Information for people arriving from Ukraine

You may be eligible for temporary protection in Malta if you are a:

• citizen of Ukraine who used to live in Ukraine and had to flee the country on or after 24 February 2022,
• foreigner or person without a nationality (stateless person) in Ukraine who had refugee or another international protection status in Ukraine before 24 February 2022,
• family member of any of the above (including spouses, partners, minor unmarried children, and other close relatives/dependents), provided that the family was already present and residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022,
• foreigner or person without a nationality who had a valid permanent residence permit in Ukraine and had to flee the country on or after 24 February 2022, and are unable to return in safe and durable conditions to your country or region of origin.

➡️ If you are not entitled to Temporary Protection in Malta, you can always apply for asylum. See our “How to apply for asylum” section.

No, you need to apply for it. Requests for temporary protection must be submitted to the International Protection Agency (IPA).

To apply for Temporary Protection in Malta, you will need to make an appointment to appear in person at the office of the International Protection Agency (IPA).

➡️ Please send an email to [email protected] to ask for an appointment and more detailed information on what you will need to bring with you.

If you are granted temporary protection status in Malta, you are entitled to:

• a residence permit
• access to the labour market and accommodation
• social and welfare assistance
• medical care (including, as a minimum essential emergency care and essential treatment of illness)
• access to education for children under 18 years old

Currently, temporary protection status will be issued with a permit until 4 March 2024.

➡️ Temporary Protection:

• Legal framework: Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC)
• Aims at providing immediate and temporary protection in the event of (imminent) mass influx of displaced persons from non-EU countries
• Is granted to persons who are unable to return to their country of origin
• There is no requirement for an in-depth individual assessment of the circumstances that led to the departure of the country of origin
• Temporary Protection is offered exclusively for as long as the Temporary Protection Directive remains activated and a maximum of two years
• To date, the Temporary Protection Directive has only been activated once, and applies only to those fleeing Ukraine after 24 February 2022.

➡️ International Protection (Refugee and Subsidiary Protection):

• Legal framework: Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951 Geneva Convention) and EU Qualification Directive (2011/95/EU)
• Refugee status is granted to individuals who, due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of their political opinion, religion, membership in a particular social group, nationality, or race, are unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin.
• Subsidiary protection is granted to individuals who would face a real risk of suffering serious harm if returned to their country of origin. Serious harm is defined as the risk of:

(a) the death penalty or execution; or

(b) torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; or

(c) serious and individual threat to a civilian’s life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict.

• An in-depth examination of the person’s individual circumstances (i.e., a personal interview) is required for the authorities to decide on the claim
• Beneficiaries of refugee and subsidiary status are issued a residence permit valid for 3 years and this is renewed so long as protection is needed.

Yes, of course. You have the option of applying for one or the other. Even if you are eligible for temporary protection, you can still apply for international protection instead.

No, you cannot hold both statuses. If you apply for international protection while holding temporary protection, your temporary protection will be automatically withdrawn.

In case you decide to apply for international protection, your application will be assessed accordingly, and a decision will be taken by the International Protection Agency (IPA). It is pertinent to note that the international protection status determination process is independent of the benefit of temporary protection.

For more information regarding the Temporary Protection Directive in Malta, please visit this Government’s website.

Yes, with temporary protection, you have freedom of movement within the European Union.

If you apply for asylum, you will have to hand over your passport, and you are not entitled to leave Malta until your asylum claim is processed.

➡️ Residence permit

After being granted a Temporary Protection Certificate by IPA and in order to obtain a residence permit, you need to make an appointment to visit the office of Identità (please click here for the address of Identità).

To book your appointment with Identità , send an email to [email protected]

After you book your appointment, you must appear in person at the date and time indicated with the following documentation:

• Identità Form I (filled)
• Lease agreement of your residence
• Housing approval letter
• IPA certificate
• IPA decision letter
• Payment of €27.50 per person (also children) – by card only
• Deed of purchase of the property (if landlord is not a Maltese national)

During your appointment, a staff member of Identità will verify your documentation and, if it is confirmed to be in order, you will:

• have your fingerprints and photo taken
• pay the corresponding fee
• be given a receipt with the official residence permit number written (which you may already use for services such as health, education, etc) while your official residence permit document is being processed.

When your residence permit is ready, you will receive a letter to the address you gave in your application informing you that it is available for collection.

➡️ Work and Accommodation

Working in Malta

Beneficiaries of temporary protection enjoy the same labour rights as beneficiaries of international protection. For general information on labour rights in Malta visit our  “Access to Employment” page.

Accommodation

If you have applied for international protection (i.e., you are now an asylum seeker), you can be accommodated in facilities run by the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) free of charge. AWAS is located at Block C, Belt is-Sebħ, Floriana. You can contact them by phone 📞 25687200 or via email [email protected].

Accommodation is not given to beneficiaries of temporary protection (TP). However, if you have been granted TP, you may apply for social support services in the same way that beneficiaries of international protection do. For more information, visit the websites of the Housing Authority and Social Security Department.

➡️ Social and Welfare Assistance

Social Assistance in Malta may be awarded to a person who may:

• be incapable of working due to medical reasons; or
• cannot engage in employment due to having care and custody of own children and is legally or de facto separated.

Visit servizz.gov.mt for more information about this assistance, including amounts, time and to find out if you are eligible to apply and receive it.

Contact servizz.gov through:

• E-mail [email protected]
• Freephone 153
• The website https://servizz.gov.mt which hosts all online government forms in one portal
• “maltapps” available on mobile devices

Freephone 📞 153 provides​ services from Monday to Friday from 08:00hrs till 16:00hrs with extended hours on Wednesday till 19:00hrs.

For the list of servizz.gov’s regional hubs opening hours, please click here.

For the list of servizz.gov’s specialised hubs opening hours, please click here.​​

Please visit this site for information about Benefits Related to Ukrainian Refugees.

Please see here for more information regarding access to social security services in Malta.

➡️ Medical care

People granted Temporary Protection status in Malta are entitled to receive State medical care.

The Government has made information available on its websites about:

• Clinical Services at Mater Dei Hospital: please click here
• A phone list of the different departments of Mater Dei Hospital: please click here
• The full list of Health Centres per locality: please click here

If you need psychosocial and mental health services, you can contact AWAS.

➡️Access to education

For information related to access to education, please visit our Education page.