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The guide · Malta

Healthcare

Registering, the European Health Insurance Card, the S1 form.

In Malta

Checked on 23 October 2026

How to access public healthcare when you settle in Malta?

In Malta, public healthcare is free for people covered by Maltese social security: if you work and pay contributions, you are covered. If you are retired or posted with an S1 form from your country, you register it with the Entitlement Unit (healthcare entitlement service), which gives you a Certificate of Entitlement (certificate of entitlement) to present at the hospital or health centre. During a temporary stay, before you settle, your European Health Insurance Card covers urgent or medically necessary care.

Costs
Public healthcare free for covered people; medicines outside hospital and dentist often at your expense
Timeframes
Variable depending on the Entitlement Unit

Steps

  1. Before leaving: ask your insurer for your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). If you are retired with a pension from your country, or posted by your employer, ask for the S1 form.
  2. During a temporary stay, before you settle: present your EHIC for urgent or medically necessary care at Mater Dei Hospital (Msida), the Gozo General Hospital or the health centres in Malta and Gozo.
  3. Sort out your papers: eResidence card from Identità (sheet MT-SEJOUR-TOUS-001), then social security number if you work (sheet MT-NIF-TOUS-001).
  4. Depending on your situation:
    • employee or self-employed person paying contributions in Malta: you are covered; for British nationals, the Entitlement Unit states that the residence card serves as proof of entitlement: ask what proof to present in your case;
    • retired or posted with an S1: register your S1 with the Entitlement Unit and receive your Certificate of Entitlement;
    • other situation (no work or S1, for example someone living on private income): for your residence card, Identità requires comprehensive health insurance (comprehensive health insurance) or an S1; only holders of a Maltese State pension are exempt. So take out private insurance before leaving.
  5. Present your proof of entitlement (residence card, Certificate of Entitlement or EHIC) and an identity document on every visit to the public sector.
  6. For regular treatment (dialysis, oxygen therapy, chemotherapy), book an appointment in advance with Mater Dei Hospital.

Documents

  • Identity document.
  • Residence card (eResidence card).
  • Original S1 form, if you have one, with photocopies of all documents.
  • During a temporary stay: valid EHIC.

Costs and timelines

  • Emergencies and medically necessary care: free for covered people, in hospital and in health centres.
  • Medicines: free during a hospital stay and for the three days after discharge; after that, paid entirely by the patient, with no reimbursement.
  • Dentist: dental emergencies are free for covered people, but access to public dental care is limited: most care is done privately, at your expense, with no reimbursement.
  • Emergency ambulance: covered with a valid EHIC or an entitlement to public healthcare. Emergencies: 112.
  • S1 registration: the Entitlement Unit (St Luke's Hospital, G'Mangia) does not publish a timeframe; register your S1 as soon as your residence is done and keep your EHIC in the meantime.

Common pitfalls

  • Counting on public healthcare for everything. Medicines after leaving hospital and routine dental care are generally at your expense.
  • Staying on the EHIC once settled. It is designed for temporary stays. Once settled, your coverage goes through your Maltese contributions or your S1.
  • Forgetting to register the S1. Without a Certificate of Entitlement, your entitlement is not recognised at the hospital.
  • Leaving without cover when you do not work. If you do not pay contributions in Malta and have no S1, check your entitlement before leaving and plan for private insurance.
  • Gozo. The island has its own general hospital; the health centres cover Malta and Gozo.

What changes by country of origin

  • EU and EEA citizens: EHIC during a temporary stay; once settled, Maltese contributions or S1 registered with the Entitlement Unit.
  • Swiss nationals: the European social security coordination regulations have applied to Switzerland since 01/04/2012 (European Commission). The Entitlement Unit page does not mention Switzerland: for a temporary stay with your Swiss EHIC, confirm with the Entitlement Unit. Once settled, same rules as for a European: Maltese contributions if you work, or Swiss S1 to register with the Entitlement Unit if your pension comes from Switzerland. Rechecked live on 24/10/2026: the Entitlement Unit's own page on the EHIC speaks of "EEA countries and Switzerland" for care during a temporary stay, which points towards recognised Swiss coverage; however, it does not detail the case of a Swiss EHIC (as opposed to an EHIC from an EU/EEA country) country by country, so the reservation above (confirm with the Entitlement Unit) remains justified rather than lifted.
  • British nationals (Scots included): the Entitlement Unit provides several routes: contributions in Malta (residence card as proof); British S1 to be registered after the residence formalities, generally three months after arrival (with the original S1, the British passport, the residence document and photocopies); British GHIC or EHIC for temporary stays; certificate under the Malta–United Kingdom reciprocal agreement (RHA) if they have no other entitlement, with sometimes more limited coverage.
Official sources (6) ›
  • Entitlement Unit (Health Care Funding Directorate), "Information regarding Healthcare in Malta" (updated on 06/10/2026)
  • Department of Social Security (Malta), "Social Security Number"
  • Your Europe, "Unplanned healthcare – temporary stays" (last checked on 16/09/2026)
  • Your Europe, "Health insurance cover in your host country" (rules also valid in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland; last checked on 19/08/2026)
  • Identità, form J "Economic Self Sufficiency Residence Application" (version 3 of 06/07/2026: comprehensive health insurance or S1 required, except for a Maltese State pension)
  • European Commission, "Where do these rules apply?" (social security coordination: Regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009 applicable to Switzerland since 01/04/2012; no longer applicable to the United Kingdom since 01/01/2021)
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The European framework

These European rules also apply in Malta.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Health insurance required for visas and permits: what EU rules ask (short and long stays)

For a Schengen short-stay visa, you must show travel medical insurance covering urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation (including in case of death), valid in all Schengen countries, with at least €30,000 of cover (Visa Code, Article 15). For long stays, the EU directives ask for sickness insurance covering the risks normally covered for nationals of the destination, for example for students, family members, Blue Card holders and long-term residents. The exact proof, and whether you must buy private insurance or can join the public system, depend on the destination.

