Tourism Accommodation Regulations, 2026
Short lets in Malta, and who the new rules actually reach.
L.N. 92 of 2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and came into force on 15 June 2026 as S.L. 409.24, under article 47 of Cap. 409. It replaced the Holiday Premises and Host Family regulations, and it did not land on every licence at once. Which half you are in depends on when you applied.
The date on your application decides most of it.
On 20 July 2026 an MTA spokesperson told Times of Malta that several measures apply only to applications made from 15 June 2026, and that a property licensed before then keeps its acquired rights through renewal, including its bed count. This is the MTA speaking rather than the instrument, so it is a reading rather than a clause, and it is the clearest statement of scope published so far.
Reaches an existing licence
- The sofa bed ban.
- The waste collection management plan, at every renewal.
- The sign at the door, once the MTA brings it into force.
New applications from 15 June 2026
- Two people per planning-approved bedroom, and ten per unit.
- The ban on basement and underground bedrooms.
- Minimum bedroom sizes, from 9 m² plus 4 m² per extra person.
Air conditioning that both heats and cools becomes mandatory on 15 April 2028. The maximum booking length is 90 consecutive days.
What a licence asks of you.
Short-Let Rented Accommodation is Category E, covering a studio, apartment, house, villa or farmhouse. The licence goes to the proprietor in title, which the regulation expressly extends to a mandated agent, a lessee, an emphyteuta or a usufructuary. That last point is what lets a property manager hold the licence for an owner.
- Permission and insurance
- Valid development permission with a conformity certificate, and insurance covering the common parts.
- A person, on 24 hours
- A designated natural person available 24 hours to receive complaints and address problems. Annex 4 Cat. E 2(f) makes this a licensing criterion, with the details kept updated at all times.
- A waste collection management plan
- Required with every application and again at every renewal. The regulation does not prescribe its contents or its format.
- The condominium administrator
- On issuance, written notification to the block administrator with a copy to the MTA. Notification, not approval.
- The sign at the door
- Sixth Schedule Standard 1.1.2. The address, that the premises is licensed short-let rented accommodation, the licence number, and the name, surname and contact number of the 24-hour person.
- Fees
- €130 in Malta and €104 in Gozo for an individual holiday premises. A villa with a pool is €243.75 and €195. Multi-unit operators get a group discount under S.L. 409.05.
How it is enforced.
The route
An unannounced MTA inspection, then a rectification period, then an enforcement notice, then suspension or revocation. No fine attaches to the sign itself.
Cap. 409, article 43
Offences under the Act carry fines between €1,164.69 and €23,293.73. Persistent breach can reach three years imprisonment.
Operating unlicensed
A three-year disqualification attaching to the operator and to the property itself, whoever applies next.
A licence can also be suspended for breaches relating to noise, waste management or health where another authority has established them, so a council enforcement notice or a final court decision can reach your licence without the MTA inspecting anything. Since May 2026 the government has run noise monitors on four Valletta streets that alert the police automatically, with LESA-monitored CCTV in Swieqi and Paceville.
What nobody has confirmed.
These are unsettled at the time of writing, and we would rather say so than fill the gap. If you need certainty on any of them, the MTA licensing directorate is the only place that can give it.
- OpenHow long a licence runs before renewal. The instrument is silent, and the annual figure quoted elsewhere is not sourced to it.
- OpenWhen the sign obligation reaches existing licences, and what the MTA guidelines on signs will say.
- OpenThe MTA position on QR codes, and on our template. QR codes appear nowhere in the instrument, so nothing prohibits one, and nothing blesses ours.
- OpenHow the STR Licence Validator behaves on input we do not control.
Questions people ask first.
- Do the new Malta short-let rules apply to my existing licence?
- Partly. The MTA told Times of Malta on 20 July 2026 that several measures apply only to applications made from 15 June 2026, and that a property licensed before then keeps its acquired rights through renewal, including its bed count. The occupancy caps, the basement bedroom ban and the minimum bedroom sizes are in that group. The sofa bed ban, the waste collection management plan at renewal, and the sign do reach existing licences.
- When did L.N. 92 of 2026 come into force?
- It was published on 15 April 2026 and came into force on 15 June 2026 as S.L. 409.24, under article 47 of the Malta Travel and Tourism Services Act (Cap. 409). It repeals the earlier Holiday Premises and Host Family regulations.
- What does a Category E short-let licence require?
- Valid development permission with a conformity certificate, insurance covering the common parts, compliance with the Sixth Schedule standards, a designated natural person available 24 hours to receive complaints, a waste collection management plan with every application and every renewal, written notification to the condominium block administrator with a copy to the MTA, and a fit and proper applicant. The licence is issued to the proprietor in title, which expressly includes a mandated agent, lessee, emphyteuta or usufructuary.
- How much does a Malta short-let licence cost?
- Under S.L. 409.05 an individual holiday premises is €130 in Malta and €104 in Gozo. A villa with a pool is €243.75 in Malta and €195 in Gozo. Operators licensing several units get a group discount.
- Can I apply for a new Malta short-let licence now?
- The MTA postponed acceptance of new applications by its Development Unit after L.N. 92 of 2026 came into force, and said it would resume taking them from 27 July 2026. Check the current position with the MTA licensing directorate before you rely on a date, because this has already moved more than once.
- Can I advertise a Malta short-let before the licence is issued?
- No. The licence number has to appear on listings and adverts, so a property cannot be advertised as a short let before it has one. Operating unlicensed carries a three-year disqualification that attaches to the operator and to the property itself, whoever applies next.
- How long can a single short-let booking be in Malta?
- Ninety consecutive days at most. A longer stay is a different kind of let, under different rules.
- Do neighbours have to approve a short-let licence in Malta?
- No. A 2024 proposal requiring majority approval at the condominium general meeting was dropped from the final text. The licensee must notify the block administrator in writing on issuance of the licence and send a copy to the MTA. Residents have no veto.
- Can a noise or waste complaint cost me my short-let licence?
- Yes, and without the MTA inspecting anything. The MTA may suspend or withdraw a licence for breaches relating to noise, waste management or health that are established by a final court decision or by another authority enforcement notice. A council or LESA acting on rubbish left out at the wrong time, or the police acting on noise, can therefore produce the finding the MTA acts on. This is why a timestamped record of what was reported and what was done about it is worth keeping.
- What happens if you operate a short-let without a licence in Malta?
- A three-year disqualification that attaches to the operator and to the property itself, whoever applies next. Separately, the MTA may suspend or withdraw a licence for breaches relating to noise, waste management or health that are established by a final court decision or by another authority enforcement notice.
Before you let
Find out whether the place can be licensed at all, and whose name goes on the licence.
We are watching this change.
The MTA is drafting its guidelines on signs, and the sign obligation has not yet reached existing licences. When either moves, we will send one email saying what changed and what it means for your licence. Nothing else.