(last updated 12th April 2023)
KINDLY NOTE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CHANGES/UPDATES MADE TO THE CONTENT AND TO THE APPLICATION FORMS.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU READ THROUGH THE INFORMATION BELOW AND USE THE CORRECT APPLICATION FORMS.
The medical section of the form can be completed by ONE (1) doctor only
Third country nationals who would like to reside and work legally in Malta may sometimes be required to re-apply for Health Screening approval as part of their work permit application form.
Guidelines on what Health Screening is required and further information is available on this website and on the application form.
Who DOES NOT need to fill the Health Screening for renewal of Work Permits Application Form?
Those applicants who are NOT from these countries or did not spend 6 months or more in one of them, and are reapplying for the following jobs, DO NOT need to apply for health screening approval and can go directly to Identity Malta for work permit approval.
a. Administrative jobs
b. Construction / Manual workers
c. Footballers
d. Hairdressers/Makeup artists
e. Working in transport
f. Cleaners/Housekeepers
g. Security guards
h. Delivery persons
i. Laboratory technicians working in a non-medical field (e.g. construction, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc)
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THE GUIDELINES AND INFORMATION BELOW ARE RELEVANT TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO APPLY FOR HEALTH SCREENING APPROVAL AS PART OF THEIR WORK PERMIT APPLICATION FORM
The requested health screening and relevant investigations are to be carried out LOCALLY in the PRIVATE SECTOR.
Who should fill the Health Screening for renewal of Work Permits Application Form?
1. Foreigners who were born or have lived for 6 months or more in a country reported as very high-risk for tuberculosis
All foreigners who were born or have lived for 6 months or more in a country reported as very high risk for tuberculosis need to complete the Health Screening for Renewal of Work Permits application Form R1 one year after the first application was made (a total of 2 years applying for health screening and working in Malta) regardless of the job they have applied for. Applications need to be sent by the employer to the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit (IDCU) on workpermit.idcu@gov.mt.
2. Doctors, Dentists, Midwives, Nurses, Professions Complementary to Medicine, Carers, Child carers, Nannies, Beauty Therapists, Spa Therapists, Beauticians, Massage Therapists and Tattooists need to apply for renewal as follows:
- In cases where individuals applying for jobs in point 2 were born or have lived for 6 months or more in a country reported as very high risk for tuberculosis, application Form R1 needs to be filled in and submitted one year after the first application was made (a total of 2 years applying for health screening and working in Malta).
- In cases where individuals applying for jobs in point 2 were NOT born or HAVE NOT lived for 6 months or more in a country reported as very high-risk for tuberculosis, renewal application Form R2 needs to be filled in and submitted one year after the first application was made (a total of 2 years applying for health screening and working in Malta).
Applicants need to have taken the full course of Hepatitis B vaccination prior to renewal and any other investigations as indicated in the relevant application form. The form needs to be duly filled by a private medical doctor and sent by the employer to workpermit.idcu@gov.mt.
3. Food Handlers
Applicants working as Food Handlers (those engaged in the preparation, manufacturing and treatment of a food buisiness and who handles or prepares food intended for human consumption, in terms of the Food Safety Act and Subsidiary Legislation 449.27), need to apply for renewal as follows:
- In cases where individuals applying for jobs in point 3 were born or have lived for 6 months or more in a country reported as very high risk for tuberculosis, application Form R1 needs to be filled in and submitted one year after the first application was made (a total of 2 years applying for health screening and working in Malta).
- In cases where individuals applying for jobs in point 3 were NOT born or HAVE NOT lived for 6 months or more in a country reported as very high-risk for tuberculosis, renewal application Form R2 needs to be filled in and submitted one year after the first application was made (a total of 2 years applying for health screening and working in Malta).
Applicants need to have taken the full course of Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccination prior to renewal and any other investigations as indicated in the relevant application form. The form needs to be duly filled by a private medical doctor and sent by the employer to workpermit.idcu@gov.mt.
PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION (ALL DOCUMENTATION MUST BE IN ENGLISH)
Ensure the form is the latest one available on this website.
Old forms will not be processed. Merging of old and new application forms is not allowed and will not be accepted for processing.
a. Download the renewal for work permit application form.
b. Forms should be filled in by the employee, employer, and Medical Doctor (only 1 medical doctor can complete the form) in their respective sections
c. Forms should preferably be typed or written in BLOCK LETTERS. Forms not legibly filled will not be processed.
d. Forms should be saved in PDF format as one (1) rolling document.
e. Forms are to be sent by the employer on workpermit.idcu@gov.mt. Applications sent by employees will not be accepted.
f. ALL pages of the application are to be sent in PDF file attachment and in order in ONE (1) email.
g. When sending the email, in the email’s subject box, the employee’s name should be specified together with the job being applied for, e.g., Patel Singh – Food Handler-renewal.
h. Only ONE (1) application should be sent per email.
i. Queries in relation to health screening for work permits are to be directed to workpermitqueries.idcu@gov.mt.
