Who needs the Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass

Official materials describe the Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass as “an official verification framework established by the Government of Malta”, designed to confirm “the minimum basic level required to work in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry in Malta”. In plain terms: it is a Government-backed way of checking that someone entering tourism and hospitality work in Malta has a baseline of relevant knowledge and language ability before they start.

The people it is aimed at are described directly: “Third Country Nationals who plan to come to Malta to work in the tourism and hospitality industry” (the tourism homepage, which identifies S.L. 409.22 and L.N. 294 of 2025). The tourism guidelines describe non-EU/EEA/EFTA nationals as the target audience (the tourism user guidelines). The FAQs use broader wording about all persons working in the sector, whereas the tourism homepage and user guidelines identify a third-country-national/non-EU/EEA/EFTA audience. These descriptions differ. The FAQs also list excluded roles, and the main Skills Pass FAQ describes temporary exemptions for valid Maltese work-permit holders (the Skills Pass FAQ and the tourism FAQ). This guide suggests checking those qualifications before treating the requirement as applicable to your own case.

One detail in the official wording matters a great deal for planning purposes: the Skills Pass is described as required “in addition to any other certification required by the competent immigration authorities”. That phrase is doing real work — it tells you this requirement does not replace anything else you may already need to arrange.

Identità’s course overview describes the Pre-Departure Course as required for all first-time third-country-national Single Permit applicants (Identità’s Pre-Departure Course page). Its notice for verification from 1 March 2026 gives more specific exemptions: current or previous Single Permit holders, unless applying again as first-time applicants after leaving the Schengen Area or through a Still Abroad application; and third-country nationals resident in Malta for eight years or more (Identità’s 28 February 2026 notice). The main Skills Pass FAQ also uses broader mandatory wording (the Skills Pass FAQ). These descriptions are reported together without treating the broad wording as cancelling the stated exemptions.

For tourism and hospitality applicants described in the notice, Identità requires two separate certificates: the Pre-Departure Course Certificate, replacing Phase 1, and the Tourism & Hospitality Skills Pass Certificate. Full Skills Pass certification is issued only after successful completion of both phases (Identità’s 28 February 2026 notice). The official tourism process page includes the Pre-Departure Course and tourism component in one sequence (the tourism process page); see how registration works.

If you skip past confirming whether the Pre-Departure Course applies to you — assuming the Skills Pass alone covers everything — you risk discovering a gap in your application much later than you’d want to. Identità’s own guidance is the authoritative place to check that requirement directly.

Official materials publish a list of roles the Skills Pass excludes — explicitly described as non-exhaustive, meaning it is a starting point for self-assessment rather than a complete map of every excluded job title. See the published list of excluded roles for the exact wording and what “non-exhaustive” means for your own situation.

If the published wording leaves your role unclear, this guide suggests obtaining your actual job title and duties from your prospective employer and contacting Skills Pass before registering and paying.

1. This guide suggests checking your sector and status. The tourism website describes third-country nationals coming to work in tourism and hospitality (the tourism homepage). The main FAQ also refers to hospitality or an MTA-licensed establishment, with occupation exceptions and temporary exemptions for valid Maltese work-permit holders (the Skills Pass FAQ).
2. Check the excluded-roles list. The official FAQs name excluded roles and call the list non-exhaustive (the Skills Pass FAQ and the tourism FAQ). They do not publish a mixed-duties test. This guide suggests asking Skills Pass when the wording does not clearly address your job.
3. Check the separate Pre-Departure Course requirement. Most first-time Single Permit applicants need this regardless of sector — confirm it with Identità so you don’t miss it while focused on the sector-specific layer.
4. This guide suggests asking before you pay. Contact Skills Pass about an unclear role and Identità about permit-related exemptions. The main Skills Pass FAQ says withdrawal refunds depend on senior-management discretion and the circumstances (the Skills Pass FAQ).