VisaLong-term residents in Malta should prepare their card renewal before expiry
Renewal guide separating permanent status from the five-year card, comparing official document lists and the current fee with an older form.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Renew the card without repeating the first application
Non-EU nationals already holding long-term resident status in Malta should prepare a renewal before their five-year card expires. Identità's dedicated long-term residence FAQ says renewal does not require proving the original five-year qualifying residence again or retaking the integration and language examinations. This concerns renewals, not first applications.
The FAQ recommends applying at least one month before expiry. Submit the renewal through the Expatriates Portal, select the renewal option for Form L and upload the requested records. After processing, the applicant is invited to verify originals and provide fresh biometrics. Card expiry alone does not remove the underlying permanent status, but it remains important to obtain an up-to-date document. The recommended filing interval is therefore a practical preparation window, not a guarantee that any individual renewal will finish before a booked journey.
Prepare passport history and the status declarations
The Form L currently linked by Identità separates the new-application checklist from the renewal checklist. For renewal, it asks for full copies of passports used during the preceding five years and a declaration with sufficient evidence concerning absence and other residence status. The declarations address not having spent twelve consecutive months outside the European Union, not acquiring long-term resident status in another member state, and not being absent from Malta for six years while residing in another member state.
The form also includes a landlord declaration where the address remains unchanged. If the address changed, its renewal checklist asks for an attested lease form signed by the landlord and endorsed by a lawyer, notary or legal procurator, with the new lease and housing attestation. Its notes require originals for verification and registered translations into English or Maltese for foreign-language documents. Organise these records under the renewal checklist.
Include the additional records specified in the general FAQ
Identità's general non-employment FAQ gives a fuller renewal list than the short Form L checklist. It specifies the residence card's front and back, a recently dated and signed covering letter, and a signed chronological travel list. It also asks for two years of FS3 employment tax statements signed and stamped by the employer, or two years of profit-and-loss statements signed and stamped by an accountant or auditor for a self-employed applicant. The general list includes accommodation records and Housing Authority approval.
The shorter checklist does not establish an exemption from the additional FAQ requirements. Gather those records or ask Identità precisely which are required for the individual's renewal. The general FAQ says applicants can use either an e-ID account or the portal's alternative login. It also warns that the interim blue or white application receipt is not a travel document and cannot be used for travel or re-entry. A pending renewal should therefore not be treated as a replacement card for a trip abroad.
Use the current fee rather than the amount on an older form
Identità's current long-term residence service lists EUR500, and the dedicated long-term residence FAQ confirms this for renewal, payable online when submitting. That amount covers the new five-year card; it is separate from private translation, property-attestation or other document costs, for which these pages do not provide a universal price. Check the payment category in the portal before completing the transaction. The service page requires at least six months of passport validity when the application is submitted.
An older Form L indexed from the agency's September 2024 directory prints EUR137.50 for renewal; its direct link returned an error during this check. The currently linked form omits that figure, while the live service and FAQ state EUR500. Applicants should use the current online amount and seek clarification if the actual portal requests something different, rather than pay the historical figure from a saved copy. Keep the receipt with the application reference. For an unresolved document request, the current form publishes [email protected] for the Expatriates Unit; no individual receiving appointment or processing completion was confirmed for this report.
