The Amsterdam Treaty, which came into force on 1st May 1999 harmonised the visa rules applying to travel for non-EU nationals. EU Member States with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland which, on the basis of a protocol annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam, maintain autonomous visa, immigration and asylum policies are precluded from unilaterally determining the visa rules related to short-term stays for nationals of any third country.

Bound by Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 and as modified by Regulation (EC) No 2414/2001 and by Regulation (EC) No 453/2003, the list of third-countries whose nationals are subject to the visa requirement, when travelling to Malta and/or any other EU Member State is as follows:

(*1)    The Ministry for Foreign Affairs informs that it has decided to temporarily suspend the agreement on the exemption of the visa requirement for Libyan diplomatic and special passport holders and with immediate effect, to introduce the obligation of an entry visa requirement for these passports. Holders of Service/Official passports also require a visa.

A limited set of derogations and exceptions exist for specific categories of persons, notably on grounds of international law or custom. Member States may therefore exempt from the requirement to carry an EU visa, or reintroduce the visa obligation when they would otherwise be exempted, the following categories of persons:

• holders of diplomatic passports, official duty passports and other official passports;
• civilian air and sea crew;
• flight crew and attendants on emergency or rescue flights and other helpers involved in disaster or emergency relief;
• the civilian crew of ships navigating in international waters