On 15 June 2026, the most significant overhaul of Malta's holiday rental rules in years came into force. Legal Notice 92 of 2026 — the new Tourism Accommodation Regulations (S.L. 409.24) — replaced four older sets of regulations with a single, stricter regime. At the same time, a new EU regulation is changing how platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com deal with the authorities. If you own or manage a short-let in Malta or Gozo, both of these affect you directly.
This guide summarises what changed, what it means for existing licences, the deadlines that matter, and what to do now — sourced from the legal texts themselves, not second-hand summaries.
The short version
- New rules in force since 15 June 2026; "Holiday Furnished Premises" are now "Short-Let Rented Accommodation".
- Hard occupancy caps: 2 persons per approved bedroom, max 10 per unit (unless independent street access).
- Every property needs a designated 24/7 contact person, exterior signage with the licence number, a visible energy certificate, and a waste management plan.
- The MTA can now carry out unannounced inspections; operating unlicensed triggers a 3-year disqualification that follows both you and the property.
- A separate EU registration number (distinct from your licence number) is coming to every listing; the Maltese procedure is being finalised.
- The MTA resumes accepting new licence applications on 27 July 2026.
What exactly changed on 15 June 2026?
S.L. 409.24 consolidates and replaces the previous accommodation regulations following a public consultation held in late 2025. For private accommodation, the two licence categories are now Short-Let Rented Accommodation (whole units: studios, apartments, houses, villas, farmhouses) and Resident Hosts (renting rooms in the home you live in). Existing licences continue to operate, but the new standards are now the law of the land — and renewals are assessed against them.
Occupancy is now capped by law
The regulations set a hard limit of two persons per bedroom, as approved by the Planning Authority — not per room you happen to furnish with beds. Sofa beds outside bedrooms don't count, bunk beds are not permitted, and the total is capped at ten persons per unit unless the property has independent access from a road. Infants in cots are excluded from the per-room count. If your Airbnb listing advertises more guests than your approved bedrooms allow, that is now a compliance problem.
A responsible person, reachable 24/7
Every licensed property must have a designated natural person who can be contacted at all times for complaints and incidents. Their name and contact number must appear on signage fixed at the entrance and be displayed inside the unit.
Signage, energy certificate, waste plan
Three display-and-paperwork obligations that catch many owners off guard:
- Exterior sign at the entrance showing the address, licensed status, the official registration/licence number, and the 24/7 contact. (In condominiums, on or next to the unit's door.) The MTA has said it will publish uniform sign specifications — watch for those.
- Energy Performance Certificate — a copy must be affixed in a visible place inside the unit.
- Waste collection management plan — required with every application and every renewal, alongside compliance with waste-separation rules and a visible collection schedule.
Physical standards — with two important carve-outs
The new Sixth Schedule sets detailed minimum standards for bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, living and dining areas, safety equipment and services — over a hundred individual requirements, from smoke detectors and fire blankets to Wi-Fi, blackout curtains and bathroom ratios (at least one bathroom and WC per four guests). Bedrooms located underground or at basement level are no longer permitted, and no individual booking may exceed 90 consecutive days.
Two requirements are deliberately softened:
- Minimum bedroom sizes (9 m² for one person, +4 m² per additional person, 2.75 m minimum width) apply only to properties whose contract of sale is dated after 15 June 2026 — existing owners are not affected.
- Air-conditioning (cooling and heating) in bedrooms, living and dining areas becomes mandatory on 15 April 2028, giving owners of existing properties time to install it.
Enforcement has real teeth now
The MTA may carry out unannounced inspections. Shortcomings first earn a timeframe to fix them; failure can escalate to enforcement notices, reclassification, suspension or cancellation of the licence. And the headline deterrent: operating without a licence now results in a three-year disqualification from applying — attached to both the operator and the property address, surviving even a sale of the property.
Renewing an existing licence? Renewals are assessed against the new standards — that is the default rule. The regulations do give the MTA discretion to exempt a licensee from specific conditions "for reasonable justification". Translation: prepare a complete, documented file; don't count on an exemption.
The EU layer: a new registration number for every listing
Separately from Maltese law, EU Regulation 2024/1028 has applied across the Union since 20 May 2026. It creates a harmonised system in which each short-let unit receives a registration number — distinct from the MTA licence number — that must be displayed on every listing, and requires platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com to share hosts' activity data (nights rented, guest counts, listing URLs) with national authorities on a regular basis. Platforms must also remove listings that lack a valid registration number where the scheme applies.
