Practising in Malta: the Medical Council statutory examination and registration

Medical and health education in Malta

The University of Malta trains doctors (a five-year Medicine and Surgery programme, followed by a foundation programme), dental surgeons, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and physiotherapists. The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) also offers nursing programmes. Teaching is in English.

Because English is an official language, Malta is attractive to international students and to foreign-trained professionals. The Maltese degree is an EU degree, and EU nationals who hold it are recognised across the Union under the directive. Check the current length and structure of the programme on the University's site.

Graduating from the University of Malta leads to registration with the Medical Council, followed by a foundation programme for doctors. The link between graduation and registration is direct: the Maltese graduate does not sit a licensing exam.

A graduate heading abroad faces the destination's rules, such as PLAB or an accepted route in the UK, the AMC process in Australia or USMLE in the US. Check each regulator, since eligibility conditions change.

An English exam in an English-speaking EU state

Elsewhere in this region the barrier is a local language. In Malta, the language is English, and the exam tests it. The MCMSE is described as a professional and linguistic proficiency test, and the IELTS or OET prerequisite shows how much weight the Council gives to communication. The Council's page does not describe the format of the exam, so do not rely on third-party descriptions. Ask the Council for the syllabus and the sitting dates.

Who needs the MCMSE

The Health Care Professions Act 2003 (Articles 11 and 12) sets the registration rules. University of Malta graduates and EU graduates register by qualification. The Council "may require" the MCMSE from doctors whose primary degree is not from Malta or an EU state. The same logic applies to dental surgeons, with the exam run under an agreement with the University of Malta.

Doctors: the MCMSE route

1. Apply to the Medical Council. The Council reviews your qualification and decides whether the exam is needed.
2. Meet the language prerequisite. IELTS Academic 7.5 with 6.5 in each component, or OET Medicine grade B.
3. Register for a sitting. Spring and autumn sittings are available.
4. Sit the exam. You have a maximum of two attempts.

The two-attempt limit matters. Prepare thoroughly for the first sitting instead of treating it as a trial run, because a second failure ends the route.

What happens after registration

Registration with the Medical Council is the licence to work, but a newly registered doctor usually enters a structured training path. Maltese graduates complete a foundation programme, then apply for specialist training through the Specialist Accreditation Committee's system or work in a non-training post. Foreign-trained doctors who pass the MCMSE join the same labour market, and the Council's registration category (full or limited) shapes what they may do. Ask the Council which category applies to you before you accept a post.

Documents and timing

Allow time for each stage. Primary-source verification of your degree, a certificate of good standing, certified translations if your documents are not in English or Maltese, and the language test result all take weeks. The exam has two sittings a year, so missing a deadline can cost six months. Work backwards from the sitting date: language result first, application next, exam preparation in parallel.

Keep in mind that the Council "may require" the exam. It is not automatic for every non-EU graduate, so the first email to the Council should ask whether it applies to your case, and on what basis. Ask also whether a recent IELTS or OET result will still be valid on the sitting date, since language results expire.

Dental surgeons

Dental surgeons with a primary degree outside Malta and the EU can be asked to sit the MCMSE for dentists. The exam is run under an agreement with the University of Malta, and the same IELTS or OET prerequisite and two-attempt limit apply.

Nurses, midwives, pharmacists and physiotherapists

No licensing exam applies. The Council for Nurses and Midwives, the Pharmacy Council and the Council for Professions Complementary to Medicine (CPCM) register by qualification. We have not verified every route for foreign graduates, so ask the relevant council about documents and any compensation measure.

Language and recognition routes

English is the working language alongside Maltese, which makes the language barrier lower than elsewhere in the region. EU, EEA and Swiss graduates use Directive 2005/36/EC. Third-country graduates face the Council's assessment, which for doctors and dentists may include the MCMSE.

How to prepare for a proficiency exam

Because the test is professional and linguistic, prepare both halves. Revise the clinical knowledge expected of a newly qualified doctor, and practise explaining it in clear English, aloud and in writing. If your IELTS or OET result is close to the threshold, sit it again before you apply. A strong language score protects you from spending an attempt on a problem you could have fixed in advance.

Last reviewed October 2026