S.L. 217.4 Art. 17Visas.

(1) Without prejudice to the rights of entry and residence envisaged both by the Act and by these regulations and the powers of the Principal Immigration Officer to issue a visa at the border as the case may be, no person who, in terms of the Common Consular Instructions requires a visa to cross a border crossing point, may enter Malta without a visa.

(2) The mere possession of a visa does not entitle its holder to an automatic right of entry.

(3) The Minister may, by Order, make exemptions from the visa requirement with regards to -

(a) holders of diplomatic passports, official duty passports and other official passports;

(b) civilian air and sea crew;

(c) the flight crew and attendants on emergency or rescue flights and other helpers in the event of disaster or accident;

(d) the holders of "laissez-passer" issued by certain intergovernmental organisations to their officials;

(e) persons entering Malta to pursue a gainful activity during their stay;

(f) a school pupil having the nationality of a third country requiring a visa who resides in a third country exempted from a visa requirement and is travelling in the context of a school excursion as a member of a group of school pupils accompanied by a teacher from the school in question;

(g) a school pupil who is a third country national but who is legally resident in a Member State and who seeks to enter Malta either for a short stay or in transit.

(4) Stateless persons within the meaning of the New York Convention of 28 September 1954 and recognised refugees within the meaning of the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 shall be subject to the visa requirement or shall be exempted from it on the same terms as nationals of third countries in which such stateless persons or recognised refugees reside and which had issued travel documents to such stateless persons or recognised refugees.