# Malta Student Visa Processing Time from India (2026) > VFS India lists 10 to 15 days for Malta's study visa, but Identità wants your application at least 9 weeks before the course. How to plan the dates, fees and documents. _Published: 2026-10-31 · Reading time: 5 min · Words: 1263_ ## TL;DR VFS Global India shows a 10 to 15 day processing time for Malta's Study/Training (D) visa, on a page section that may be outdated. Identità's Central Visa Unit, which decides student national visas, asks for submission at least 9 weeks before the course start. Paying EUR 150 instead of EUR 100 gets a next-day appointment rather than one within 3 weeks. ## Key takeaways - VFS India lists 10 to 15 days for the Study/Training (D) visa; the section is hidden from its selector and may not be current. - Identità asks for the student national visa application at least 9 weeks before the course start date. - Standard fee EUR 100 gives an appointment within 3 weeks; the extended EUR 150 option gives a next-day appointment. - Long-stay (D) visas are decided by Identità in Malta, not by the High Commission in New Delhi. - Courses of 90 days or less use a short-stay C visa: standard 15 calendar days, extendable up to 45. **VFS Global India lists 10 to 15 days for Malta's Study/Training (D) visa, though that section is hidden from its visa-type selector and may be outdated. Identità's Central Visa Unit, which handles student national visas, asks you to submit at least 9 weeks before the course starts, so plan backwards from your start date.** ## Article Two different authorities are involved, and that explains the gap between the numbers. VFS Global collects your application in India, while long-stay (D) visas are decided by Identità in Malta, not by the High Commission of Malta in New Delhi. Below are the official timing figures, how to plan your dates, and the document gaps that cost students weeks, all as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. Our Malta visa guide for Indians covers tourist and work visas. ### How long does a Malta student visa take from India in 2026? The official sources give several figures. Each one measures something different: FigureWhat it coversSource10 to 15 daysProcessing for Study/Training (D) applicationsVFS Global India (study section hidden from the visa-type selector; may be outdated)At least 9 weeks before the courseLatest recommended submission time for a student national visaIdentità Central Visa UnitWithin 3 weeksAppointment under the standard EUR 100 optionIdentità checklist v2.1, 13 August 2025Next dayAppointment under the extended EUR 150 optionIdentità checklist v2.1, 13 August 202515 calendar days, up to 45Short-stay (C) visas, including short study coursesMalta Ministry for Foreign AffairsThe safest reading is to treat Identità's 9-week rule as your planning deadline and the VFS figure as an indication only. Identità is the authority deciding your D visa, while the VFS study section is hidden from its selector and may not be current. ### How should you plan your dates backwards from the course start? Work from the course start date in your enrolment letter, not from the date you finish collecting documents: - Course start date: fixed by your MFHEA-registered institution. - Submission deadline: at least 9 weeks before that date, with the VFS appointment letter. - Appointment booking: under the standard option, the appointment comes within 3 weeks of booking, so book well before your submission deadline. - Arrival: your flight itinerary should show entry no more than two weeks before the course starts. If your documents are not ready, the 9-week window is the part that gets squeezed. Gathering bank statements and the enrolment letter early protects it. ### Does paying EUR 150 make the visa faster? It makes the appointment faster. Identità's checklist describes two fees for a student national visa for courses over 90 days: EUR 100 for the standard service, with an appointment within 3 weeks, and EUR 150 for the extended service, with a next-day appointment. The checklist does not say the decision itself is faster under the extended option. Children aged 6 to 11 pay EUR 50 and children aged 0 to 5 pay nothing. Payment is by credit or visa card. VFS India shows the study fee as INR 9038 / EUR 100, plus a VFS service charge of INR 2413, on the same hidden page section, so the rupee amount may be outdated. ### Which missing documents slow a Malta student file? Identità's list of required documents for a student national visa is precise, and gaps here mean delays or refusals. Check each item: - Passport valid for 10 months, a signed application form and one ICAO-standard photo. - An enrolment letter naming the MFHEA-registered institution, the full course name, MQF level, ECTS, duration, full or part time, breaks, weekly contact hours and the lecture address, plus proof of fee payment. - Funds of at least 75% of Malta's national minimum wage for every month of study, shown through the last 3 months' bank statements and a recent bank certificate. A sponsor provides their own 3-month statements, a signed declaration and ID. Add a copy of the international bank card you will use in Malta. - Insurance valid for Schengen with at least EUR 30,000 cover for study purposes, covering at least 91 consecutive days for MQF level 5 and above, or the whole stay for MQF level 4 and below. - Accommodation