Guide to Visa and Residency in Malta 2024 - Visa Types for Expats

If you’re thinking of making the sunny Mediterranean Islands of Malta your next home, here’s the good news: it’s a quick and straightforward pathway to residency and even citizenship – which gives you a golden ticket to stay and travel across the EU’s Schengen Region. But, it will cost you a significant investment, so you’ll want to be sure this is what you want to do.

Some of the visas are simple enough that many people can apply themselves. Although the government is known for some bureaucratic red tape, the websites, forms, and instructions are all in English, which makes it easier for expats to navigate the process.

There are also some temporary visas that you may qualify for if you’re interested in soaking up the history and culture of this unique archipelago for a short time and seeing if it would be the right place for you.

Temporary Visas

North Americans can stay in Malta for up to 90 days during each 180-day period with a valid passport. They can extend this by 90 more days by applying to the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but this extension does not give them the right to travel to other Schengen countries.

Long-Term Visas

Nomad Residency Permit

Malta has long allowed foreign workers to live there as long as they do not work for Maltese companies. A nomad residency permit requires a minimum of €2,700 monthly annual income from employment or contracts abroad, approved healthcare insurance, and a long-term lease covering the period of the visa or a home purchase agreement. The permit is valid for one year but can be renewed.

Permanent Residency

Other than the nomad residency permit, Malta doesn't offer other long-term visa types, like retirement or independent means visas, to non-EU citizens. Instead, the country offers several pathways to permanent residency, all of which involve investment:

Malta Global Residence Program (GRP)

This requires the purchase or rental of property in Malta. The current minimums are €275,000 for purchase or €9,600 in annual rental. It also requires proof of health insurance and sufficient financial means to sustain yourself. Visa holders must pay a flat tax rate of 15% on foreign-sourced income remitted to Malta, with a minimum tax liability of €15,000 annually.

Malta Permanent Residence Program (MPRP)

This requires an A1 off contribution to the government of around €100,000, the purchase or rental of property, and a nonrefundable donation of €2,000 to local charities. Currently, the property minimums are €300,000 in southern Malta or €350,000 in other regions, or a rental minimum of €10,000 annually.

Malta Residency and Visa Program (MRVP)

This approach also requires purchase of property, but this time with no specific minimum. It also requires investment in government bonds of at least €250,000, as well as a €30,000 donation to the government.

In addition, anyone who has lived in Malta continuously for five years, for example, on the nomad residency permit, is eligible to apply for permanent residency that way.

Citizenship

If you’ve lived in Malta for at least seven years as a permanent resident, you can pursue Maltese citizenship. You must have not left Malta for more than (a cumulative) six months during the seven-year period. You also must:

• Confirm you have sufficient income

• Possess Maltese health insurance

• Pass exams relating to Maltese history, law, and language proficiency lessons

• You must also get an endorsement from two Maltese citizens who are not within your family. If you can, get one of these endorsements from a lawyer, doctor, or any person in a position of authority.

Malta is the only country in the Schengen Zone that allows high net-worth investors to become citizens of the country. This is called the Citizen by Investment (MEIN) scheme.

This is one of the world's most expensive investment programs. It requires three types of financial outlay:

• A €600,000 contribution to the government if you have resided in Malta for 36 months or more; or €750,000 if you have lived in Malta for 12 months.

• Property purchase of a minimum of €700,000 or a lease for €16,000 annually.

• An approved donation of €10,000 ($10,696) to a registered NGO or philanthropic entity.

This program is currently the subject of a dispute between the Maltese government and the European Union. The EU accuses Malta of violating EU rules by selling citizenship. It's not clear how long this pathway will last.

Requirements and Documentation

Anyone applying for residency must submit the following documentary evidence in support of their request:

• A cover letter explaining the intentions of the applicant to apply for the long-term residence status and the applicant’s background. The information must include accurate information on the applicant’s first settlement in Malta and the existence of any family members.

• Full copies of the current passport prior to the submission of the application

• Government-issued photo ID cards

• Birth certificates (apostilled)

• Bank statements for the last six months

• Military Records (if applicable)

• Marriage or Divorce certificates (apostilled)

• Any Corporate Affiliations (Business ownership or evidence of employment)

• Evidence of a Maltese Residential address (home purchase or lease)

• Police Clearance certificates from your home state/province

• One passport-sized photo

• Source of wealth documentation

• Other supporting documentation may be requested (University diploma, deeds of property acquisition, etc.)

Processing Time

• Nomad Residence Permit typically takes up to 30 business days.

• Economic self-sufficiency is typically granted within six to eight weeks.

• Residency typical processing can be approximately three months

• Citizenship is a two-step process that starts with residency and can be granted in less than a month. Then the citizen process begins. It can take three to six months.

Cost

• Nomad Residence Permit: €350.

• Residency: roughly €100,000.

Contacts

• 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

• Tel. (202) 462-3611

• Email: maltaembassy.washington@gov.mt

• Web: https://www.embassy.org/embassies/mt.html