Intra-Corporate Transfers in Malta: A Practical Guide for Employers

Author: Sharon Sammut

Intra-corporate transfers in Malta have become an increasingly important tool for global organisations managing cross-border workforce mobility Whether to support operational continuity, deliver specialist projects, or transfer internal expertise, cross-border mobility has become a core component of corporate workforce planning.

In Malta, one of the principal legal mechanisms enabling such mobility is the Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) permit, administered by Identità under Malta’s transposition of EU Directive 2014/66/EU through Subsidiary Legislation 217.21. But how does this route actually work in practice, and how does it sit within Malta’s wider labour migration framework?

What is an ICT permit in Malta?

The defining feature of intra-corporate transfers in Malta is that this is internal corporate mobility, not external recruitment. An ICT permit allows a non-EU national who is already employed within a corporate group to be temporarily assigned to a related entity in Malta.

The defining feature is that this is internal corporate mobility, not external recruitment.

Both entities must belong to the same group, and the employee must move in a structured, time-limited capacity.

The route applies to three categories:

• Managers
• Specialists
• Trainees

Core eligibility requirements

To qualify, several conditions must be satisfied:

• The employee must already have prior employment within the corporate group;
• The transfer must be temporary and clearly defined;
• The Maltese entity must formally host the assignment;
• The role must correspond to the employee’s category (manager, specialist, trainee);
• Employment terms, including remuneration and duties, must be clearly documented.

Application process

Applications are submitted to Identità under the dedicated Intra-Corporate Transferee procedure, resulting in a single authorisation covering both residence in Malta and permission to work with the host entity in Malta.

This procedure is distinct from Malta’s general employment authorisation framework and is assessed under ICT-specific criteria rather than labour market considerations.

Duration of stay

The ICT framework imposes strict time limits:

• Up to 3 years for managers and specialists;
• Up to 1 year for trainees

The permit is strictly temporary in nature and cannot be extended beyond these statutory limits under the ICT category.

Upon expiry, the cessation of ICT status does not automatically necessitate immediate departure from Malta in all cases. However, any continued residence or employment must be regularised under an alternative legal basis, in accordance with the applicable requirements under Maltese immigration law at the relevant time.

Family members

Where family reunification has been granted in accordance with the applicable provisions, family members of an intra-corporate transferee are entitled to reside in Malta for the duration of the principal applicant’s authorisation.

In such cases, and subject to the applicable legal framework and the principle of preference for European Union (EU) citizens as set out in the relevant EU accession instruments, family members who are granted residence rights may also have access to employment and self-employed activity in Malta.