Acquiring a Malta visa
Overview
Everyone loves islands! They are solemn and calm. It takes away all your negative energies and leaves you with positive vibes while returning back. Malta is one such archipelago. It has multiple islands just connecting each other and creating a circular circumambient. It is situated in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily, part of Italy. It consists of three major islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino. Out of which, Malta is born as the largest one of all whereas the nearby area of Comino is known as the tiniest island.
It is recorded for having the best weather in the world as it is mostly sunny and till date, the temperature has never gone below zero. Above all that, its capital city Valletta, is the cherry on the top. According to UNESCO, it is the most history-centric area in the world. It is also the first ever planned city of Europe.
The beauty of Malta is magnetic and is attracting all your senses. If you have time and resources, you can surely plan up for this and you will come back with the best and exotic island experience, you can ever imagine.
And the good news is that it is a part of the European visa system. As per your Indian Nationality status, all you will need is Schengen Visa and a few other identification papers to reach the beauty of your dreams.
Schengen Visa
As per the European Union rules, they have eliminated the multiple visa process and have adopted a single visa requirement. The visa is known as the Schengen visa which is common for all 26 counties who participated in this decision. All 26 European countries are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Your purpose of travel to Malta can be multiple, so you just need to decide the type of visa required, according to that.
Types of Visa
Once it is decided that you want to visit Malta, all you just need is to collect information and types of documents needed for landing there. But before this process, you just need to keep in mind your thorough purpose of visiting the country. The further categorization will depend on that.
There are multiple visa types; you can select one depending on your purpose of visit.
Tourist visa
Who doesn’t love to travel to such places where our wallpaper turns live? Malta is one such place. It has the most beautiful islands surrounded by the coastlines and greenery all over. Thousands of people from all over the world visit Malta in all the seasons as the weather remains constant there in almost all the seasons. If it is in your list, then you need to apply for a tourist visa. You will be asked to submit your personal details and duration of travel while opting for the visa. After due verification, you will be granted the visa within the specified time duration.
Pay a visit to family and friends:
If you have some friends or relatives staying there, you are lucky. You just need to mention the name and identity of the person staying there and the duration of your travel while obtaining the visa.
Student visa:
Student visa for Malta is much popular. Students who wish to study a subject related to nature, history, and archaeology mostly opt for this visa. There are different education centres where one can avail knowledge of the same. You need to mention the course, duration, and education centre providing the same. Mostly it is easy to get a student visa in Malta compared to other visas.
Job and work visa:
If you know about some good company established in Malta and wish to work under the same, then you need to opt for a job visa. And if you have already applied and received the offer letter, then you can directly submit the details to the officials. IN this case, it becomes easy to obtain the visa.
Business visa:
As Indians, our first goal is business. If you plan to start one, all you need is a business visa in the first go. You will be asked to submit the details regarding the type of business, duration, allowed in the surrounding premises or not, investment details etc. to the officials. If all the things are aligned, you will be granted a business visa.
Training visa:
Some companies want their employees to get trained and return back with the knowledge in order to carry out some specific functions. If you are a part of such a training session, you will be required to opt for a visa. You need to mention all the training details along with the duration period.
Trade fair visa:
It is a solace place so people love to go there and organize fairs. Even because it has a sunny climate, it is suitable for all people from all over the world. If you wish to attend the fair or be a part of the organizing committee, you need to opt for a visa. You need to mention the venue details, type of fair, duration and your role to the delegates at the time of application.
Exhibitions visa:
It is a historical place as well as has all nature rich components which make it the most beautiful country in Europe. So, if you want to exhibit your products for the people and you think it will be useful for them, then you can just opt for an exhibition visa and promote your products. People living in such areas may not know much about what is going on in the city and about its fashion. Your brand can be the one who can introduce them to the needs.
