Malta's three memberships
| Membership | Since | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | 1 May 2004 | EU rules on student permits and post-study stay |
| Schengen area | 21 December 2007, airports from 30 March 2008 | Travel in 28 other countries, 90 days in any 180 |
| Euro area | 1 January 2008 | Fees, rent and your budget all in euro |
Malta is one of the simplest cases among the nine: it is in everything. There is no asterisk, no partial accession, no opt-out to remember.
What the Schengen permit actually gets you
Once your Maltese residence card is issued, you can travel to any other Schengen country for short stays without applying for a separate visa, up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. From Malta that means Sicily is under an hour in the air, and Rome, Barcelona and Athens are all short low-cost flights.
Two limits to keep straight. First, it is a travel right, not a study or work right — you cannot enrol or take a job in another member state on a Maltese permit. Second, the 90 days are a genuine cap that is now counted automatically at the border by the EU Entry/Exit System, fully operational since 10 April 2026. Casual over-staying used to be invisible; it is not any more. The mechanics are in the 90/180 rule explained.
The island catch nobody mentions
Malta has no land border. Everything off the island is a flight or a ferry, which means:
- Weekend travel costs more than the same trip from Italy or Hungary. A student in Budapest can take a bus to Vienna for the price of lunch. A student in Malta cannot.
- Flights spike in summer. Malta is a tourist destination, and July and August pricing reflects that — including on the flight home to Dhaka.
- Housing is tight and seasonal. The same tourism that makes summer flights expensive makes summer rooms scarce and short-let priced.
None of this makes Malta a bad choice. It makes the travel line in your budget bigger than the Schengen membership might suggest, and it is worth putting real numbers on it with the cost calculator.
The permit that gives you the travel right
The Schengen travel right does not arrive with your visa. It arrives with your residence card, and there is a gap between the two.
You enter Malta on a national long-stay visa, then apply for the residence permit after arrival. Until that card is in your hand, your position is the visa's, not the permit's — and a national visa is a permission to enter and remain in Malta, not a general Schengen travel document. Students who book a trip to Sicily in their first month are the ones who discover this at the airport.
Two rules follow. Do not plan travel until the card is issued, and do not travel in the gap between an expiring card and a renewal being granted. The distinction is set out in your first 90 days: visa versus residence permit and national type D versus Schengen type C.
What Malta is genuinely good at
English is an official language, and degrees are taught in it — which removes the single biggest practical obstacle Bangladeshi students hit in Italy, Finland or Hungary, where the course may be in English but daily life and part-time work are not. Malta is also small enough that the University of Malta and a handful of licensed institutions are the whole landscape, so verifying that an institution is real is quicker here than almost anywhere.
That last point deserves emphasis, because Malta also attracts a fringe of small private "colleges" marketed hard in South Asia. Check the licence before you pay anything. The full picture is in studying in Malta from Bangladesh and the Malta country guide.
What a first year in Malta actually looks like
| Item | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Language of instruction | English, at every licensed institution |
| Currency | Euro from day one, no conversion step |
| Getting around | Buses; the island is small enough that a car is optional |
| Housing | The hardest part, and worst in September |
| Travel off the island | Always a flight or a ferry, priced seasonally |
The housing line is the one to plan for. Malta's rental stock competes directly with short-let tourism, so September — when every arriving student looks at once — is the worst possible month to search from abroad. Start early, take a temporary room if you must, and do not sign anything or send a deposit for a property nobody you trust has seen.
Malta or Cyprus?
They look similar from Dhaka — small, sunny, English-friendly, EU. On the Schengen question they are opposites: Malta is in, Cyprus is not. That single difference changes weekend travel and nothing else, but it is the difference people most often get backwards. The full side-by-side is in Cyprus versus Malta, and the sorted table for all nine is in Schengen or EU.
The honest summary
Malta gives you an EU degree in English, euro pricing and full Schengen travel rights, on an island where living costs are mid-range for the nine and rooms are hard to find in September. Decide on the course and the total cost. The Schengen answer here is a clean yes and should not be the reason you choose it.
Official sources — check for yourself
- European Commission — Schengen area
- European Commission — background on Schengen enlargement (MEMO/07/619)
- European Commission — Entry/Exit System
Rules and figures change. We review these articles periodically and show the date above, but always confirm the current requirement with the official source before you act on it.
Common questions
Is Malta a full Schengen member?+
Yes. Malta's land and sea border checks were lifted on 21 December 2007 and its airport checks on 30 March 2008. It has been a full member ever since.
Can I visit Italy from Malta on my student residence card?+
Yes, for short visits — up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across all the other Schengen countries combined. You cannot study or work in Italy on a Maltese permit.
Does Malta use the euro?+
Yes, since 1 January 2008. Tuition, rent and living costs are all quoted and paid in euro, which makes comparing Malta against Italy, Greece or Cyprus straightforward.
Is Malta cheaper than Cyprus because both are small islands?+
Not automatically. Malta's housing market is tighter and more seasonal, and every trip off the island is a flight. Compare the actual first-year totals rather than assuming the islands price alike.
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