Malta citizenship for expanding a textile business from Togo to the EU

Business expansion to Europe. Christophe’s business focuses on sustainable and ethical production of high-quality textiles. All the production processes were created to one day enter the EU market and align with its high sustainability requirements.

How to get Malta citizenship in 2024

When the company was ready to start obtaining certifications and exporting to the EU, Christophe often travelled to Europe to meet potential clients.

The limitations of short-term visas to the EU countries and the time-consuming process of obtaining them made Christophe consider residency or citizenship in an EU country.

Charity funding from international investors. Jacqueline, Christophe’s wife, works for a charity supporting orphanages in Togo. Part of her job is attracting foreign funds and investments. While most of her job can be done remotely, there have been several times when she couldn’t attend important sector events because of visa issues.

Full access to education in the EU. The last straw that convinced Christophe that his family needed a second citizenship or residence in Europe was when his daughter, Chantal, faced rejection for a student visa to the Netherlands.

Chantal had been accepted into a Dutch university for her undergraduate studies and had begun the process of getting a student visa. One of the visa requirements was to show proof of accommodation in the same city as her university.

Chantal found an apartment remotely and had Christophe pay for it. She submitted the rental agreement to the consulate along with her other visa papers. Unfortunately, the consulate discovered that the rental agreement was invalid, indicating that Chantal had fallen victim to a scam. Her visa application was rejected, putting her education in question.

After that incident, Christophe started researching residency and second citizenship options. He soon realised he needed professional assistance in choosing and applying for the right option for his family.

Christophe learned about Immigrant Invest through friends and scheduled a meeting with one of our lawyers.

Cristophe’s main requirements were the following:

• obtain a status that would allow him to register a business in Europe;

• secure visa-free travels for him and his family — mainly to Europe, but preferably across the world;

• provide an opportunity for Christophe’s daughter to study at any EU university.

The main dealbreaker for Christophe would be the requirement to move to the country. The investor was unwilling to move and wanted Togo to stay at his family’s primary home.

Viable options. Considering Christophe’s wishes, Immigrant Invest lawyers offered him the following options:

1. Malta citizenship by investment. The option required a minimum investment of €1,150,000. Investors used to obtain citizenship in 12—14 months.

2. Residence by investment in Portugal. The program implied an investment of at least €250,000 in real estate, business projects, or securities. With this option, Christophe and his family would become EU citizens in at least 5 years.

3. The Greece Golden Visa allowed investors to obtain residency by investing at least €250,000 in real estate or securities. Golden Visa investors wait for 7 years to get citizenship in Greece.

All three options would provide Christophe with visa-free access to Europe without obliging him to move to the country permanently.

Residence in Portugal or Greece would be a better option since programs require only a fraction of the Malta program’s investment. However, there are important nuances.

1. Citizenship waiting time and exams. Residency by investment in Greece or Portugal could lead to citizenship. But, to be eligible for a Greece passport, the investor must move to the country and live there for 7 years. For that reason, this option was decided to be invalid.

Portugal Golden Visa investors can obtain citizenship without moving to the state. However, they need to learn Portuguese and prepare for an exam on the country’s history and culture. Also, citizenship is available to foreigners only after 5 years of holding a residence permit.

Christophe would get access to the advantages of Malta citizenship in around a year without the need to pass language or other exams.

2. Real estate investment amount. After looking into real estate options, Christophe realised that the final investment amount would be far from the program’s minimal requirement.

If choosing Portugal, Christophe would invest in real estate that he could potentially rent out. That meant he would need to buy an apartment in a popular place like Lisbon or Porto. According to the program’s rules, the minimal investment should be at least €500,000 when investing in new properties in those areas.

In Malta, the family could purchase a property for €350,000.

3. Education opportunities. Residency in an EU country allows one to study full term only at universities in that state. If Chantal were to obtain residency in Portugal or Greece, she would still have to get a visa to go to the Dutch university she chose.

Malta citizenship grants the right to study in Malta or any other EU state without needing student visas.

4. Travel freedom. While having a European residence permit and waiting to apply for citizenship, the family could travel visa-free only across the 26 Schengen states. That could be enough, but the Maltese passport would immediately grant them the ability to travel to over 160+ countries visa-free.

5. Tax benefits. Another factor that attracted Christophe to Malta’s program was the country’s tax system. While the standard corporate tax rate in Malta is 35%, Christophe’s company, as a commerce business, would qualify for a tax refund of 6/7.

After a week of consideration, Christophe decided to invest more but get citizenship faster. So, the Immigrant Invest team started preparing to apply for Malta citizenship by investment.

Once Christophe got his Maltese residency permit, he could start working on expanding his business to Malta: he registered his company and started communicating with partners.

By the time the investor’s passport was ready, Christophe already obtained the certifications necessary to import textiles to the EU. Besides, he was finalising his partnership agreements with two niche clothing designers in Europe.

When Christophe started the citizenship acquisition process, Chantal postponed her studies for a year. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about visas or permits. She wrote a letter to the university, and they agreed to accept her in one year. Once she obtained her passport, Chantal took off to the Netherlands.

With a Maltese residence permit, Jacqueline could travel across Europe and make valuable acquaintances with international charity organisations. When the family got Malta citizenship a year later, Jacqueline could also travel to the USA without a visa.

In 2023, Christophe and Jacqueline permanently reside in Togo and use their Malta passport for frequent business trips worldwide. Chantal has gotten her Bachelor’s degree and is pursuing her Master’s. After finishing her studies, the whole family plans to go on a three-month-long European vacation, starting with Malta.