The shape of the process: two phases, two kinds of assessment
Official materials describe the Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass as structured around two distinct phases — an online phase you complete at your own pace within a set window, and a live phase built around a one-to-one interview. Passing both is what produces your certificates — see the certificate page for what you receive at the end.
Phase 1 — online courses, assessments, and your occupation choice
Official materials describe Phase 1 as conducted entirely online, within a 42-day window, and as covering three things together:
- The Basic Customer Care course and its assessment — covering foundational service skills.
- The Basic Maltese Tourism Product course and its assessment — covering baseline knowledge of Malta’s tourism offering.
- Selecting your occupation from the published list (Luggage Porter, Receptionist, Bar Waiter, Commis Chef, Commis de Rang — or contacting support if your role isn’t listed). See what the track covers for more on each course and the occupation list.
If 42 days isn’t enough, official materials describe a 14-day extension as available for purchase at a published €50. And if you don’t pass an assessment on the first try, official materials describe one free re-sit, with further re-sits available at a published €100 each — alongside a direct statement that failed attempts do not come with refunds.
Phase 2 — the live interview
Once Phase 1 is confirmed complete, official materials describe candidates as invited to book a slot for a live Phase 2 interview, described as roughly 30 minutes long and conducted by video conferencing. The interview is described as combining true/false and open-ended questions, assessing both English and occupation-specific competency — in other words, both your general communication ability and your knowledge of the specific role you selected in Phase 1.
Booking this interview is also where the separate, and currently unreconciled, €250 figure appears in official materials — see what it costs for the full breakdown of why that number is difficult to fit alongside the other published figures, stated plainly rather than smoothed over.
“Online interview” and “at ITS Malta or VFS centres” — reading both descriptions together
Official materials describe the interview in two ways that, at first read, can look like they point in different directions: one description frames it as conducted by video conferencing — implying you can take it from wherever you are — while another mentions the interview taking place at ITS Malta or VFS Global centres.
Read together, a plausible — though not officially spelled-out — picture emerges: you may be able to attend in person at one of those centres specifically to use the video-conferencing setup available there, rather than the two descriptions describing genuinely separate interview formats. We want to be direct that official materials don’t spell out that connection directly — this is our reading of how two true statements could fit together, not a confirmed official explanation. Your own booking confirmation, once you reach that stage, is the document that will tell you definitively where and how your interview will happen — treat it as the authoritative word over any general description, including this one.
What completing both phases leads to
Passing both phases is described as producing two separate certificates — a Pre-Departure Course Certificate and a Certificate of Full Skillspass achievement — issued through Blockcerts. See the certificate page for the format, expiry and revocation details, and the published renewal pathway for existing pass holders.
Frequently asked questions
- How long do I have to complete Phase 1?
- Official materials describe Phase 1 as a 42-day online window, with a 14-day extension available for purchase (described at €50 — see what it costs). If your schedule is tight, treating that 42-day figure as a hard deadline — and the extension as a paid safety net rather than something to plan around from the start — is the more cautious approach.
- What happens if I fail an assessment or the interview?
- Official materials describe one free re-sit for failed exams, with subsequent re-sits available for purchase at a published €100 each. The official FAQ also states plainly that "if a candidate fails no refunds will be issued" — so a failed attempt costs you the opportunity, and potentially a re-sit fee, rather than your original payment.
- Is the Phase 2 interview in English, or can I use another language?
- Official materials describe the interview as assessing English alongside occupation-specific competency — consistent with working in a guest-facing industry where English is in everyday use. They don't describe an alternative-language option in the materials we've reviewed. If you have a specific concern about language — for example, a disability-related accommodation — raising it with Skills Pass ahead of your interview is the right channel, not something to discover on the day.
Official sources for this page
- Skills Pass (Tourism & Hospitality) (opens in a new tab)
Sector-specific Skills Pass operational details for tourism and hospitality.
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- Skills Pass (Tourism & Hospitality) (opens in a new tab)
Sector-specific Skills Pass frequently asked questions.
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- Skills Pass (Tourism & Hospitality) (opens in a new tab)
Sector-specific Skills Pass user guidelines.
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Related guides
- What the Tourism & Hospitality track coversThe two courses, the occupation list, and how this sector-specific track sits within the wider Skills Pass framework.
- The certificates, issued through BlockcertsWhat you receive after passing both phases, how it's verified, and the published renewal pathway.
- What it costsEvery published figure for this process, including the one that doesn't cleanly add up — named plainly, not guessed at.