
• Bring copies and originals. Identità keeps copies [3]. Bring a spare set anyway.
• Live on Gozo? Gozo's Expatriates Unit services are by appointment only, at The Tower in Victoria [2].
• Can't make it yourself? Identità publishes a power of attorney form for some Expatriates and visa services [2]. Check whether your service accepts it before sending someone.

Smartraveller notes that entry and exit rules can change at short notice, and the new EU Entry/Exit System now registers Australians' biometrics at the border [10]. Keep your card and passport valid at the same time, because you'll need both when you travel.

The e-ID: Malta's version of myGov

Once you have a card, set up the e-ID account. It's the login for Malta's online government services, including tax, social security and many council services. Without it, a lot of simple jobs mean another counter visit.

Servizz.gov, the government's one-stop shop, says the e-ID account is for Maltese citizens and eResidence document holders aged 14 and over [5]. There are two routes in:

1. Ask while you apply. Identità says you can request your e-ID account while your residence permit application is in progress [4].
2. Ask afterwards. If you already hold your card, call the e-ID line on 2590 4300 or email the e-ID team to request it [4][5].

For applications made in person, Servizz.gov sets out roughly 5 days for vetting and approval, with an activation link emailed around 10 days after you submit [5]. Use an email address you'll still check in a fortnight, not a work account you're about to lose.

e-ID compared with home

Moving flat: change of address

Malta is a renter's market with a lot of churn, so many Australians move at least once in their first year. When you do, you're required to tell the authorities [6].

For residence permit holders, Identità says:

• Apply online through the Expatriates Unit portal [6].
• Pay the €50 fee, which is the same fee listed for lost, stolen or damaged cards [6].
• Use the change of address checklist published on the same page, updated in July 2025 [6].

Your new lease needs to be registered too. Changing address with an unregistered lease is the same problem as applying with one.

Dual citizens holding a Maltese ID card follow a different process. They use Form ID10a, the same form used for renewals at the Identity Cards Unit [7], and bring their current card plus proof of the new address, such as a lease or purchase contract.

Dual citizens: the Maltese ID card instead

If you've gained Maltese citizenship by descent, you're not a third-country national in Malta any more. You don't need a residence permit or an eResidence card. You apply for a Maltese ID card through the Identity Cards Unit, which handles first issues and renewals at its office in Blata l-Bajda, with a Gozo office in Rabat (Victoria) [7].

Identità also offers an urgent ID card service for an extra fee. Ordinary applications take longer, so don't leave it to the week before you sign a lease.

Before you can get your ID card, your birth usually needs to be registered in Malta's Public Registry. Our Maltese citizenship by descent guide explains that step. Smartraveller confirms Malta recognises dual nationality, with no military or civil service obligations for dual nationals [10].

When to call the Australians

The Australian High Commission in Ta' Xbiex can't help with Maltese permits or Identità queues. It can help if your Australian passport is lost or stolen, which matters because your card is useless at the border without a valid passport [10]. Keep scans of both in a safe place.

Stuck in the system? Join Cooee Malta, our Facebook group for Australians in Malta. Someone has almost always been through the same counter in the past month.

Sources

1. Working and residing in Malta – Identità
2. Expatriates Unit – Identità
3. FAQs: residence permits in Malta (2025) – Identità
4. Acquiring an e-ID account (residents) – eID Malta
5. Registering for an eID account – Servizz.gov
6. Change of address, lost, stolen or damaged residence permits – Identità
7. Frequently asked questions: Maltese e-ID cards – Identità
8. Employment-related permits – Identità
9. Economic self-sufficient residence permit – Identità
10. Malta travel advice – Smartraveller (DFAT)

Keep reading

• Moving to Valletta from Australia: the complete guide
• Renting in Valletta as an Australian
• Maltese citizenship by descent and life in Malta
• Consular help and Smartraveller for Australians abroad