Visa-free destinations that contribute to the high Malta passport ranking
European destinations. Malta is an EU member state and participates in the Schengen Agreement. Therefore, the Maltese citizens have the freedom of movement within the region without limits.
The UK is visa-free too. However, the stay period is limited to 90 days in half a year after Brexit.
The total number of European visa-free countries for Maltese citizens amounts to 46 countries.
Americas. Malta has a visa-waiver agreement with the USA and Canada. To visit these countries, a Maltese citizen gets an electronic travel authorisation online.
21 Latin American states, including Brazil, Argentina, and Peru, can be visited without visas. The list is completed with 24 Caribbean countries.
Asia. Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong are available for 90 days in half a year without visas. Asian destinations include Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and 18 other countries.
The Middle East is represented by popular visa-free destinations like Israel, Qatar, and the UAE.
Africa. 32 African destinations are visa-free for Maltese citizens, including, for example, Seychelles.
Oceania. Australia and New Zealand can be visited upon getting an electronic travel authorisation. Visas aren’t needed for visiting Fiji, Micronesia or Palau Islands.
Popular visa-free destinations for Maltese citizens
| Andorra | Georgia | Luxembourg | Slovakia |
| Austria | Germany | Monaco | Slovenia |
| Belgium | Greece | Montenegro | Spain |
| Croatia | Hungary | Netherlands | Sweden |
| Cyprus | Iceland | North Macedonia | Switzerland |
| Czech Republic | Ireland | Norway | Turkey |
| Denmark | Italy | Poland | Ukraine |
| Estonia | Latvia | Portugal | Ukraine |
| Finland | Liechtenstein | San Marino | UK |
| France | Lithuania | Serbia | Vatican City |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Curacao | Haiti | St. Kitts and Nevis |
| Argentina | Dominica | Honduras | St. Lucia |
| Bahamas | Dominican Republic | Jamaica | St. Maarten |
| Barbados | Ecuador | Mexico | St. Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Brazil | El Salvador | Montserrat | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Canada | Falkland Islands | Nicaragua | Turks and Caicos |
| Cayman Islands | French Guiana | Panama | USA |
| Chile | French West Indies | Paraguay | US Virgin Islands |
| Colombia | Grenada | Peru | Uruguay |
| Costa Rica | Guatemala | Puerto Rico | Venezuela |
| Brunei | Japan | Nepal | Sri Lanka |
| Cambodia | Macao | Philippines | Taiwan |
| Hong Kong | Malaysia | Singapore | Thailand |
| Indonesia | Maldives | South Korea | Timor-Leste |
| Armenia | Iraq | Kuwait | Qatar |
| Bahrain | Israel | Lebanon | Saudi Arabia |
| Iran | Jordan | Oman | UAE |
| Botswana | Mauritius | Seychelles | Togo |
| Cape Verde Islands | Morocco | South Africa | Tunisia |
| Egypt | Reunion | St. Helena | Uganda |
| Lesotho | Rwanda | Tanzania | Zambia |
| Madagascar | Senegal | The Gambia | Zimbabwe |
| Australia | Fiji | New Zealand | Tuvalu |
| Cook Islands | Micronesia | Palau Islands | Vanuatu |
How else Malta citizenship can help improve your quality of life
Besides visa-free travel, investors gain new opportunities with Maltese passports. Citizenship allows them to:
- move to Malta or any other EU state;
- study in European universities without visas and quotas for foreigners;
- get medical treatment in EU clinics;
- buy property in the elite Maltese resorts;
- create and develop an international business;
- get access to the most reliable banks in the European Union.
The Malta citizenship benefits extend to the investor's family members. A spouse, their children under 29, and parents and grandparents over 55 can get Maltese passports with the investor.
How to get Malta citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment
An investor first gets a residence permit, spends one or three years in the resident status, and then applies for citizenship.
The Maltese Citizenship Act regulates the procedure and complies with European standards.
Step-by-step procedure for obtaining Malta citizenship
The most crucial step to Malta citizenship is the Eligibility Test, a type of Due Diligence. A government agency, Maltese law enforcement agencies and independent companies, conduct the check.
Due Diligence is needed to prevent people with an unreliable reputation from getting Maltese passports. It also helps prove to the world community that Malta has nothing to do with offshore jurisdictions and money laundering. Each investor is screened for a diversified portfolio of assets across multiple jurisdictions.
The Maltese government carefully selects candidates for a passport and refuses if it finds issues in the investor’s biography or business operations. For all the time that the country grants citizenship to cosmopolitans, about 25% of applicants were refused.
Immigrant Invest helps cosmopolitans to obtain Malta citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services. Our certified Anti Money Laundering Officers conduct preliminary Due Diligence, which reduces the rejection rate to 1%. Lawyers prepare documents and apply for residency and citizenship on the investor’s behalf.
Expenses on becoming a Maltese citizen
When the investor passes the Eligibility Test, they must fulfil several investment conditions to get the Maltese passport:
Expenses on obtaining citizenship depend on the time spent in the resident status. A fund contribution of €750,000 will be required if the investor applies for a passport a year after obtaining a residence permit. If the investor maintains the residence permit for three years, they will contribute at least €600,000.
The number of family members also affects the contribution amount. An additional €50,000 must be contributed per applicant, starting with the fourth family member.
Besides the fund contribution, the applicant donates €10,000 to a Maltese non-government organisation. They also buy or rent housing on the island to have a registered address.
The administrative fees include paying for the Eligibility Assessment, government fees for residence cards, and health insurance.
Why Malta aspires to attract investors
Creditereform, a German credit agency, has given Malta an A+ rating. It means that the country's economy will develop and grow steadily, despite the crisis due to the pandemic in 2020.
Malta strives to strengthen the country's reputation in the international arena and maintain its high passport ranking. Therefore, it is interested in attracting highly qualified specialists and talented businessmen who can share their experience and business connections.
The naturalisation path for exceptional services by direct investment attracts wealthy people from all over the world. Investments help the Maltese government develop its economy and infrastructure. For example, money goes to healthcare and social projects.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is. The Maltese passport provides visa-free entry to more than 180 countries, including the Schengen states, the UK, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Visits to the USA, Canada or Australia are possible with an online electronic travel authorisation.
The number of visa-free destinations put the Maltese passport in the top 10 most powerful in the global ranking.
You can travel to 185 countries without visas or get an electronic travel authorisation or a visa upon arrival. The list of available destinations includes the Schengen Area countries, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
No, you cannot. You can get a Maltese passport only by naturalisation, for example, after living in the country for a few years.
However, investors can use the special naturalisation path for exceptional services by direct investment. It allows a foreigner to get a residence permit and apply for citizenship one or three years later. The conditions for obtaining citizenship include passing a strict Due Diligence and investing at least €690,000 in the country’s economy.
The minimum investment amount is €690,000. It is sufficient if the investor is renting rather than buying a home and intends to obtain a Maltese passport in 3 years.
If you need a passport in a year and decide to buy a house, the investment amount increases to at least €1.46 mln.
Malta citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment is available for adult non-EU citizens with legal income sources and a pristine reputation. The applicant’s relatives can become Maltese citizens, too, including a spouse, children under 29, and parents and grandparents over 55.
The main applicant and all adult family members must get residence permits before applying for citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment. To qualify for the passport, the residence permit must be maintained for one or three years.
Yes, it does. Obtaining Malta citizenship won’t imply giving up your first passport, provided your country of origin doesn’t prohibit dual citizenship either.
