Study in Malta from Bangladesh: the long-stay visa from VFS Dhaka to your e-Residence card

In short: Confirm your programme actually exists in Malta, file the D visa at VFS Dhaka by early July for October, show EUR 950 per month of stay with three months of transaction history, allow eight to twelve weeks, then apply to Identità for the e-Residence card on arrival. No work for 90 days; then Jobsplus and 20 hours a week.

Malta's appeal is singular and large: everything runs in English — lectures, government offices, rental contracts, part-time jobs. It is in the EU and fully in Schengen, and its currency is the euro. In exchange, the funds figure is among the highest on our list and the processing time among the slowest, so Malta is won on the calendar. Here is the whole process in order.

The process at a glance

Programme first, dream second

Malta is a small country with a compact higher-education sector — the University of Malta, MCAST and a handful of private institutes. Its strengths are business and finance, IT and iGaming, hospitality and tourism, maritime studies and health. If your field is niche, the first check is whether it is taught in Malta at all; if it is not, no other part of the plan matters.

• IELTS usually 6.0, with some Master's programmes at 6.5; a few programmes accept MOI or a pathway route
• Tuition EUR 5,000–11,000 a year; application fee EUR 350–400
• Intakes in October and February

Funds: understand the per-month rule

Malta's requirement is not annual but monthly: EUR 950 for each month of stay, so about EUR 11,400 on a twelve-month visa. What the file needs:

• A bank statement showing the last three months of transactions — a certificate that merely states a balance is refused
• For a sponsor: proof of relationship and the sponsor's income documents
• No sudden large deposits — the money's story matters as much as its size (see the funding guide)
• No blocked account

The rest of the file

• Passport, photographs, D-visa form
• Admission letter and proof of tuition or deposit paid
• Proof of accommodation — a dormitory confirmation, rental contract or university housing document (the accommodation guide covers how to arrange this from Dhaka safely)
• Health insurance with at least EUR 30,000 of cover including repatriation, spanning the whole period
• Academic certificates, attested; IELTS or MOI
• Police clearance certificate
• Flight reservation (not a purchased ticket)
• Visa fee plus the VFS service charge (about EUR 70–100 and up)

VFS Dhaka — and patience

Book an appointment and submit the file with biometrics at the VFS Global Malta visa application centre in Dhaka. Two things to say plainly:

• Time. Processing reports for Malta's long-stay visa run to twelve weeks. Plan on eight to twelve: for October, file in late June or early July; an August filing is a genuine gamble on the start of classes.
• Routes change. Which VFS centre handles which category is revised occasionally — read the current instructions on the VFS Malta–Bangladesh page before booking.

After arrival: e-Residence and Jobsplus

The visa only admits you. In the first weeks, apply to Identità Malta for the student e-Residence card — before the visa expires — with your address, insurance and enrolment proof. Only once the card is issued does the next step open.

Work: none for the first 90 days. Then an employment licence through your employer via Jobsplus, allowing 20 hours a week in term and full-time in holidays. The good news is that the economy runs in English, so finding that work is realistic; the discipline is to budget the first three months on zero income.

The mistakes that cost intakes

1. 1Filing at VFS in August — twelve weeks of processing eats the October start.
2. 2Proving funds with a balance certificate — Malta wants transaction history.
3. 3A file without accommodation proof — it is mandatory for Malta.
4. 4Insurance under EUR 30,000 or too short — the insurance guide explains what the certificate must show.
5. 5A budget that assumes work from the first week.