Languages in Malta

Malta uses Maltese and English in public administration, while courts use Maltese and English where the law permits. English is widely used for business and international communication. Italian is also common as an additional language. In the 2022 Malta Skills Survey for ages 15 to 64, 96.0% reported English, 90.4% Maltese and 62.0% Italian. Malta and Gozo follow the same national language framework; no further regional legal difference is established. Children encounter Maltese and English throughout compulsory schooling until age 16. Primary Years 1 to 6 include Malti, Maltese as a Foreign Language and English. The Foreign Language Awareness Programme introduces early language awareness in Years 3 to 6. Years 7 and 8 offer English, Malti, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Years 9 to 11 continue these and other curriculum options, with formal school certification through the Matriculation and Secondary Education Certificate system, known as MATSEC. International learners can receive short, intensive functional English and Maltese support through the International Learners’ Directorate and its Naxxar induction centre before moving into mainstream schooling. Access normally runs through the school or the Directorate, and Malta has no single national children’s course for every situation. The Directorate for Lifelong Learning and Employability, abbreviated as DLE, provides state language courses from age 15 by December of the application year. Courses operate in centres across Malta and Gozo through classroom teaching, live online sessions and self-directed learning. Current types include Chinese, English, English as a Foreign Language, English Conversation, English for Business, Cambridge B2 First preparation, pronunciation, French, German, Italian, Malti, Maltese as a Foreign Language, Maltese Sign Language and Spanish. Fourteen-week courses commonly begin in February or October, while eight-week courses commonly begin in March; applications typically open in January or July. Placement tests apply to several Malti and English courses, classes usually require at least ten learners, and places are generally assigned in application order. DLE fees depend on the course group and length. The listed fees for equivalent groups are €18.63 for courses up to 14 weeks, €34.94 for courses longer than 14 and up to 32 weeks, and €46.59 for intermediate, advanced, Level 4 or information-technology courses. Literacy courses in Malti or English, a first course for senior citizens and some social hardship cases may be free. A learner who reaches at least 80% attendance and completes the required assignments can receive an MQF course certificate. MQF means the Malta Qualifications Framework. Otherwise, the provider can issue a letter of attendance. A DLE course does not itself grant a Maltese residence permit, and foreign learners must show lawful residence; unregistered foreign learners are excluded from these courses. Private English-language schools operate under the statutory quality and oversight framework of the ELT Council. ELT means English Language Teaching. Licensed schools in Malta and Gozo offer general and intensive English, English for work or business, CV and interview preparation, IELTS, Cambridge and TOEFL preparation, junior courses and online study. Home-tuition and distance-learning providers also exist. Age limits, entry conditions, duration and prices vary by provider. An ELT licence does not automatically mean that a course has MQF accreditation. Further- and higher-education providers may instead require licensing or accreditation through the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority, known as MFHEA. The University of Malta has offered Maltese studies through its Department of Maltese since 2005. Maltese as a Foreign Language study-units commonly carry 4 ECTS credits and contain 28 hours over 14 weeks, usually in live online classes. Units such as MAL0011 and later units progress from beginner to advanced levels; MAL0018 targets C1 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, or CEFR. Courses usually run from October to February or from February to May, depend on demand and allocate places in registration order. EU and non-EU learners pay the applicable registration fee. Successful completion produces an official transcript rather than an attendance certificate. MATSEC provides formal school examinations in English, Malti, Maltese as a Foreign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin and Spanish, among other languages. DLE courses generally use continuous assessment instead of one national final examination. Malta has no single national certificate for everyday language ability. English-language teaching qualifications follow separate examinations, including the written Teaching English Language Test and the spoken Spoken English Proficiency Test; a new ELT permit requires at least Band 3 under the stated permit rules. Language ability can also affect residence and citizenship processes. Long-term residence generally requires five years of legal and continuous residence, an I Belong course of at least 100 hours with an examination score of at least 75%, and Maltese at MQF Level 2 with at least 65%; the listed application fee is €500. Certificates should be obtained before applying. Naturalisation requires adequate knowledge of Maltese or English. A government-announced 2026 course for certain low-skilled third-country workers includes compulsory training and testing in Maltese and English and may affect permit renewal, but access and participation details depend on the applicable status. No general national workplace-language requirement is established, so the employer and sector must be checked; sector-specific courses, such as Maltese for healthcare workers, exist. Online learning is available but fragmented. DLE offers live online and self-directed formats, the University of Malta uses live online teaching rather than recorded lessons, and the ELT Council recognises distance-learning providers. Malta has no single universal portal for every language-learning goal. Offers and schedules change with demand and available places. A 2025 example was Language To Go! for Adults, which offered free introductory Malti and English sessions of about 90 minutes two or three times weekly over three to four weeks, subject to limited places and seasonal availability.