The MTA holiday licence in Malta, and what the 2026 rules changed.
Every property let to tourists in Malta must hold a Malta Tourism Authority licence before it is advertised, let alone occupied, and since 15 June 2026 that licence is called a short-let rented accommodation licence rather than a holiday furnished premises licence. The change came with the Tourism Accommodation Regulations, 2026, subsidiary legislation 409.24 under the Travel and Tourism Services Act. The application is free to start, the MTA has 60 days to approve it, and operating without one now disqualifies both the applicant and the property for three years.
The applicant has to be the proprietor in title.
The MTA issues the licence to the proprietor in title, which it defines as the owner, an authorised agent, a lessee, or another person holding lawful rights over the premises. A tenant can therefore apply, but only with the owner's authority in place.
The licence covers studios, apartments, maisonettes, terraced houses, houses, villas and farmhouses. A property where the licensee lives on site while hosting guests is a different category, resident host accommodation, and a building operated as a guest house or a hotel falls under collective accommodation. Each has its own application.
One more filter sits in the police conduct requirement. The applicant and the operator must produce a valid police conduct certificate showing no conviction, in the preceding five years, for an offence punishable by six months imprisonment or more.
Nine documents, and the architect's certificate is the one that delays people.
The MTA publishes the list. In practice the application is assembled in an afternoon apart from two items, the police conduct certificate and the architect certification, which both depend on a third party.
- 01Identity card copies, both sides, for the applicant, the designated person and the operator
- 02Valid police conduct certificate for the applicant and the operator
- 03Memorandum and articles of association or partnership deed, if the applicant is a company
- 04Board or partnership resolution appointing the official representative, if the applicant is a company
- 05The latest approved development permission with drawings, with the unit outlined in red
- 06A pre-1968 compliance certificate, if the building was constructed before 1968
- 07Architect certification that the unit conforms to the planning permission and is fit for habitation
- 08Third party liability insurance covering the property and the common parts
- 09A waste collection management plan
Point 5 is where most applications stop. If what was built does not match what was permitted, the architect cannot certify conformity, and the licence cannot issue until the planning position is regularised. That is a planning problem rather than a licensing problem, and it is worth checking before a property is bought.
The statutory clocks.
| Stage | Statutory period | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Vetting | 5 days | The MTA checks the application is complete |
| Documentation | No fixed period | You supply whatever the vetting asks for |
| Inspection and assessment | Variable | Site inspection and the applicant's compliance |
| Approval | 60 days | The licence issues if the standards are met |
| Applicant non-response | 90 days | The application is deemed withdrawn |
| Appeal to the Tourism Appeals Board | 15 days from the decision | A prescribed fee applies |
Periods published by the Malta Tourism Authority for short-let rented accommodation. The 90 day clock is the one to watch. An application left unanswered for 90 days is treated as withdrawn and has to be started again.
The MTA does not publish a fee figure on the application page.
The fee is set by the Fees (Tourism) Regulations, subsidiary legislation 409.05, and the MTA application page refers applicants to that instrument rather than quoting an amount. Several Maltese agency websites state a range of roughly €100 to €300 depending on property type and number of bedrooms. We have not been able to verify that range against the published regulations, so treat it as indicative and confirm the amount at submission. Since 31 December 2025 licence payments are no longer accepted through licences.gov.mt or at local council offices.
The application system changed on 19 August 2026.
New applications now go through the MTA Application Management System at applicationlicence.mta.com.mt, which replaced the previous portal at licence.mta.com.mt on 19 August 2026 at 10:00. Forms can also be downloaded and submitted to the MTA Licensing Department at SmartCity Malta. The licensing department can be reached on +356 2291 5000.
Anyone who bookmarked the old portal or is working from a guide written before August 2026 will be sent to a system that no longer accepts new applications.
The conditions that came in with the 2026 regulations.
The licence is not the end of the obligation. These conditions apply for as long as the property is let.
- A maximum of two persons per bedroom approved by the Planning Authority
- A maximum of ten occupants per unit, unless the unit has independent access from a public road
- No bedrooms underground or in a basement
- No single booking longer than 90 consecutive days
- A named natural person available 24 hours a day to deal with complaints
- A notice displayed outside the property showing the licence number and the 24 hour contact details
- Written notification to the building administrator where the property sits in a condominium
- Third party liability insurance kept in force, covering the common parts
- A waste collection management plan in place
Two further standards in the Sixth Schedule apply to properties under contracts entered into after 15 June 2026: a minimum of 9 square metres per person, plus 4 square metres for each additional occupant, and a minimum internal width of 2.75 metres. Existing units have until 15 June 2028 to install air conditioning.
