Malta and Japan have officially concluded an agreement allowing young citizens from both countries to benefit from working holiday visas, offering new cultural and professional exchange opportunities. The long-anticipated arrangement, nine years in the making, will come into effect in January.

The agreement was finalised during a meeting in Tokyo between Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism and Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs. Both ministers exchanged Notes Verbales, outlining the procedures of the visa scheme.

The new visa programme will allow individuals aged 18 to 30 from Malta and Japan to live, travel, and work in each other’s countries for up to one year. Maltese citizens will be able to explore Japan’s culture, language, and innovation, while young Japanese nationals will have access to Malta’s educational institutions, including English language schools.

Japan is Malta’s third-largest non-EU market for English language students and expressed confidence that this arrangement would further support the sector’s growth.

The two sides also discussed economic and cultural relations, as well as multilateral cooperation through bodies like the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

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