Medical treatment visa:
Malta has some good doctors and some huge hospitals. If one needs to avail a medical treatment from Malta, then one need to opt for a medical visa. One needs to mention the type of treatment, disease, any specific requirement as well as a pre-medical condition to the officials in order to make them understand the requirements. Even time period of the surgery of treatment has to be mentioned in detail.
Research visa:
Malta is known for its history as well as archaeology. It is made up of multiple islands which becomes the most interesting topic of research for many researchers and scientists. It is also permitted by European government as they want the students and scientist to research on some of the issues and brings to the notice the solutions relating to that. You need to take a research visa for that. You need to submit papers to the delegates mentioning your research purpose, topic, and duration in order to opt for that. If things go right, you will be able to research the most interesting country of all time.
Language learning visa:
If one wants to try an altogether different language, one can surely opt for the Maltese language. It is fun and easy to learn. You can learn it and teach the students in your own country. But before that idea, you need to explain and mention the purpose to the delegates and obtain the visa for the same. You will be granted a time period according to your learning period.
Mostly all types are covered but still, you claim a different purpose then you can mention that to the delegates and obtain a visa based on that. Just make sure you explain it properly because if you fail to convey your message, your visa can be declined in the first go.
Malta Visa Application Process
Once you are clear about the kind of visa you need to travel to Malta, you can apply for it online or offline as per your convenience. You may, if you so desire, seek the help of a travel agency as well, and though they are likely to charge a fee for their services, it will reduce your own burden. Below you can read about the step-wise process of applying for the visa. Ensure that you follow the process meticulously to prevent the rejection of your visa.
-
Check the visa type you need: At the very onset, you need to find out the type of visa you are going to require, which will depend on the purpose of your visit to Malta. The duration of your visit also matters as you will require different types of visas for different durations. For instance, for a short duration, say 90 days, you will require a Schengen visa. However, you can extend the duration of your visa by applying for an extension for a valid reason. And, for a long-term duration visit, say more than 90 days, you will need to apply for a Malta visa in order to get the required permission to stay in the Schengen zone. If you overshoot your stay in the Schengen zone without applying for an extension, you may receive a warning notice, and may even be repatriated.
-
Book your appointment: You cannot simply walk into the embassy to apply for a visa, as you will not be entertained. You have to book a proper appointment with the embassy and follow the proper procedure. You are advised to keep all your required documents handy and properly organized, or else you may have to seek another appointment, and the whole process will get delayed.
-
Visit the embassy on time: On the day of the appointment visit the embassy on time, or your visa interview may get rescheduled. You will be given a small leeway, say about 10 to 15 minutes, but no one is going to wait for you for longer than that. On reaching the embassy on time, your appointment letter will be checked and verified. You will then be given a token number to wait for your turn. When your turn comes, all your documents will be properly checked and verified. This may take about 10 to 15 minutes, as both your application form and attached documents will be verified. Before you submit the documents, ensure that all the forms are properly filled and the documents are properly organized. You must also have photocopies of all the documents. If your documents are not in order, or if you do not have photocopies of the same, you will be given another token number, thus delaying the process of your submission. If all your documents are in proper order, then the embassy will take your file including your passport, for a specified period of time. During this time, you cannot get your passport, even for urgent reasons, or your application may get cancelled, and then you will have to undergo the process all over again.
-
Ensure there are no typo errors: Your information will be fed into the online system of the embassy. After that, you will be given a hard copy of the same to be countersigned in front of embassy officials. Ensure that before you sign it, in your file. In the meanwhile, you will be asked to pay a visa fee of Euro 60 as an application fee, for which you will be given a receipt. You will have to produce this receipt at the time of collection of your visa, so keep it safe.
-
Getting your biometrics scanned: When this process is completed, you will have to give your biometrics. All your 10 fingers will be scanned. This will take another 10 minutes. Your application for a Malta visa will now be processed by the embassy. All you need to do is sit back and relax untill you get a call from the embassy that you can come and collect your visa.