A three year disqualification, attached to the property as well as the person.
Advertising or letting an unlicensed property is expressly prohibited. Under the 2026 regulations an operator caught running an unlicensed short let is disqualified from holding a licence for three years, and the property itself remains ineligible for the same period. That is the part owners underestimate. The penalty does not clear when the property is sold or handed to a different manager, because it follows the premises.
Enforcement has historically been light. Around 6,000 units had been licensed through 2024, with roughly 1,500 more authorised by October 2025, while the MTA identified 177 illegal units during 2025 according to parliamentary records. Industry estimates have put the unlicensed share of the market at close to half. A three year ban on the property changes the arithmetic of that gamble considerably.
Two obligations that sit outside the licence.
Accommodation provided in premises licensed under the Travel and Tourism Services Act is subject to VAT at 7 percent rather than the standard rate. Registration and filing stay with the owner and the owner's accountant.
The environmental contribution rose to €1.50 per person per night on 1 July 2026, payable by guests aged 18 and over, capped at €22.50 per person per visit. The accommodation operator collects it. From the third quarter of 2026 declarations moved from the Malta Tax and Customs Administration to a new platform at eco-contribution.com, with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association handling the operational side on the MTA's behalf.
Straight answers.
Yes. Every property let to tourists in Malta must hold a Malta Tourism Authority licence before it is advertised. Operating or advertising short-let accommodation without prior MTA authorisation is expressly prohibited under the Tourism Accommodation Regulations, 2026. There is no exemption for letting occasionally, for letting only in summer, or for letting a single room in a property you also live in, although that last case falls under a different licence category called resident host accommodation.
Nine. Identity card copies for the applicant, the designated person and the operator. A valid police conduct certificate for the applicant and the operator. Memorandum and articles of association and a board resolution if the applicant is a company. The latest approved development permission with drawings, with the unit outlined in red. A pre-1968 compliance certificate if the building predates 1968. Architect certification that the unit conforms to the planning permission and is fit for habitation. Third party liability insurance covering the property and the common parts. A waste collection management plan.
The MTA vets the application within 5 days and has 60 days to approve it once the file is complete. Inspection and assessment sit between the two and the MTA describes that period as variable, dependent on how quickly the applicant supplies what is asked for. The clock that matters is the other one: if the applicant does not respond to the MTA within 90 days, the application is deemed withdrawn and has to be started again.
The fee is set by the Fees (Tourism) Regulations, subsidiary legislation 409.05, and the Malta Tourism Authority refers applicants to that instrument rather than publishing an amount on its application page. Maltese agency sources commonly quote a range of roughly EUR 100 to EUR 300 depending on property type and number of bedrooms. We have not been able to verify that range against the published regulations, so confirm the figure at submission rather than budgeting from it.
Under the Tourism Accommodation Regulations, 2026, an operator caught running an unlicensed short let is disqualified from holding a licence for three years, and the property itself remains ineligible for the same period. The disqualification follows the premises, so selling the property or changing manager does not clear it. Advertising an unlicensed property is prohibited in the same terms as letting one.
A maximum of two persons per Planning Authority approved bedroom and ten occupants per unit, unless the unit has independent access from a public road. No bedrooms underground or in a basement. No single booking longer than 90 consecutive days. A named person available 24 hours a day for complaints, with a notice outside the property showing the licence number and those contact details. Written notice to the building administrator if the property is in a condominium. Third party liability insurance and a waste collection management plan kept in place.
Sources
- Malta Tourism Authority, short-let rented accommodation
- Malta Tourism Authority, application for a short-let licence
- Tourism Accommodation Regulations, 2026, S.L. 409.24
- Fees (Tourism) Regulations, S.L. 409.05
- Malta Tourism Authority notices
- Malta Tourism Authority, environmental contribution
Last reviewed 14 September 2026. Licensing rules change. Confirm current requirements with the Malta Tourism Authority before you apply.
We handle the licence as part of onboarding.
If your property does not have a licence, we submit the application, assemble the documents and deal with the MTA while the setup runs in parallel. If the planning position will not support a licence, we will tell you before you spend anything.