Malta Work Permit Health Screening — What You Need to Know (2026)

Work-permit health screening is a public-health clearance process coordinated through Malta's Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate (HPDP / IDCU pathway). It is designed to confirm that Third-Country Nationals starting certain jobs do not pose untreated infectious-disease risks — especially tuberculosis — and that profession-specific vaccinations are in place.

Many first-time Single Permit applicants need screening. Requirements are stricter for healthcare, care work, beauty/tattooing, and food handling. Some construction, cleaning, transport, security, delivery, and admin workers from non-high-risk TB countries may be exempt from parts of the IDCU screen — but exemptions are role- and nationality-specific, so never assume you are exempt without checking the current HPDP tables.

As of May 2026, health screening applications for work permits must be submitted through expatriateshealthscreening.gov.mt. Paper forms emailed to clinics or IDCU are no longer a valid submission channel for new files.

In practice this means the employer / applicant flow starts online, you attend an approved clinic for tests, and approval is issued digitally (often as an approval email / portal confirmation that Identità recognises). Keep screenshots and PDFs of every approval — they belong in your document vault.

Official reference pages still live under HPDP for first-time and renewal rules: hpdp.gov.mt (work permits for first-time applicants / renewal screening).

Exact tests depend on your profession category and whether your country of origin is listed as high / very-high TB risk. Common components include:

• Chest X-ray / TB screening — especially for high-risk nationalities
• Blood tests as directed by the clinic / HPDP form
• Hepatitis B + MMR evidence for doctors, nurses, midwives, carers and related roles
• Hepatitis A + Typhoid for food handlers
• Polio / diphtheria requirements for several categories

Bring prior vaccination records. Missing titres are one of the top reasons screening “finishes” clinically but approval is delayed.

Use the correct form code for your job — clinics and Identità check this:

• Form A1 — Doctors, dentists, midwives, nurses
• Form A2 — Professions complementary to medicine, carers, beauty therapists, tattooists
• Form A3 — Food handlers
• Form A4 — Other / general occupations

If you are a live-in carer, expect A2-style requirements (Hep B + MMR). If you handle food in hospitality, expect A3 plus Hep A/Typhoid. Nurses and doctors should plan around A1 from day one.

Screening must be done through clinics that understand TCN / HPDP work-permit workflows — including radiology and documentation turnaround. MaltaPilot maintains a directory of commonly used clinics such as DaVinci Health, St Thomas Hospital, St Mary's Clinic, and others offering TCN medicals.

Browse locations, services, and notes on our Doctors & clinics page. Always confirm current prices and whether the clinic supports your exact HPDP form before you pay.

The most expensive timing mistake: paying for X-rays and bloods before the employer has opened / submitted the online health-screening application linked to your work permit case.

Recommended sequence:

1. Employer starts the online expatriates health-screening application
2. You confirm which HPDP form and tests apply
3. You book an accredited clinic and complete tests
4. You wait for digital approval / IDCU confirmation
5. You upload the approval into your Identità / Single Permit pack

Approvals can take additional days after the clinic visit. Do not schedule Identità biometrics on the assumption that screening results are instant.