Malta - Family & Partner - Family Reunification

A third-country national is entitled to apply for family reunification subject to the following conditions:

- he/she is holding a residence permit valid for a minimum period of one year; and
- he/she has reasonable prospects of obtaining the right of permanent residence.
Asylum seekers, and persons residing on grounds of temporary or subsidiary protection are not entitled to family
reunification.
The following family members are eligible for family reunification:
- A spouse (at least 21 years of age)
- unmarried minor children including children adopted in a manner recognized by Maltese law;
An application for entry and residence shall be application submitted to the Director of the Department for
Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs, Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs by the residence permit holder.
The family members can be granted a first residence permit of at least one year’s duration which can be renewable,
provided that the duration of the residence permits granted to the members of the family, in principle, does not
extend beyond the date of expiry of the original residence permit. The sponsor and the family members may be
required to attend, and successfully complete, courses in the Maltese language.
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The family members of the sponsor are entitled, in the same way as the sponsor, to:
- access to education;
- access to employment and self-employed activity, subject to the work permit requirement for the first year
(subject to assessment of the labour market)
- access to vocational guidance, initial and further training and retraining.
Upon the expiry of a period of five years’ residence in Malta and provided that the family member has not been
granted a residence permit for reasons other than family reunification, the spouse or the child who has reached
majority shall be entitled, upon application, to an autonomous residence permit.