Tallinja Card Guide: Eligibility, Costs and Free Travel

A personalised Tallinja card is usually the right choice if you live, study or spend long periods in Malta and qualify for one of its five card categories. It provides free travel on Malta Public Transport's Day, Night and Special bus services, but it is issued to one named person, cannot be shared and must be applied for in advance.

For a short visit, an on-board ticket or visitor travel card is normally simpler because it can be bought without a personalised application. Compare those options in our Malta bus fares and tickets guide.

Personalised card or visitor ticket?

Your situation	Usually the better starting point	Why
You live in Malta or Gozo	Personalised Tallinja card	Eligible bus travel is free after the card is issued
You attend a qualifying full-time course	Personalised Student card	It can provide free eligible bus travel while the card remains valid
You make regular or extended visits	Compare both options	The saving depends on the application cost, delivery and how often you travel
You are visiting for a few days	On-board tickets or a visitor travel card	No identity-based application or delivery wait
Several people want to share one product	12 Single Day Journeys card	A personalised card belongs to one person and cannot be shared

Do not apply solely because the word "free" appears in the scheme. First confirm your category, add the card fee and postage, and make sure the card can arrive before you need it.

Which Tallinja card can you apply for?

Card type	Eligibility	When it expires
Child	A child aged 4-10; a parent or legal guardian must consent	When the holder turns 11
Student	Anyone aged 11-16, or a person aged 17 or over attending an eligible full-time course lasting more than three months	At age 17, or within one year of issue for an older student
Adult	Anyone who does not qualify for another category	No stated expiry
Gozo Resident	A person whose Malta-issued identity card records their principal residence in Gozo	Within two years, subject to residence verification
Concession	A resident of the Maltese Islands with a Malta-issued 60+ identity card, or a resident with a qualifying EU Disability Card bearing the "MT" mark	No expiry for the 60+ category; disability-linked cards expire on the stated date or when the supporting card ends

Student applicants aged 17 or over must provide proof of an eligible course, such as a valid student identity card, course-registration evidence or a school bill. Student and Child applications for minors require consent from a parent or legal guardian.

The disability concession is not based on any disability card from any country. The current terms specify an EU Disability Card with an "MT" mark issued by Aġenzija Sapport, together with residence in the Maltese Islands.

What does the application cost?

Malta Public Transport's standard terms list these card charges:

Card type	Standard card charge
Adult	€25
Student	€25
Gozo Resident	€25
Child	€5
Concession	€5

Add €3.85 for local registered postage or €9.39 for international delivery. A paper application submitted at a MaltaPost branch has an additional €3.10 manual-registration fee. Malta Public Transport says these charges may change without notice, and application costs are non-refundable even when an application is rejected.

Temporary Child and Student offer

The official registration page checked on 4 September 2026 advertises free Child and Student card applications until 30 October 2026. Its general terms still show the standard €5 Child and €25 Student charges.

If you qualify, start on the official Tallinja card registration page and confirm the amount displayed before paying. Do not assume that the promotion also removes postage or a MaltaPost handling fee unless the application total says so.

How to apply

You can apply online or submit a paper application at a MaltaPost branch.

Before starting, prepare:

Your name, nationality, telephone number and email address
An accepted identity-document number and a copy of that document
A Malta identity card, residence document or driving licence if you are a Maltese resident
A passport or other accepted international identity document if you are not a Maltese resident
Proof of studies if applying for a Student card at age 17 or over
A Malta-issued 60+ identity card or qualifying Malta-issued EU Disability Card for a Concession card
Parental or guardian consent where the applicant is a minor

Then:

Select the category whose eligibility you can document.
Complete the official online registration or take the form and supporting documents to MaltaPost.
Check the card charge, postage and any manual-registration fee before submitting payment.
Keep the application confirmation and answer any request for corrected documents promptly.
Until the card arrives and works, keep another accepted way to pay for travel.

Malta Public Transport's current terms do not promise a delivery time. If you need transport immediately, buy an appropriate ticket rather than planning around an assumed arrival date.

Which journeys are free?

An active personalised Tallinja card provides free bus travel on:

Day Routes
Night Routes
Special Services

You must tap the card on the ticket machine every time you board, even when no fare is deducted. A card in your wallet that has not been validated is not proof of a valid journey. Malta Public Transport states that travelling without a validated card or valid ticket can result in a €50 penalty.

The following services are not included in the free bus scheme:

Tallinja Direct routes
Airport Direct routes, covered in our Malta Airport buses guide
Tallinja On Demand trips

Those services require enough credit on the personalised card or another accepted payment method. Use our Malta bus routes and timetables guide to check which type of service you are boarding rather than assuming every route displaying the Tallinja name is free.

Ferries and the Barrakka Lift

The official terms list the personalised card as accepted by Malta Public Transport buses, the Upper Barrakka Lift operator and specified ferry operators. Acceptance does not automatically mean that every journey is part of the free bus scheme.

Before relying on the card, check the current price and tapping rules with the operator. Our guides explain the separate arrangements for the Valletta ferries and Gozo high-speed ferry.

Top up and check the balance

You do not need credit for the free Day, Night and Special bus services, but you do need sufficient credit when a fare applies.

You can top up or check a personalised card:

On the Malta Public Transport website
In the Tallinja app after linking the card to your account
At a Malta Public Transport sales and information office

Check the balance before boarding a paid direct or on-demand service. If the card is declined, the current terms require you to pay using another method accepted by that operator. Keep the receipt showing the decline reason if you intend to make a claim.

Reclaiming unused credit

You can request a refund of the full remaining pay-as-you-go balance, but not only part of it. Tickets, bundles and passes stored on the card are not refundable.

A €10 administration fee is deducted from the refund. If the card balance is below €10, Malta Public Transport will not issue a refund. Approved refunds are paid by bank transfer; the online reclaim form asks whether you want to keep the card account open or close it.

Lost, stolen, damaged or expired cards

Report a lost or stolen card as soon as possible by calling Malta Public Transport on +356 2122 2000 or visiting a sales and information office. Once reported, the card is permanently blocked, even if you later find it. The balance recorded when you report it can be transferred to the replacement, subject to the applicable administration charge.

Malta Public Transport warns that if somebody else uses the card and it was not reported within 24 hours of being lost or stolen, a €50 penalty may still apply.

Replacement reason	Current fee and process
Lost, stolen or damaged	€15; request online or at a sales and information office
Expired and changing card type	€5; visit an office with a recent passport photo, identity card and expired Tallinja card

Student or Concession replacements may require updated supporting evidence.

Do not leave a balance unused indefinitely

A personalised card becomes inactive after 365 consecutive days without use on an accepted service or a top-up.

With a zero balance, the card is blocked without a fee.
With a positive balance, Malta Public Transport says it will email the registered address and allow a ten-day grace period to use or top up the card.
If it remains inactive, a €5 fee is deducted for each further 365-day period.
If the remaining balance cannot cover that fee, the balance is taken and the card is blocked.

A card blocked for inactivity cannot be reactivated. You must apply and pay for a new card, so keep the registered email address current and deal with the warning before the grace period ends.

For the wider network, ticket choices and practical boarding rules, continue with our public transport in Malta guide. Browse all Transport guides.