proof in your name for the first 14 nights: a school letter, registered lease, notarised host declaration or hotel booking. - A flight itinerary showing entry no more than two weeks before the course, and a return ticket if the course is shorter than six months. - Minors: a legalised and translated birth certificate, parents' passport copies and a consent letter. All documents must be in English. Note on funds: Identità publishes the rule as a percentage of the minimum wage, and the minimum wage amount itself was not available on an accessible official page when we checked. Confirm the current euro figure with your institution before you print bank statements. ### Is a short course of 90 days or less processed differently? Yes. Courses up to 90 days use a short-stay Schengen (C) visa in the Student or Religious C Visa category, decided by the High Commission of Malta in New Delhi. Malta's Ministry for Foreign Affairs gives a standard 15 calendar days, extendable up to 45 calendar days if more documents or review are needed. You can apply no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 calendar days before travel. VFS adds that processing may take up to three weeks, particularly for Indian states outside Delhi, and that Cochin and Lucknow applications need up to 3 extra days of transit to reach the High Commission. The adult short-stay fee is INR 9994 / EUR 90, plus a VFS service charge of INR 2931. ### Where do Indian students submit the application? VFS Global runs 11 Malta centres in India: New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai. Your photograph and biometrics are captured at the centre, and documents are submitted in person as originals with copies, along with copies of your PAN card and Aadhaar card. Visa queries go to VFS, not the High Commission. ### Mistakes that cost students weeks - Treating 10 to 15 days as the full timeline and submitting a month before the course. - An enrolment letter missing the MQF level, ECTS or weekly contact hours. - Insurance that covers fewer than 91 consecutive days for an MQF level 5 or higher course. - A flight booked to arrive more than two weeks before the course starts. - Accommodation proof in someone else's name for the first 14 nights. Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations with arrival dates inside Identità's two-week window, hotel bookings for the first nights, itineraries and cover letters. Packages run from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or reach us through our contact page. ### Frequently asked questions #### Who decides a Malta student visa for a course longer than 90 days? Identità's Central Visa Unit in Malta handles student national (D) visas for courses exceeding 90 days. VFS Global collects the application in India, and the High Commission in New Delhi handles short-stay visas. #### Can I track my Malta student visa with the High Commission? The High Commission of Malta in New Delhi asks applicants to address visa queries to VFS Global rather than to the High Commission. Its visa section answers in writing only. #### How much is the Malta student visa fee in rupees? VFS India shows INR 9038 / EUR 100 for Study / Training (D), plus a VFS service charge of INR 2413, but that section may be outdated. Identità charges EUR 100 for the standard service or EUR 150 for the extended service, paid by card. #### Do I need a return ticket for a Malta student visa? Only if your course is shorter than six months. Otherwise the flight itinerary must show your entry no more than two weeks before the course starts. ## FAQ ### Who decides a Malta student visa for a course longer than 90 days? Identità's Central Visa Unit in Malta handles student national (D) visas for courses exceeding 90 days. VFS Global collects the application in India, and the High Commission in New Delhi handles short-stay visas. ### Can I track my Malta student visa with the High Commission? The High Commission of Malta in New Delhi asks applicants to address visa queries to VFS Global rather than to the High Commission. Its visa section answers in writing only. ### How much is the Malta student visa fee in rupees? VFS India shows INR 9038 / EUR 100 for Study / Training (D), plus a VFS service charge of INR 2413, but that section may be outdated. Identità charges EUR 100 for the standard service or EUR 150 for the extended service, paid by card. ### Do I need a return ticket for a Malta student visa? Only if your course is shorter than six months. Otherwise the flight itinerary must show your entry no more than two weeks before the course starts. ## Sources 1. [Identità Central Visa Unit - Student visa, courses exceeding 90 days](https://identita.gov.mt/central-visa-unit-student-visa-courses-exceeding-90-days/) — Identità (Government of Malta) 2. [Identità Central Visa Unit - Documentation required for Student National Visa (v2.1, 13 Aug 2025)](https://identita.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/03a.-List-of-Required-Documents-Student_National_Visa.pdf) — Identità (Government of Malta) 3. [VFS Global — Apply for Visa to Malta in India](https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/malta/india/english/index.html) — VFS Global 4. [Malta Ministry for Foreign Affairs – General visa questions](https://missions.foreign.gov.mt/visa-faqs/) — Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Malta