Malta's Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass for Saudi-based workers: registration, the two assessment phases, and the certificate.
Direct answer
What should Saudi-based Skills Pass applicants do first?
Start on the official portal and confirm your route before you register. Identità’s 28 February 2026 notice lists who is exempt from the Pre-Departure Course. The Skills Pass FAQ lists excluded roles. Follow the booking instructions you get for your interview.
Never send documents, login details or payment to this guide. The guides linked below cover the process and the interview.
About this guide
Applying from Saudi Arabia? The Skills Pass FAQ describes hospitality/MTA-licensed employment, role exclusions and a temporary exemption for valid Maltese work-permit holders. Our advice: confirm your route and interview location through the official process before arranging travel.
This guide explains Malta’s Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass for Saudi-based workers from Saudi Arabia. The Skills Pass FAQ lists excluded roles, and says valid Maltese work-permit holders have a temporary exemption. Confirm your own case with Skills Pass and Identità.
What the Skills Pass requires
The Tourism Skills Pass process page describes two phases after the Pre-Departure Course. Check the Skills Pass FAQ for excluded roles and for people who already hold a permit:
- Phase 1: online assessments (42 days). Two compulsory courses (Basic Customer Care and Basic Maltese Tourism Product) and an assessment for your occupation. You can do this from Saudi Arabia before you travel.
- Phase 2: interview. The process page describes a video conference at VFS or ITS. The Skills Pass obtaining page describes attending in person at VFS. Follow your booking instructions.
- Certificate. Issued to candidates who pass. The Skills Pass FAQ says Blockcerts. The obtaining page says Hyland. They name different delivery systems, so follow what Skills Pass tells you.
Completing the process from Saudi Arabia
Phase 1 is online. For the interview, the pages differ: video at VFS or ITS, or in person at VFS. Follow your booking instructions.
Allow time for the certificate. The Skills Pass FAQ says certificates are issued weekly. The Tourism Skills Pass User Guidelines require employer checks before the Single Permit application.
Interview location: the process page sends candidates who need a visa to their nearest VFS centre, and visa-exempt candidates to ITS Malta. Confirm the available locations on the official portal before you arrange travel.
Covered occupations
The Tourism Skills Pass process page lists Luggage Porter, Receptionist, Bar Waiter, Commis Chef, Commis de Rang and “Other”. It directs applicants with other occupations to contact Skills Pass. The Skills Pass FAQ separately lists role exclusions; absence from the five names does not establish exclusion.
See the role-specific pages on this site for guidance tailored to your occupation: Chef, Waiter, Receptionist, Bar Staff — or browse all role guides.
Common questions
I work in hospitality in Saudi Arabia and have a Malta offer — does the Skills Pass apply?
The Skills Pass FAQ describes hospitality/MTA-licensed employment, role exclusions and a temporary exemption for valid Maltese work-permit holders. It does not list Saudi hospitality experience as an exemption. Our advice: confirm your specific role and permit status with Skills Pass and Identità before registering.
Can I complete the Skills Pass from Saudi Arabia before moving to Malta?
Phase 1 is online. The Tourism Skills Pass process page describes video conferencing attended at VFS or ITS; the Skills Pass obtaining page describes physical VFS attendance. The User Guidelines require employer certificate checks before the Single Permit application.
Where would I sit the Skills Pass interview if it has to be in person?
The Tourism Skills Pass process page directs visa-requiring candidates to their nearest VFS centre and visa-exempt candidates to ITS Malta; it does not confirm Saudi interview availability. Our advice: confirm your centre through the official booking process before arranging travel.
We never collect official login details, documents, or payment data. Use this guide for context, then take action only on the official portal. Full citations are listed at the end of this page.
Visit the official Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass websiteOpens the official website