Destination Guide
Shipping to Malta from Portugal
Everything you need to know — transit times, customs rules, import duties, carrier options and shipping tips for Malta.
Everything you need to know — transit times, customs rules, import duties, carrier options and shipping tips for Malta.
| Carrier | Economy | Express |
|---|---|---|
| Economy (road and sea/air leg) | 4 days | — |
| Express air | — | 1 day |
Business days. EU shipments: no customs delay.
Malta is an EU member — no customs export declarations or import documents are required for shipments from Portugal. The following documents are only needed for commercial B2B shipments.
Not required. Malta has been an EU member since 2004, so goods travel from Portugal in free circulation despite the sea crossing.
Not required by customs. Worth including in multi-item business shipments.
Not needed — Malta is inside the EU customs union.
As part of the EU Single Market, no import duties apply between Portugal and Malta. VAT rate in Malta: 18% (standard), 7% and 5% reduced. For B2C e-commerce over €150, IOSS registration may apply.
| Product Category | Typical Duty Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| All goods (EU intra-community) | 0% | No import duty — Malta is in the EU single market and customs union |
| VAT on B2C sales above the €10,000 EU threshold | 18% Maltese VAT | Malta has the lowest standard VAT rate in the EU |
| Excise goods (tobacco, spirits) | Maltese excise rates apply | Excise applies even within the EU |
Duty rates are indicative. Actual rates depend on the HS code classification of your goods. Consult a customs broker for high-value or complex shipments.
The following items have import restrictions or are prohibited in Malta. Check carrier guidelines before shipping.
Malta is an island, and the price reflects it. A 2 kg box quotes from about €97 and 10 kg from about €166 — roughly five times what the same parcel costs to Lithuania. There is no cheap option to Malta; plan the budget accordingly.
The transit time is better than the price suggests. Economy quotes about 4 days, which is faster than several cheaper mainland routes, because the leg to Malta goes by air rather than crawling across Europe by road.
Because most Malta services use an air leg, the restricted-goods list is stricter than for a road route. Aerosols, flammable liquids and anything pressurised are far more likely to be refused.
No customs paperwork applies. Malta is in the EU, so the sea crossing changes nothing administratively.
English is an official language of Malta, so address labels and any paperwork in English will be understood without translation.
Given the cost per parcel, consolidating several small items into one shipment is worth more here than on any mainland route.
Economy from Portugal starts at around €97 for a 2 kg box, about €109 for 5 kg and about €166 for 10 kg. Malta is one of the most expensive EU destinations because every parcel crosses water — there is no road-only option. Express air starts higher again. Get a live quote for your exact box before committing, since volumetric weight applies.
Malta is an island with no road connection to the rest of the EU, so every parcel travels by air or sea for part of the journey. Carriers price that leg separately, which is why a 2 kg box to Malta costs roughly five times the same box to Lithuania. The cost is structural rather than a surcharge that shopping around removes.
Economy quotes about 4 business days, and express air about 1. Malta is unusual in that the economy service is quicker than several cheaper mainland destinations — the air leg skips the long road haul across Europe.
No. Malta joined the EU in 2004 and uses the euro. Goods travel from Portugal in free circulation with no customs declaration, commercial invoice or EORI number, and the sea crossing makes no difference to that. Excise goods such as tobacco and spirits are the exception.
Beyond the usual EU prohibitions, note that most Malta services include an air leg, so air-freight restrictions apply: aerosols, flammable liquids, pressurised containers, lithium batteries shipped on their own and many cosmetics with alcohol content are commonly refused. Check the restricted list before packing rather than after.
Maltese addresses run: Recipient name / House name or number and street / Town / Postcode / MALTA. For example: Maria Borg / 42, Triq ir-Repubblika / Valletta / VLT 1117 / MALTA. Maltese postcodes are three letters and four digits. Many Maltese properties are identified by house name rather than number, so copy the address exactly as the recipient gives it.
Malta's standard VAT rate is 18%, the lowest in the EU, with reduced rates of 7% and 5%. If you sell to Maltese consumers and your cross-border B2C sales across the EU exceed €10,000 a year, register for OSS in Portugal and charge 18% on those orders. For B2B, use the customer's Maltese VAT number and apply the reverse charge.
A return is an ordinary intra-EU shipment with no customs paperwork, but it carries the same island pricing as the outbound leg — returns from Malta are expensive. If you sell to Maltese consumers, factor that into your returns policy, because EU consumer law still gives them 14 days to withdraw from an online purchase.
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