Guidance

Malta: providing services and travelling for business

Guidance for UK businesses on rules for selling services to Malta.

• From: Department for Business and Trade, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Department for International Trade and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
• Published: 4 March 2019
• Last updated: 13 July 2021 — See all updates

Read this page in combination with the guidance for the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The authoritative source for Malta’s market regulations is the Maltese government. This guidance links to official sources in Malta wherever possible.

Trade and services regulations in Malta

If you’re a UK business providing services in Malta, you’ll need to follow specific regulations about:

• getting authorisations or licences to provide a service
• complying with specific local business regulations
• EEA nationality requirements which could prevent you from providing services in some sectors

Malta’s e-government portal for service providers can help you to:

• find out what you need to know about providing services in Malta
• understand local regulations
• complete the relevant administrative procedures online

Consider appointing an English-speaking lawyer in Malta to help you comply with specific regulations.

To find out if EEA nationality requirements apply to you, contact the appropriate competent authority.

Trade reservations

To sell or provide services to customers in Malta, you must follow local laws. If in doubt, you should get professional advice.

Reservations are part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. They reserve the right of each party to keep or make new laws restricting investment, or the sale of services, in ways that would otherwise breach the rules in the agreement.

Check which reservations apply to the sale of services from the UK to Malta. This includes an interactive tool to find reservations that are already in place.

VAT on sales of digital services

To use the UK’s VAT Mini One Stop Shop (MOSS) to declare sales of digital services to EU consumers, businesses need to register for MOSS in an EU member state.

Find out more about paying VAT on sales of digital services.

Ownership of companies registered in Malta

If you have a UK business, you might face restrictions on your ability to own, manage or direct a registered company in Malta or any other EEA country.

For information about setting up and running a business in Malta, visit Business First.

Read more about this in our guidance relating to EEA countries and Switzerland.

Ownership of legal firms in Malta

UK legal professionals who have investments in law firms in Malta should contact the Chamber of Advocates Malta for information.

Business travel and entry requirements

UK business travellers and service providers may need a visa, work permit or other documentation.

Check our travel to Malta for work guide for detailed information on:

• types of visa and work permit routes available
• exemptions that may apply to you or the activity you are planning to undertake

Check Malta’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and European Affairs and its Work and Employment service servizz.gov for more information about:

• visas including intra-corporate transfers
• work and residence permits
• supporting documentation
• other conditions

Check which actions travellers visiting Europe need to take.

Social security payments for employees

Find out if you need to pay National Insurance in the UK or social security contributions in Malta.

Recognition of professional qualifications

To check what you need to do in Malta, read our guidance on professional qualifications in the EEA and Switzerland.

If you need to take action to secure the recognition of your professional qualification in Malta, these sources can help you:

• Maltese NARIC, the information centre for the recognition of professional qualifications
• the [Maltese single point of contact]

UK statutory auditors working in Malta

For UK statutory auditors, the Accountancy Board Malta should be able to provide further information.

UK lawyers working in Malta

If you’re a UK-qualified lawyer working in Malta, using either a professional title from Malta or the UK, you should contact the local bar association in the region in which you are working or the Chamber of Advocates Malta for specific advice.

Data transfer and GDPR

On 28 June 2021, the EU formally adopted ‘adequacy decisions’ for the UK, delivered through:

• Article 45 of the GDPR
• Article 36 of the Law Enforcement Directive

‘Adequacy decisions’ allow for the ongoing free flow of personal data from the EU/EEA to the UK.

Read guidance on using data in your personal business or other organisation.

Published 4 March 2019
Last updated 13 July 2021 + show all updates

1. 13 July 2021

   Updated Business travel and entry requirements.

2. 11 June 2021

   Added 'Trade reservations' guidance. Updated 'Recognition of professional qualifications' with new UK contact point.

3. 28 December 2020

   Updated the following sections to reflect the changes created by the UK and EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: overview, trade regulations, VAT on sales of digital services, business travel and entry requirements, social security payments for employees, recognition of professional qualifications, and data transfer and GDPR.

4. 30 November 2020

   Guidance for ‘Recognition of professional qualifications’ and ‘Social security payments for employees’ updated.

5. 14 October 2019

   Change to title to include travelling for business

6. 10 October 2019

   Update to 'Business travel and entry requirements' section

7. 4 March 2019

   First published.