Malta Institute of Accountants

Anyone moving money, a business or a career to Malta eventually needs a reliable accountant, and the question of how to tell a properly qualified one from the rest is a fair one. The Malta Institute of Accountants, usually shortened to the MIA, is the body that sits behind a large part of the answer. It is the professional institute for accountants in Malta and acts as the voice of the accountancy profession on the island.

The Institute is not a firm that prepares your accounts. It is a membership organisation that trains, supports and supervises accountants and accounting firms, runs the continuing education that keeps them current and represents them with regulators. For a UK reader it is broadly comparable to the institutes that govern chartered accountants at home. It sits in our directory of accountants in Malta because it is the natural starting point for anyone checking credentials or looking for the profession's local network.

What the Institute exists to do

The Institute is a non-profit body. Its property and income are used only to further its objectives, which include maintaining high professional, ethical and governance standards, supervising members and member firms, and giving them the resources and leadership skills they need to serve the public, employers and clients well.

Its objectives also cover bringing suitable people into the profession and assessing them for membership, building partnerships with public and private organisations, representing the profession at home and abroad, and explaining the value of accountancy to students, employers and the wider public. It aims to advance education and continuing development and to encourage unity among its members and member firms.

In practice the Institute plays four everyday roles: advocacy, standard setting, practice support and networking. It provides professional guidance, technical support and continuing education to more than 4,000 members, and it invests heavily in educating future accountants.

Regulation and international standing

Two different bodies matter here. The Accountancy Board is the regulator of the profession in Malta, and practising as an accountant is governed by the Accountancy Profession Act, which requires a person to be a warrant holder. The Board sets the minimum requirements and issues the warrant, so questions about obtaining one go to the Board rather than to the Institute.

The Institute is the approved accountancy body that the Board has delegated certain duties to, including the accreditation of continuing professional education. Membership is not compulsory to practise, though it brings a range of benefits, and warrant holders who choose not to join must still complete continuing education under the Board's scheme.

Internationally, the Institute is a full member body of Accountancy Europe and of IFAC, the International Federation of Accountants. Through those federations it submits comment letters, joins specialised working groups and helps shape technical and regulatory initiatives that are later applied in Malta. Its representatives on the Accountancy Board are there to protect members' interests in local regulatory and standard-setting work. If you are researching how professional services are organised here, our overview of financial services in Malta gives the wider context.

Membership and member firms

Membership is organised into types and categories, with a separate route for accountants who qualified abroad, and firms can join as member firms. The Institute lists the benefits as the right to use designatory letters suited to the membership level, technical guidance and day-to-day professional support, regular updates on regulatory change, networking and the chance to sit on groups and task forces that contribute to the profession.

Members pay an annual subscription. The invoice is posted to the member's online account on 1 January and can be settled online, after which a receipt and a confirmation of renewal covering January to December are sent by email. Members also submit a yearly CPE Declaration through their account, which replaced the detailed CPE return from January 2020.

There is a published directory of members and one of member firms, and a list of sanctioned members, so a client can check who belongs to the Institute. If you are weighing up a firm for a tax or compliance question, our Malta tax guide for UK nationals and the page on the corporate tax structure explain the background before you speak to a professional.

Continuing education, events and course accreditation

Continuing professional education, known as CPE, is central to what the Institute does. Its programme is designed to keep accounting and finance professionals technically competent, ethically grounded and responsive to change. Sessions run both online and in person, and there is an unlimited CPE bundle as well as sessions focused on anti-money laundering.

The events calendar when this page was checked included a session on trade-based money laundering on 28 October, a session on VAT in aviation on 29 October, the MIA Tax Conference 2026 on 6 November and a Malta Budget 2027 session on 9 November. Dates change, so check the Institute for the current list.

Because accreditation of CPE is delegated by the Accountancy Board, the Institute also assesses courses run by other providers. A provider applies at least three weeks before an event, and once the course content meets the relevance criteria the Institute grants accreditation, confirming the hours and the competency area. A cost-recovery fee applies: €150 plus VAT for a one-time session, with a lower €60 plus VAT charge for a repeat session in the same calendar year. Amending the date, time or speaker after the Friday before an event costs €20 plus VAT, and fees are not refundable.

Students and the ACCA joint scheme

The Institute runs a joint scheme with ACCA, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, for students studying in Malta. The student pages cover joint scheme fees, re-registration or resignation and sanctioned students, and a transfer-of-location form for students who want to carry on their ACCA studies in another country. Former students who want to return to study in Malta must complete a re-registration form and settle the applicable fees before resuming.

Technical questions about the qualification itself are for ACCA, while questions about the local market go to the Institute's student contact. If you are relocating to study or work, our Malta relocation guide covers the move itself.

Leadership and team

The Institute is led by an elected council. Dr Jonathan Dingli is President and Ms Annabelle Zammit Pace is Vice-President, both serving a term from 2026 to 2028. Mr Paul Giglio is Secretary and Mr Shawn Falzon is Treasurer, joined by ten further council members, including Mr Fabio Axisa and Mr Edmond Brincat.

Day-to-day operations are run by a team of about twenty people under Chief Executive Officer Maria Cauchi Delia, covering finance, governance and compliance, technical work, CPD and events, marketing and customer service. Former presidents, governance documents and the Institute's disciplinary proceedings arrangements are published on the Institute's own pages. The wider ecosystem of local advisers includes firms such as A4 Services Limited and 3a Malta, both of which are in our directory.

Publications and guidance

Members and member firms receive briefing notes, guidance notes and technical releases, alongside a technical e-newsletter and the Institute's journal, The Accountant. There is also an e-library, a set of MIA articles, annual reports and a page of European and international updates, which makes the site a useful reference point for anyone following developments in the profession.

Readers interested in how the profession serves the wider economy can also see our guide to iGaming in Malta, one of the sectors that relies heavily on accounting and compliance expertise.

Finding and contacting the Institute

The Institute is based at Suite 4, Level 1, Tower Business Centre, Tower Street, Swatar, in the Birkirkara area. It is next to the APS Bank branch on Tower Street, a useful landmark if you are visiting. The site separates enquiries by topic, with different contacts for general questions, CPE events, technical queries, education, accreditation and finance, so say clearly what you need.

The Institute does not publish opening hours. Use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the Malta Institute of Accountants.