Malta recognizes all Israeli travel documents, not just passports

Malta has officially recognized all Israeli travel documents, a move that will allow Israelis holding documents other than passports to travel to the European nation. The announcement came Wednesday from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who expressed gratitude to his Maltese counterpart, Chris Fearne, for facilitating the change.

"This important step will enable all Israelis who wish to travel to beautiful Malta to do so," Sa'ar stated. Until now, Israelis could only enter Malta with a passport. This new policy extends to alternative travel documents, such as the Teudat Ma’avar, or Israeli Travel Document in Lieu of National Passport.

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This important step will enable all Israelis who wish to travel to beautiful Malta to do so.

For years, Malta stood as the sole Schengen Area country that did not accept this specific Israeli travel document. A report by Henley Global in January 2026, referencing International Air Transport Association (IATA) data, confirmed that all Schengen states except Malta accepted the document for visa-free entry. The Jerusalem Post reached out to the Malta Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment on the reason behind the policy shift.

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Israel warmly welcomes this decision, and I thank Minister Chris Fearne for his efforts in making it possible.