Markets
Start an online business in Malta
The steps the government of Malta sets for a new business that sells online, each linked to the official page that runs it, then the steps to open your store. Read from the official sources on October 14, 2026.
Set up your business in Malta
The steps in the order most new sellers take them. Each is read from the official page linked under it.
1. Choose a legal form
Business First lists Self-employed/Sole Trader, Partnership, Limited Liability Company (Ltd) and Cooperative as the most common registration options.
2. Register the business
Sole traders register through the government Business Startup service for sole traders, while companies register with the Malta Business Registry (MBR).
3. Get your tax number
A self-employed applicant receives a VAT number from the Revenue Department (Malta Tax and Customs Administration), registered under Article 10 or, for small enterprises, Article 11 of the VAT Act.
4. Check when you must register for VAT
Under rules applicable from 1 January 2025, a small enterprise may register under Article 11 if domestic annual turnover does not exceed the domestic threshold of €35,000.
5. Follow the rules for selling online
The European Consumer Centre Malta says online buyers have a 14-day cooling-off period and that sellers must first give their identity and address, the full price with delivery costs, and the cancellation right.
Open your store in Malta
What Tanqory sets up for a store based in Malta. You change any of it in Settings.
- Tax
Your store starts with a tax entry for Malta, collecting off, until you confirm the rate or connect a tax service.
VAT in Malta- Card payments
Through your own Stripe account, which Stripe opens for businesses in Malta. Tanqory adds no transaction fee; Stripe charges its own rate.
- Shipping labels
DHL Express and Easyship, bought in your admin, with the customs declaration sent with each label for parcels that cross a border.
What stays with you
- Registering the business and choosing its legal form. Tanqory does not register a business for you.
- Registering for VAT, filing returns and paying the tax authority.
- Licences or permits your products need in Malta.
- Legal or tax advice. This page points to the official sources; an adviser in Malta can apply them to your business.
Questions about starting a business in Malta
Which legal form should I choose in Malta?
The official page in step 1 lists the forms a business in Malta can take. Your choice decides how you register, how you are taxed and whether your own money is kept apart from the business, so an adviser in Malta is worth asking before you decide.
What does Tanqory set up for a store in Malta?
A tax entry for Malta with collecting off, card payments through your own Stripe account, and DHL Express and Easyship labels you buy in your admin. You change any of it in Settings.
Does Tanqory file my VAT return?
No. Your store works out and charges VAT at checkout and keeps a record of every order. You register, file and pay the tax authority yourself, or through your accountant.
What do I have to tell buyers when I sell online in Malta?
The official page in step 5 lists the information and rights a buyer in Malta must get before and after they order. Put that information on your store before your first sale.
How current are these steps?
Each was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. Rules change; the official page is the authority, so open it before you act.
How we checked
Each step on this page was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. The store facts come from Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup.
- Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup
- www.servizz.gov.mt
- www.businessfirst.com.mt
- mtca.gov.mt
- mtca.gov.mt
- eccnetmalta.gov.mt
Open your store in Malta today
Build your store while you set up your business, and switch on tax collecting when your registration is in place.