PREGNANT EMPLOYEES
When applying for a renewal work permit for an employee who is pregnant the employer is requested to write an email providing the applicant’s details , including a contact number and email address, to workpermitqueries.idcu@gov.mt for further guidance on how to proceed with their screening.
CHEST X-RAY
Chest X-Rays need to be taken within the last 6 weeks from the date of application form.
N.B. The Chest X-Ray report is to be shown to the medical doctor and a scan of the report is to be sent with the application form.
Where a Chest X-Ray is required for renewal, the report must be attached.
VACCINATIONS & BLOOD INVESTIGATIONS
N.B. All vaccination records/blood investigation results are to be shown to the medical doctor and scans sent with the application form.
Where vaccination records are not provided a booster dose will be required, as indicated below.
1. Hepatitis B.
Employees reapplying for jobs as
Doctors, Dentists, Midwives, Nurses, other Regulated Healthcare Professions, Carers, Child carers, Dental Chairside assistants/Dental Surgery assistants, Nannies, Beauty Therapists, Spa Therapists, Beauticians, Massage Therapists and Tattooists
must have full immunity against Hepatitis B prior to renewal of work permits.
Permit may not be issued without evidence of immunity against Hepatitis B with either,
(i) completed Hepatitis B vaccination schedule with vaccines taken in Malta
or
(ii) evidence of immunity though Hepatitis B antibody test (Hepatitis B antibody).
2. Hepatitis A and Typhoid
Employees who are renewing their jobs as Food Handlers need to have completed the full course of Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccination prior to renewal of work permit.
Permit may not be issued without evidence of immunity against Hepatitis A with either,
(i) completed Hepatitis A vaccination schedule with vaccines taken in Malta
or
(ii) evidence of immunity though Hepatitis A antibody test (Hepatitis A antibody).
Please note that Typhoid vaccination needs to be repeated every 3 years.
ABNORMAL RESULTS
If medical findings show abnormalities, a copy of the investigation report needs to be submitted with the application form. You will then be guided accordingly.
APPLYING FOR CHANGE OF JOB
If an employee is changing jobs, they may still need to reapply for a new work permit and additional investigations might be required.
- Chest x-rays are only accepted if taken within 1 year from date of this application.
The Chest X-Ray report must be attached
- Other blood investigations are accepted if taken within 2 years from date of this application.
CHANGE OF EMPLOYER
If an employee is changing employer but keeping the same job (within the 1-year period), there is no need to reapply for Health Screening. Another Health Screening would then be required when applying for renewal of the work permit.
PROCEDURE FOR APPROVAL
Once the documentation has been reviewed and found to be satisfactory, an approval email will be sent to the employer. The employee can then proceed to Identity Malta with this email - it is important that they take a printed copy of the approval email with them.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
1. It is the employee’s responsibility to:
i. Keep a copy of their medical reports, blood test results and vaccination cards for future reference.
ii. Take all required medical reports, blood test results, vaccination cards and identification documents with them when attending for a health screening. Failure to do so may result in the health screening not taking place.
2. If health screening is incomplete or results are unsatisfactory, applications will not be processed, and approval may not be granted.
3. Vetting of applications may take up to 15 working days from when the correctly completed form is recieved to be processed. It is the responsibility of the employer and employee to ensure that properly completed submissions, as per guidelines provided in this website and on the application forms, are made in good time.
4. REQUESTS FOR URGENT VETTING OF APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
Health Screening for renewal of Work Permits Application Forms
Form R1 – Renewal Form (for foreigners who were born or have lived for 6 months or more in a country reported as very high risk for tuberculosis regardless of the job being applied for).
Form R2 – Renewal Form (for Doctors, Dentists, Midwives, Nurses, Professions Complementary to Medicine, Carers/Child carers, Nannies, Dental Hygienists, Food Handlers, Beauty Therapists, Beauticians, Spa Therapists & Massage Therapists and Tattooists) who were NOT born or HAVE NOT lived for 6 months or more in a country reported as very high-risk for tuberculosis.
Thank you for your co-operation,
Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit (IDCU)
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate
Email: workpermit.idcu@gov.mt.
workpermitqueries.idcu@gov.mt