The skills pass has been launched for workers in the tourism and hospitality industry and will be headed by the Institute for Tourism Studies, becoming mandatory for new third country workers in May.

In a statement, the Government said that “after consultation with various stakeholders in the field of tourism and hospitality, the measure will come into effect where workers in the tourism and hospitality industry in Malta must be accredited through Skills Pass, and foreign workers will only be able to work in this sector if they have a Skills Pass.

To obtain the pass foreign workers coming from third countries must do a number of courses in their own country that include knowledge of the English language, providing basic customer service, learning about the Maltese tourist product and the Maltese Islands, plus another course related to basic English in the hospitality industry.

The issuance of this Skills Pass will be done by the Institute for Tourist Studies in collaboration with the Identità agency. Without the aforementioned Skills Pass, citizens from third countries will not be able to apply for the single work permit issued by the Identity agency.

Citizens from third countries who have not yet started working in a tourism or hospitality establishment will need a Skills Pass within two months from when these regulations will come into force.

The Government said that as from January 2025 the regulations of the Skills Pass will apply to those people who are already in the country so that the latter have to do these courses before the single work permit is renewed.

From January 2026, the Skills Pass regulations will start to apply to citizens coming from European Union countries.

These details were announced in a news conference addressed by the Minister for the Interior, Security and Work Byron Camilleri and the Minister for Tourism and Public Cleanliness Clayton Bartolo in the presence of the management of the Institute for Tourist Studies, the Identità agency, social partners and guests linked to the tourism industry.

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