Is dual Malta citizenship by naturalisation really the best and safest investment for your future?

Citizenship of Malta is obtained by birthright, through adoption, marriage, pedigree, special services to the state and naturalisation. Wealthy people can get a resident permit and second citizenship in Malta for exceptional services by direct investment.

Dual and second citizenship: what’s the difference between the notions

The requirements for getting citizenship are enshrined in the Citizenship Law.

Grounds for obtaining citizenship:

• birth from Maltese citizens;

• naturalisation;

• marriage to a Maltese citizen;

• exceptional services by direct investment;

• repatriation;

• adoption;

• work for the Maltese government;

• special services to the state.

Citizenship by birth. Any child born on or after August 1, 1989, shall only be entitled to Maltese citizenship if either of their parents were citizens of Malta.

In which countries can children acquire citizenship by birthrigh

Citizenship by adoption is acquired by all minor children adopted or adopted by citizens of Malta.

Citizenship through marriage. Applying for citizenship is possible only after five years of legal marriage. Fraudulent marriages are considered a crime in Malta. Applicants who get married to get citizenship can be fined or imprisoned for two years.

Citizenship for exceptional services by direct investment. Investors can obtain second Malta citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services through direct investment. This is provided for by the Maltese Citizenship Act. The minimum investment is €690,000.

Family members can obtain dual citizenship at the same time as the investor. The program allows the main applicant’s spouse, children under 29 years old, parents and grandparents under 59 years old to participate.

Citizenship by family reunion is granted only in a few cases. If the applicant was born in Malta with at least one Maltese parent in 1989, or he was born outside Malta with a Maltese father between September 21, 1964, and July 31 1989.

Two guarantors are required, who are not family members of the applicant, to apply for citizenship by naturalisation. The first guarantor can be a lawyer, a doctor, or a government employee. The second guarantor must be a Maltese citizen at least 18 years old and not a citizen by naturalization.

Since February 2000, Maltese citizens have been allowed to have another citizenship without the requirement to renounce Maltese citizenship. This right is enshrined in the Constitution of Malta in Article 22.

Learn the benefits and obtaining terms of Maltese citizenship for investors

In 2020, all European countries suspended applications for citizenship by investment due to lax procedures and the resultant criticism from European governments. We are confident that the possibility of getting Malta citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment will not be affected by this based on the grounds given below.

In 2020, Malta also stopped granting citizenship by investment and instead started offering citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment.

The issuance of passports by naturalisation is standard procedure for all countries. Eligible applicants get citizenship several years after being issued a residence permit. In Malta, for investors and their families, this period has been reduced to 1 year or 3 years, depending on the investment amount.

The Malta Citizenship Act regulates the amendments, and there are no legal grounds for Malta to stop offering citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment.

Even if the Government of Malta amends the Citizenship Act, investors will not lose the right to apply for and get citizenship. If the applicant passes the government’s initial Due Diligence check and makes the investment as agreed, they will be issued a residence permit and then a passport.

Main gate of the fortified city of Mdina in Malta

Investors who want to become second Maltese citizens must undergo a new, stricter Due Diligence check, called Eligibility Assessment. It fully complies with the EU Directive on combating money laundering and the financing of terrorist organizations.

The reputation and connections of applicants are checked, and it is verified that they have no criminal record. The licensed agent, the Community Malta Agency, and two international companies are involved in the assessment. The decision to grant a passport is made by the Minister responsible for citizenship.

The Eligibility Assessment is an updated version of the Due Diligence test used in applications for Malta citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment.

How to prepare for a Due Diligence check

Although the Maltese Due Diligence checks from 2013 to 2020 were strict, and about 25% of the applications were rejected based on the Due Diligence check, the new check has become even more stringent.

A thorough Due Diligence check ensures that only law-abiding investors of good standing are granted Maltese passports. Malta is not facing the same problems as Cyprus, where citizenship by investment was discontinued when it was discovered that some applicants with criminal records or convictions for financial crimes had been granted passports.

Immigrant Invest’s compliance department conducts its own preliminary Due Diligence check on applicants to reduce the risk of their application later being rejected due to the Eligibility Assessment.

A second Maltese passport gives you the freedom to travel without a visa throughout the world and helps you build a successful future for yourself and your family. We discuss its advantages and drawbacks.

Dual Malta citizenship helps investors in the following ways.

Move to the European Union. The main advantage of Malta citizenship is living in any EU country and Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein without any time or other restrictions. Investors often prefer to move to countries with a high standard of living.

Furthermore, although investors have the option of moving to Malta or another EU country, they are not obliged to do so.

A safe haven. Investors who are Maltese citizens can build a safe haven for themselves and their families in Malta or another country in the EU, allowing them to travel or move there at short notice in unexpected political, economic or other difficulties arising in their country of origin. Malta citizenship allows you to buy real estate there and keep your money safe and secure in a European bank. Having second citizenship in Malta means that you can travel there even in the middle of a pandemic.

Who are cosmopolitans

Business and work in Europe. In contrast to holders of residence permits for financially independent individuals, Maltese citizens can work and start a business in any country in the European Union.

Access to high-quality healthcare. Countries in the European Union are consistently ranked highly in terms of the population’s health. Spain, Italy, Iceland, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway were ranked in the top 10 countries in the Bloomberg Health Index 2022. This is primarily due to the quality of their healthcare systems.

Living in the European Union without any restrictions is essential if you need to undergo a long course of treatment.

European education for your children. A Maltese passport allows you and your children to study in any EU country without applying for a student visa or worrying about falling into the quota set for citizens from third countries. Furthermore, you do not need additional permission to remain in Malta or another EU country after graduation and look for a job there.

The best universities in Malta

Travel visa-free. A Maltese passport enables you to travel without a visa to 187 countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia and Canada.

However, a Maltese passport does not allow the holder to move to the UK. A Maltese citizen cannot spend more than 6 months a year in the UK without a visa and needs a residence permit to live there.

You can become a Maltese citizen for exceptional services by direct investment 1 or 3 years after getting a residence permit. The other options of Malta citizenship take 5 years, and in most cases, you have to live in Malta or another EU country for this period.

Together with the investor, their spouse, parents, grandparents over 55 years old and unmarried children under 29 years old can also get Maltese passports. The investor’s family members receive the same rights and enjoy all the benefits of EU citizenship.

Investors applying for citizenship must fulfil the following investment conditions.

The amount of the contribution to the Maltese National Development and Social Fund depends on whether the applicant wants to get a Maltese passport in 1 year or in 3 years. Investors also have the choice of renting a property at an annual cost of €16,000 for five years or buying a property for €700,000.