How to apply for a Malta Schengen visa from the UAE

Where you apply

Apply to Malta if it is your main destination: where you stay longest or, with equal stays, where you first enter the Schengen Area. VFS Global takes the applications at two centres:

• Dubai: Wafi Mall, first floor, Phase 5 (Horus), Umm Hurair 2.
• Abu Dhabi: World Trade Center Mall, level B2.

Both take applications Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 15:00. VFS lets you reschedule once, up to two days before the appointment; any later change, or a cancellation (possible up to three days before), means a new booking and a new service fee. Malta's missions say their visa section communicates only in writing, and point applicants to the VFS helpline for questions about the process.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the application form

   Download the Schengen form from Malta's VFS page for the UAE (English or Arabic), fill it in in English and sign it.
2. 2

   Book at VFS Global

   On Malta's VFS booking page, for Dubai or Abu Dhabi, one appointment per person. Malta's missions warn that in busy seasons there may be no appointment for several weeks.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Against Malta's checklist for the UAE; the main points are below. If something is missing on the day, the checklist gives you until the next working day to complete the file, or you book again.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Between six months and 15 days before you travel. Give fingerprints and pay the fees in dirhams, in cash or by card; cheques are not accepted.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   15 days as standard, and up to 45 if the file needs an extended review, according to VFS Global.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

• Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
• UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, valid beyond your return.
• The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
• Recent bank statements, and a salary certificate or employer letter if you are employed.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, Malta's checklist for the UAE asks for:

• A copy of your UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, each valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area.
• A confirmed flight booking stamped and signed by the travel agent, or the ticket itself, for a trip starting at least 15 days after you submit; and a confirmed accommodation booking.
• Bank statements for the past three months with every page stamped by the bank, and salary slips for the last three months. A sponsor paying for the trip adds their own stamped statements, a guarantee letter and a passport copy.
• An employer letter with the employer's name, address and phone number, your position, tenure and salary, confirming you will resume work on your return; the self-employed bring a valid trade licence or the title deed of a property they own in the UAE.
• Insurance valid for the whole validity of the visa, not only the trip.
• For minors, a birth certificate, consent from both parents (filled in at VFS if they are there) and copies of both parents' passports.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, ages 12 and over

€90; VFS lists AED 390 (VFS Global, November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45; VFS lists AED 195

VFS service fee

AED 128.70 on the fee table, AED 129.37 on the centre pages (VFS Global, November 2026)

Processing

15 days as standard, up to 45 with an extended review

Malta's missions say the visa fee is charged in dirhams at the exchange rate on the day of the appointment, so it can differ slightly from the amount on VFS's table.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Malta in the UAE received 7,079 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 2.4% of all those lodged in the UAE, and the 14th most of any Schengen country. They refused 45.9% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UAE the rate was 24.2%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

7,079

Rank in the UAE

14th of 27 Schengen countries

Refused

45.9%

All Schengen countries in the UAE

24.2% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so in the UAE they come mostly from residents of other nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

Not enough applicants in the UAE have reported a Malta visa yet to show their own figures; these are the 21 reports from every origin. The median time from appointment to passport back was 11 days.

Reports

21

Appointment to passport back (median)

11 days; typically 7–14 days

Approved

90% of 21 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

135 days

Multiple entry

79%

See every Malta report · how the statistics work

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date at the Malta visa application centre: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.

These are the ways to get a date, including ours:

The live status of each Malta route is on its own page, and every UAE route is on the UAE appointment board. For how the booking portal itself works, see how to book a VFS Global appointment in the UAE.

• Malta visa appointment, Dubai
• Malta visa appointment, Abu Dhabi

Questions

Where do I apply for a Malta visa in the UAE?

At VFS Global, by appointment, at its centres in Dubai (Wafi Mall) or Abu Dhabi (World Trade Center Mall). Malta’s checklist for the UAE says every application is handed in in person at one of these two centres.

Can I reschedule a Malta visa appointment at VFS in the UAE?

Once, up to two days before the appointment, subject to availability. Any later change counts as a new appointment with a new service fee, and cancelling is possible only up to three days before.

How many months of bank statements do I need for a Malta visa from the UAE?

Three months, with every page stamped by the bank, together with salary slips for the last three months, according to Malta’s checklist for the UAE.

Do I need a flight booking before I apply for a Malta visa?

Yes. Malta’s checklist for the UAE asks for a confirmed flight booking stamped and signed by a travel agent, or a copy of the ticket, for a trip starting at least 15 days after you submit the application.

What is the refusal rate for Malta Schengen visas in the UAE?

In 2025, the consulates of Malta in the UAE refused 45.9% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 24.2% across all Schengen countries in the UAE, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 7,079 applications, the 14th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Malta’s missions in the UAE: consular services and visas
• Malta Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Schengen visa application forms
• VFS Global Malta, UAE: home page and news
• VFS Global Malta, UAE: visa types, fees and processing time
• VFS Global: Malta Schengen C visa checklist for the UAE (PDF)
• VFS Global Malta, UAE: centres and fees
• VFS Global Malta, UAE: booking rules
• VFS Global Malta, UAE: book an appointment
• VFS Global Malta, UAE: warning about paid booking
• EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
• European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
• European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and VFS Global and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Route status and our prices on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with VFS Global or any embassy, consulate or government.