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Getting your qualifications recognised in Malta: MQRIC, the regulated professions, the timing
A Statement of Comparability from MQRIC puts your degree on the Malta framework. Fast-track permits need it; nurses, electricians and teachers need their regulator too.
Mis à jour le 5 novembre 2026 · 3 min de lecture · English
Your degree is worth exactly what Malta says it is worth, and Malta says it through one office: the Malta Qualifications Recognition and Information Centre, MQRIC, inside the further and higher education authority. For the fast-track permits and for every regulated profession, its statement is a document Identità and Jobsplus look for. Apply before you have the job offer; it is the step most people start too late.
What MQRIC does
It compares a foreign qualification with the Malta Qualifications Framework and issues a Statement of Comparability giving it an MQF level. A bachelor’s degree is typically level 6, a master’s level 7. The statement is not a licence to practise and not an admission; it is the recognition that other steps build on. Applications are online, with certified copies and translations, and there is a fee; the authority’s site has the current amount and the form.
When you need it
- Specialist Employee Initiative: eligibility requires an MQF level 6 qualification in a directly related area, or a lower qualification plus three years’ related experience. Identità asks for the MQRIC recognition.
- Key Employee Initiative: qualifications or experience to match a managerial or highly technical post; Identità’s checklist asks for certified copies recognised by MQRIC.
- Jobsplus suitability check since November 2025: recognition of qualifications from MQRIC “where applicable” is one of the four categories checked. The Single Permit, step by step shows where that check falls.
- Regulated professions: MQRIC first, then the profession’s own regulator.
The regulated professions
| Profession | Who else must approve |
|---|---|
| Nurses and midwives | Council for Nurses and Midwives; Identità’s checklist names it |
| Doctors, dentists, pharmacists | The respective Maltese councils |
| Electricians | A Maltese electrician licence; named in Identità’s checklist |
| Security officers | Police licence and security tag |
| Food handlers | Food Safety Commission card |
| Teachers | Teacher’s warrant from the education authorities |
| Drivers of light passenger vehicles | Maltese or EU driving licence |
Each takes its own time, often months, and some require exams or language tests. A nurse who arrives as a carer while the Council processes registration is following the common path, not a failed one. From job offer to residence card is laid out on one page.
The order that works
- Get certified copies of every certificate and transcript, apostilled where your country requires.
- Translate anything not in English with a translator registered in Malta or an accepted sworn translator at home.
- Apply to MQRIC online. Keep the reference number.
- Apply to the professional regulator with the MQRIC statement.
- Only then negotiate the salary that assumes your qualification. The CV, the cover note and the interview are on their own page.
What recognition does not fix
- A degree in an unrelated field still fails the Specialist Employee “directly related” test.
- A diploma mill. MQRIC checks the institution; a certificate from an unaccredited school gets no level.
- Experience without paper. Reference letters with dates, duties and the referee’s contacts carry weight in Identità’s checklist, but they are not a qualification.
Cost and time
A fee per qualification, published by the authority, and weeks to months depending on the country and the institution. Nobody can expedite it for a fee. An agent offering “guaranteed MQRIC recognition” is selling you a form you can fill in yourself.
Check this at the source
- Malta Further and Higher Education Authority, MQRIC. https://mfhea.mt/
- Identità, Specialist Employee Initiative eligibility. https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/employment-related-permits/highly-qualified-individuals/specialist-employee-initiative/who-is-eligible/
- Identità checklist: MQRIC recognition, nursing council, electrician licence. https://identita.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Checklist-New-Application-for-Single-Permit-KEI.pdf
- Government press release, 27 November 2025: the suitability check. https://www.gov.mt/en/Government/DOI/Press%20Releases/Pages/2025/11/27/pr252122en.aspx
Ce guide donne des informations générales, pas des conseils juridiques. Les règles changent. Les sources officielles indiquées à la fin ont le dernier mot.
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