How to get Malta citizenship for exceptional services by direct investment

Visa-free travel to the United States, Britain and Canada. Maltese citizens are able to travel visa-free to 187 countries around the world, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

Move to the EU at any time. Maltese passport holders are entitled to the same rights and freedoms as any European citizen.

High quality of medical services. Health insurance policies issued to Maltese citizens give them free medical check-ups and treatment in well-maintained medical clinics and free medication.

Residency in Switzerland, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein. Opportunity to stay in Schengen Area countries, including those not part of the European Union. There are no restrictions on entry and duration of stay in these countries for Maltese citizens.

Children’s education. The cost of education in schools and universities in the European Union is cheaper for Maltese citizens. In addition, a student residence permit is not required in any EU country.

The best universities in Malta

International business. Maltese citizens can set up a business in any country in the European Union. This helps them broaden their business globally and operate efficiently.

To apply for Malta citizenship for exceptional services by direct investment, applicants must fulfil the following 3 investment conditions:

• €600,000 or €750,000: contribution to the National Development Fund

• €10,000: charitable donation

• €700,000 or €16,000 per annum: buy or rent (for 5 years) a residential property

A contribution of €600,000 to the National Development Fund allows the applicant to apply for Maltese citizenship three years after becoming a Malta resident. In contrast, a contribution of €750,000 enables investors to submit their citizenship application one year after being granted residence.

Together with the investor, their spouse or permanent partner, children under 29 years old, parents, and grandparents over 55 years old can all be included in the same citizenship application. For each additional family member included in the application, the main applicant contributes another €50,000 to the National Development Fund.

Renting of real estate. At first, an investor applies for a residence permit. To get it, the investor rents housing for €12,000. The rent should last for a year or three years.

The investor applies for citizenship in Malta in a year or three years. The investor concludes a new leasing agreement for €16,000 per year to do that. It is mandatory to rent housing for at least 5 years.

Purchase of real estate. Investors buy real estate worth €700,000 or more. The ownership period is 5 years, starting with obtaining citizenship. After that, real estate can be sold and the money — returned. In contrast, applicants who choose to rent a property will not be able to recover the rent of €80,000 paid over five years. In this respect, buying a property is preferable.

Applicants also pay for medical insurance, Due Diligence and administrative fees. The exact amount of the costs also depends on the family’s composition. You can quickly find out the costs applicable to you by answering a few questions. We will calculate the cost of getting Maltese citizenship for you.

Individual cost calculation of the Maltese citizenship

Get the cost calculation

Nationals of other countries, including those of the European Union, usually are only permitted to buy one property. The only exception is for EU citizens who have lived in Malta for at least 5 years before purchasing the property.

If a foreigner wishes to purchase real estate, they must obtain a permit or permission from the AIP. This is obtained from the Ministry of Finance, and the process usually takes 6‑8 weeks. Only living properties can be rented out.

These restrictions, however, do extend to properties located in Specially Designated Areas (SDAs) which contain luxury complexes with their own infrastructure. Buildings in SDAs include an enclosed courtyard, swimming pool, gym, security, and sometimes a garden.

Expatriate investors often prefer to buy property in SDAs as the process is simpler, quicker and more profitable:

• no restrictions on the amount of property that can be bought or rented;

• no AIP approval is required;

• property can be registered in the name of an individual and in the name of a company, which is difficult to do with property outside SDAs.

Examples of properties in Malta

Malta, Sliema

€920,000 — €1,300,000

Apartments in a new residential high-rise project near the sea

176 m² — 211 m²

2—3

2

Malta, St Julian's

€184,000 — €290,000

Modern apartments, Qawra, Malta

94 m² — 116 m²

2

2

Malta, Sliema

€675,000 — €5,900,000

Luxury apartments with sea view in Sliema

60 m² — 123 m²

1—3

1—3

To submit an application for Malta citizenship for exceptional services by investment, you need to sign an agreement with a government-licensed agent. The Government of Malta’s legislation stipulates that investors can submit applications for citizenship only through licensed agents and cannot do so directly themselves.

The Government of Malta issues licences to agents, authorising them to work with investors interested in applying for citizenship by investment applicants. The agent’s lawyers help their client investors collect and complete the required package of documents, prepare for and undergo the Due Diligence check, and submit the application first for a residence permit and then for citizenship.

Immigrant Invest’s compliance department carries out its own preliminary Due Diligence check to make sure each applicant meets the eligibility requirements of the Malta citizenship by investment program before signing a contract with the applicant and starting the application process.

After a residence permit is issued to the investor, they can apply for citizenship after one or three years. We have listed the main steps involved in the citizenship by investment procedure below.

1. Submit documents for the government to carry out the Eligibility Assessment. The investor and their government-licensed agent complete the required package of forms, including personal and financial documents, and submit them to be reviewed by the Maltese government department responsible for citizenship. The government department carries out its Due Diligence check on the applicant at this stage. This takes 3‑5 months. If the government approves the investor’s candidacy for citizenship, they proceed to the next step.

2. Apply for citizenship. The required package of documents includes government forms and the investor and their family’s documents. You can apply for Malta citizenship by investment 1 or 3 years after getting a Malta residence permit.

3. Fulfil investment conditions. Once the government approves the application, the applicant has to fulfil the investment conditions agreed to in the application, including making contributions to the state fund and charitable foundation. They must also provide evidence that they have rented or bought real estate in Malta.

4. Submit biometric data and swear the Oath of Allegiance. The investor must travel to Malta and submit their biometric data to the Community Malta Agency. All family members included in the application aged six years or older must submit their biometric data. The investor takes the oath of allegiance, and all adult family members are included in the application.

5. Collect your Malta passport. It is issued at the passport department 4 working days after the biometrics have been submitted. The investor and any family members over the age of 12 included in the application must collect their passports themselves.

After getting their Malta passport, the investor must continue renting or owning their property for 5 years. To confirm the fulfilment of this condition, Immigrant Invest submits a special form on behalf of the investor to the Community Malta Agency annually for the first five years after the issuance of a Malta passport.