Skills Pass employer checks — certificates, scope and exemptions

The official Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass user guidelines say employers must check that prospective non-EU/EEA/EFTA employees hold a valid Pre-Departure Course Certificate and Certificate of Full Skills Pass Achievement before applying for a Single Permit.

Identità’s 28 February 2026 notice confirms the two-certificate requirement for relevant tourism and hospitality applicants and lists Pre-Departure Course exemptions. The Skills Pass FAQ also describes temporary exemptions for valid Maltese work-permit holders. Confirm the requirements for the individual rather than applying a blanket rule — see this guide’s certificate-checking suggestions.

The official tourism Skills Pass homepage identifies third-country nationals coming to work in tourism and hospitality as the programme’s target group. The official FAQ also refers to hospitality work and establishments with an MTA (Malta Tourism Authority) licence, subject to occupational exceptions. Its broader wording about all persons differs from the TCN scope described on the homepage and in the user guidelines.

The official Skills Pass FAQ lists excluded roles in Accounts, Marketing, HR and Stores, plus Cleaners and Kitchen Porters. It calls the list non-exhaustive and asks readers to contact Skills Pass about jobs not listed. See this guide’s excluded-roles summary. This guide suggests confirming an uncertain role before planning the hire.

The official process includes an occupation assessment, but the official pages cited on this page do not establish a general rule requiring a new certificate whenever an employee changes role. It also does not establish an occupation-change fee.

For a move from an exempt role to a front-facing role, the official Skills Pass FAQ describes a temporary exemption for holders of a valid Maltese work permit and directs readers to Identità to check how long it applies.

This guide suggests checking the proposed role, the worker’s permit status and any additional assessment or fee directly with Skills Pass and Identità before agreeing the move.

The official Skills Pass FAQ says the completed Pre-Departure Course and Skills Pass process has no expiry. The official certification page separately explains that digital credentials which expire or are revoked will not verify as valid; that general explanation does not establish a routine Skills Pass renewal requirement.

• Verification problem: this guide suggests asking Skills Pass to clarify the credential’s status rather than assuming that a technical problem proves expiry or invalidity.
• Role change: ask Skills Pass and Identità which requirements and exemptions apply to the individual. The official pages cited on this page do not establish a general occupation-change fee.
• Staff departure: the digital credential belongs to the worker. Check the replacement’s own requirements and certificates; a former employee’s credential is not the replacement’s credential.

This guide suggests discussing certificate requirements early with TCN candidates. Official guidance says the tourism Skills Pass follows successful completion of the Pre-Departure Course, and Identità requires the applicable documentation before submission. Its notice identifies the Pre-Departure Course Certificate as replacing Phase 1 and says full Skills Pass certification is issued only after both phases. See this guide’s hiring and timing suggestions.