For Malta, the MTA is the competent authority — and the rollout has begun: since July 2026, existing licence holders can retrieve their STR registration number via the MTA's new STR Licence Validator, while the full implementing notice (display obligations, procedure for new licensees) is still to be published. The practical takeaway: a second number is coming to your listings, the procedure for obtaining it hasn't been published yet, and once platform data starts flowing to the MTA, unlicensed listings will be far easier to identify. The era of flying under the radar is ending.
The deadlines that matter
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 15 June 2026 | New regulations (S.L. 409.24) in force. New applications temporarily suspended. |
| 27 July 2026 | MTA resumes accepting new licence applications. |
| To be announced | STR numbers now retrievable via the MTA validator (July 2026); full registration procedure and sign specifications still to be announced. |
| 1 January (annual) | Licence fees and contributions fall due for all licensees. |
| 15 April 2028 | Air-conditioning requirement takes effect for existing properties. |
What does a licence cost?
Under the Fees (Tourism) Regulations (S.L. 409.05) currently in force, all private rented accommodation is treated as "comfort" class for fee purposes. For a typical individual holiday premises that means a €130 annual licence fee plus a €56 annual contribution — about €186/year in Malta (€160 in Gozo). Villas with pools pay around €354/year and farmhouses around €273/year, with reduced per-unit rates for groups of properties. A few useful details from the fee rules:
- Fees are due on 1 January each year.
- Pay the contribution within three months of the due date and it's reduced by 20%.
- A new licence issued after 1 July pays half the annual amounts for that year — relevant if you're applying when the window reopens on 27 July.
- One-off application processing fee: €46.59.
For your exact amount, use our free fee calculator.
Note: these rates predate the 2026 reform and may be revised — verify against your first invoice on the MTA's new client portal.
What owners should do now
- Locate your paperwork: licence, planning permission and approved drawings, architect certification, insurance (including common parts, where relevant), EPC, police conduct certificate. Renewal-readiness starts with a complete file.
- Check your advertised capacity against your Planning-Authority-approved bedrooms: max 2 per bedroom, 10 per unit.
- Designate your 24/7 contact and prepare the entrance signage and in-unit displays (contact details, emergency numbers, EPC).
- Prepare a waste management plan — you'll need it at renewal.
- Walk the Sixth Schedule standards room by room: smoke detector, fire extinguisher and blanket, gas detection if you cook on gas, bathroom ratios, blackout curtains, Wi-Fi, first aid box, safe.
- Notify your block administrator in writing (with a copy to the MTA) if the property is in a condominium.
- Watch for the EU registration number procedure — you'll need to obtain it and add it to every listing once it goes live.
Ready to apply? Follow our step-by-step guide: How to get your MTA short-let licence in 2026.
Or let Lisenza watch all of this for you
We're building a simple tool for Malta's short-let owners: your licence, deadlines, documents and every 2026 obligation tracked per property — with alerts before anything expires, and updates whenever the MTA publishes something new. Free during early access.
Start free with LisenzaFrequently asked questions
Do the new rules apply to my existing licence?
Yes — the new standards are the applicable law since 15 June 2026, and renewals are assessed against them. The two softened requirements are bedroom sizes (only for properties bought after 15 June 2026) and air-conditioning (from 15 April 2028). The MTA retains discretion to exempt specific conditions at renewal for reasonable justification.
Do I need a Tourism Policy Compliance Certificate?
No. That certificate concerns collective accommodation (hotels, guesthouses, hostels) — not short-lets or resident hosts.
Is the EU registration number the same as my MTA licence number?
No — it's a separate, additional identifier created by EU Regulation 2024/1028, to be displayed on every listing. Existing licence holders can already retrieve theirs via the MTA's STR Licence Validator; the procedure for new licensees is still being finalised.
Can I still take long bookings?
Individual bookings are capped at 90 consecutive days under a short-let licence. Longer stays fall under ordinary residential letting rules instead.
What if my apartment is in a block?
You must notify the block administrator in writing after your licence is issued and send a copy of that notification to the MTA. The entrance sign may be placed on or adjacent to your unit's door.
This guide is provided for general information by Lisenza, an independent product not affiliated with or endorsed by the Malta Tourism Authority. It is not legal advice. Requirements summarised here are drawn from S.L. 409.24, S.L. 409.05 and Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 as at 4 July 2026; always refer to the official texts and MTA circulars, and consult a professional for your specific situation.