Who decides
Consulates (Schengen visas); the immigration authority of the destination (long stays)
Costs
Set by insurers; Schengen visa insurance must cover at least €30,000 (Visa Code, Article 15)

Before you act

  • No promise. The consulate or immigration authority decides whether your insurance is acceptable. This page is general information, not legal advice.
  • Scams. Buy insurance only from a real, identifiable insurer, and check the policy before paying. A fake or inadequate insurance certificate can lead to refusal of your application.
  • Ask a professional (the insurer, the consulate or a lawyer) if you have a chronic illness, are pregnant, or are over the age limits of standard policies.
  • Be honest in insurance forms about your health and your plans.

Steps

  1. Short stay with a visa: buy travel medical insurance that meets Article 15 of the Visa Code (below) for the whole trip; for a multiple-entry visa, it must cover the first trip, and you sign a statement that you know you need insurance for later trips. Exceptions: the requirement may be considered met where adequate cover can be presumed from the applicant's professional situation (for example seafarers, Article 15(6)), and holders of diplomatic passports are exempt (Article 15(7)).
  2. Visa-exempt short stay: insurance is not among the entry conditions listed in the Schengen Borders Code (Article 6), but medical care abroad can be expensive: travel insurance is your choice.
  3. Long stay: read the destination's list for your route. Denmark and Ireland did not take part in the five directives below and are not bound by them (see the recitals of each text), so their rules are purely national. In the other EU countries, the directives ask for insurance "for all risks normally covered for nationals" for:
    • students and researchers, valid for the whole planned stay (Directive (EU) 2016/801, Article 7(1)(c));
    • family reunification, for the sponsor and the family, if the country requires it (Directive 2003/86/EC, Article 7(1)(b));
    • Blue Card and seasonal workers, for periods not already covered through the job (Directive (EU) 2021/1883, Article 5(1)(e); Directive 2014/36/EU, Article 5(1)(b) for stays up to 90 days and Article 6(1)(b) for stays over 90 days);
    • EU long-term residents, for themselves and for dependent family members (Directive 2003/109/EC, Article 5(1)(b)).
  4. After arrival: ask whether your permit gives access to the public health system, and from when (see the destination's health fiche).

Documents

  • An insurance certificate in the name of each person, with dates, cover, amount and territory.
  • For a Schengen visa: proof that the cover is valid in all Schengen countries and is at least €30,000 (Article 15(3)); for a visa with limited territorial validity covering several Member States, the cover must be valid at least in the Member States concerned.

Costs and timelines

  • Price: set by insurers. The Visa Code asks you to take insurance, in principle, in your country of residence, or in another country if that is not possible (Article 15(4)).
  • Check: consulates verify that claims against the insurer can be recovered in an EU country (Article 15(5)).

Common pitfalls

  • Cover too low or not valid everywhere. For a Schengen visa: at least €30,000 and valid in all Schengen countries.
  • Wrong dates. The insurance must cover the whole stay or transit (Article 15(3)).
  • Travel insurance for a long stay. A short-trip policy may not meet the "all risks normally covered for nationals" standard required for long-stay permits, and what each country actually accepts varies: ask the immigration authority directly before you buy.
  • Gaps between the visa and the permit. Keep cover until you are registered in the public system or have the insurance the permit requires.

What changes by profile

  • Workers may be covered through their job; the Blue Card and seasonal directives ask for insurance only for periods not covered by, or resulting from, the work contract.
  • Retirees and people living on passive income follow national rules for national visas (for Portugal, see PT-VISA-TIERS-050).

Official links

  • Visa Code (consolidated), Article 15: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02009R0810-20240628
  • Commission, applying for a Schengen visa: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/visa-policy/applying-schengen-visa_en
Official sources (9) ›
  • European Commission, « Applying for a Schengen visa » (medical insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in the event of death), page dated 2 December 2025
  • Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code), consolidated text of 12 October 2025 (latest consolidated version in the Publications Office database on 23 October 2026), Article 6(1) (entry conditions for short stays: no insurance condition)
  • Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), consolidated text of 28 June 2024 (latest consolidated version in the Publications Office database on 23 October 2026), Article 15 (travel medical insurance)
  • Directive (EU) 2021/1883 (EU Blue Card), Article 5(1)(e) (sickness insurance) and the recitals on the position of Denmark and Ireland
  • Directive (EU) 2016/801 (students and researchers), Article 7(1)(c) (sickness insurance, valid for the duration of the planned stay; same text in the consolidated version of 17 November 2021) and the recitals on the position of Denmark and Ireland
  • Council Directive 2003/86/EC (family reunification), Article 7(1)(b) (sickness insurance for the sponsor and his or her family) and the recitals on the position of Ireland and Denmark
  • Directive 2014/36/EU (seasonal workers), Article 5(1)(b) (stays up to 90 days) and Article 6(1)(b) (stays over 90 days) (sickness insurance), and the recitals on the position of Ireland and Denmark
  • Council Directive 2003/109/EC (long-term residents), consolidated text of 12 June 2026 (latest amendment: Regulation (EU) 2024/1347, which leaves Article 5(1)(b) unchanged), Article 5(1)(b) (sickness insurance, for the person and dependent family members)
  • Council Directive 2003/109/EC (long-term residents), text as adopted, recitals 25 and 26 (position of Ireland and Denmark)

These guides give the general rules. Your situation can change the answer: Moovy looks at it with you and tells you when you need a professional.

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