Work Document Translation for Malta

English May Be an Official Language, but a Turkish Document Is Still Translated

English being an official language in Malta is a considerable convenience for candidates applying from Türkiye: the target language of translation is English, and no Maltese translation is asked for on top. This is frequently misunderstood, though. A diploma, a social security employment record or a criminal record certificate drawn up in Turkish is not accepted without translation just because English is an official language; all that is beyond argument is which language it will be translated into. Some documents issued in Türkiye may in any case be printed bilingually, in which case no further translation may be needed, though the English part of the document has to be complete and legible. Documents containing English only in part are generally sent back to be translated afresh.

One Application, Two Assessments: Employment and Residence

Applications for work purposes in Malta are conducted within a structure that takes the employment permit and the residence permit together; the body you deal with is Identità. The application is generally opened by the employer, and documents relating to the company itself go into the file as well. The candidate’s responsibility is to submit their own qualification and identity documents in full. Because the labour market is a small one, the employer may be asked to explain why the position could not be filled locally, which makes it all the more important that the candidate’s qualifications stand out distinctly in the documents. The scope of these documents is set out on our document types page.

Who Carries the Responsibility Under a Declaration-Based Translation Regime

Malta operates the declaration-based regime known as certified translation: there is no register of sworn translators, and the translator or the office takes on the accuracy of the translation by means of a signed statement. The consequence is that responsibility rests wholly with the party who made the translation. The text of the statement gives the translator’s name, contact details, the language pair and the date; where that information is missing, the document does not count as verifiable. Notarisation may also be required in certain procedures. Since the statement is the sole element vouching for the quality of the translation, terminological accuracy in the content weighs more heavily than formal approval.

The Document Set and the Reasons Behind It

Document	Why it is asked for	Note
Employment contract / offer	The employment relationship	Submitted by the employer
Diploma	Qualification requirement of the post	Apostille + translation with a statement
Social security employment record	Proof of experience	Should be backed by a job description
Reference letter	Verification of the experience	Signature and contact details matter
Criminal record certificate	Suitability for residence	Must be currently dated

The Omission Seen Most Often

The problem met most often in Malta files is candidates relying on English being an official language and submitting Turkish documents without having them translated; such files count as incomplete and the process starts over. The second frequent omission is failing to attach the text of the statement to the translation: the translation is accurate, but with no statement of accuracy the document counts as unapproved. Third, where a reference letter does not give the title and contact details of the person signing it, no verification can be made and the document is disregarded.

How Responsibility for the Documents Is Shared Between Employer and Candidate

Although the application in Malta is submitted as a single file, the documents inside it come from two separate sources. The employer prepares the documents showing the company’s trading status, the description of the position, and the pay and working conditions. The candidate obtains the identity, qualification, experience and record documents. Problems usually arise from the two sets being prepared in ignorance of each other: when the job title written by the employer does not line up with the field on the candidate’s diploma or with the title in the reference letters, the file loses its coherence. Before moving on to translation, then, both sides should be using the same job title and the same description of duties.

The second point of overlap is timing. Preparation on the employer’s side usually takes longer than the candidate’s document gathering, and in that interval the candidate’s criminal record and civil status documents can go stale. What the candidate should do is prepare the lasting documents (diploma, academic transcript, experience letters) straight away, and obtain the documents subject to a currency requirement once word comes that the employer is ready to apply. Because the declaration-based regime speeds up the translation side, leaving short-lived documents to be translated at the last moment is a practical method with Malta files; with bulky documents, on the other hand, one should not leave it so late.

Malta’s small-scale labour market is a factor in how persuasive the file has to be, too. Since the candidate’s qualifications are expected to stand out distinctly, professional certificates, records of training attended and, where they exist, lists of publications or projects can be added alongside the diploma and the experience documents. These extra documents are not compulsory, but they build up a coherent account of why the position is being filled with this candidate. From the translation point of view, what matters in supporting documents of this kind is that the names of institutions and the titles of certificates are carried over faithfully; titles produced by free translation cannot be verified and raise questions instead of helping. Supporting documents also need to carry a statement of accuracy; paperwork added without one carries no official weight in the file. Rather than increasing the number of documents, making sure each one contributes something concrete to the qualification is the more effective approach.

This page is intended as general information; since the conditions for employment and residence permits can change, confirm the current requirements from Identità’s official announcements. You can request a quotation for your documents, see the fees on the pricing page and look through other countries in the country directory.