Malta visa guide
The Malta Study & Research Visa is for study, research or an internship in Malta. Short stays of up to 90 days use a Schengen Type C visa; longer study requires a national long-stay visa or residence permit.
Beyond the standard Schengen documents, the embassy expects a certificate of admission or registration at an educational establishment in Malta, or a cover letter from the inviting institution.
Lifeset Overseas confirms whether your stay needs a short-stay visa or a residence permit and builds the file so your study or research purpose is clearly evidenced.
Malta student visa from India
Short courses of up to 90 days, including English-language courses, use the Schengen short-stay visa under Malta's student checklist, lodged through VFS Global. Degree and diploma programmes longer than 90 days need a national (D) visa and a residence permit through Identity Malta after admission and payment. For that student visa, your Maltese institution books the VFS appointment, the visa fee is €100 (standard) or €150 (extended), and you should submit at least 9 weeks before the course starts because processing takes at least 6 to 8 weeks. Documents must not be printed back to back.
The student checklist
- Application form filled and signed; one colour photograph 35 × 45 mm on a white background, not stapled to the form.
- Passport valid at least three months after the intended stay, issued within the previous ten years, with at least three blank pages.
- Travel medical insurance valid for all Schengen countries, at least EUR 30,000, covering the whole trip including arrival and departure dates, "purchased from one of 16 Schengen recognized Insurance Companies in India".
- A cover letter stating the purpose of travel, duration, accompanying persons, transport and accommodation.
- Return-flight reservations and intra-Schengen transport where relevant.
- An invitation letter from the inviting institution stating the applicant's identity, the purpose of the journey and the period and place of the intended stay, with the admission and fee evidence.
Official sources
- Identity Malta, Central Visa Unit: https://identitymalta.com/unit/central-visa-unit/
- VFS Global India, Malta: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/mlt
Checked against the Malta student and religious visa checklist held in our Knowledge Base on 30 September 2026. Fees and rules change; the official page always prevails.
Verified figures for Malta
What a year in Malta costs — and what you must prove
- Public-university tuition, non-EU student, per year
- €8,500 – €26,000
- Funds the visa authority asks you to show
- No fixed amount published
- Malta sets no single figure in law — the officer assesses your means against your course and city.
English-taught courses: widely available. University of Malta: IELTS overall 6.0
Pro-rated across the whole length of the course rather than charged as a flat monthly figure.
Read on the official pages below on 27 Aug 2026. Figures change every academic year — check them before you pay anything.
Where Malta stands among the 29 Schengen study countries
Computed from verified figures
On the lowest published public-university fee for non-EU students, Malta sits 24th of 26 Schengen countries (€8,500 a year at the floor, up to €26,000). English-taught programmes are widely available — Malta is one of 18 Schengen countries where that is true, so the language of instruction is not the filter it is elsewhere.
Closest on tuition: Finland and Netherlands. Compare all 29 side by side on Study in Europe.
