EUROPE · PERMANENT RESIDENCE BY INVESTMENT

Malta Permanent Residence

Indefinite EU residence rights and visa-free travel across Europe's Schengen Area, through the Mediterranean's longest-standing residence-by-investment programme.

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Minimum Investment

€169,000

Key Benefit

The right to reside indefinitely in Malta, with visa-free access to Europe's Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, on an investment required only for the first five years.

Malta Permanent Residence Programme Overview

Malta has positioned itself as one of Europe's most established residence-by-investment jurisdictions, built on a reputation for political stability, EU membership, and strategic Mediterranean access. The Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) grants qualifying non-EU, non-EEA, and non-Swiss nationals the right to reside indefinitely in Malta in exchange for a mixed capital contribution.

Unlike programmes that require an investment held in perpetuity, the MPRP's property commitment is required only for the first five years — after which residence rights continue indefinitely without further ongoing investment, a structure Indohill flags as genuinely differentiated among European residence programmes.

Benefits of Malta Permanent Residence Programme

Residence rights in an EU country, with visa-free travel across Europe's Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Right to reside indefinitely in Malta once granted
The qualifying property commitment (rental or purchase) is required only for the first five years, not for the life of the residence right
No minimum physical stay requirement to maintain status
Spouse, dependent children, and — under conditions — dependent parents and grandparents may be included on the same application
Access to a wide range of international schools, spanning British, American, and International Baccalaureate curricula

Requirements

The main applicant must be at least 18 years old and hold assets of at least €500,000 (of which €150,000 must be liquid financial assets), or at least €650,000 (of which €75,000 must be liquid). Beyond this asset test, applicants choose one of two accommodation routes, both layered on top of the same government contribution structure:

1. Rental Route (lower-cost entry point)

A qualifying lease of at least €14,000 per year, held for a minimum of five years, combined with the government contribution below. This is the programme's standard lower-cost entry point, bringing the all-in five-year commitment to approximately €169,000.

2. Property Purchase Route

Purchase of qualifying residential property valued at least €375,000, held for a minimum of five years, combined with the same government contribution below — bringing the all-in five-year commitment to roughly €474,000.

3. Government Contribution (required under either route)

A non-refundable administration fee of €60,000, a government contribution of €37,000 (rising for applications with more than one dependant), and a donation of €2,000 to a Maltese non-governmental organisation — €99,000 in total, on top of whichever accommodation route is chosen.

Procedure

Applications are submitted to the Residency Malta Agency, the government body responsible for administering the MPRP. The Agency conducts a multi-stage due-diligence review of the applicant and any dependants before granting approval in principle.

Once approval in principle is issued, the applicant has a defined window to complete the qualifying property arrangement (lease or purchase) and settle the government contribution. On verification that every requirement has been met, the Residency Malta Agency issues a Residence-by-Investment Certificate, which confers the right to reside in Malta indefinitely.

Applicants are not required to be physically present in Malta to apply, though the qualifying property must be genuinely held under the applicant's name for the required five-year period.

Fees & Costs

Beyond the €99,000 government contribution described above, applicants incur separate legal and application-processing fees, plus the Agency's own due-diligence fees per applicant and dependant. Every cost is disclosed in full, per program, in Indohill's Global Matrix Marketplace fee breakdown before any commitment is made.

The €60,000 administration fee and €2,000 NGO donation are non-refundable once an application is submitted, regardless of outcome — a standard feature of the programme's structure, not an Indohill-specific term.

A Separate Path to Citizenship

The MPRP itself grants residence, not citizenship, and nothing in it leads automatically to a Maltese passport. Malta's separate investor-citizenship scheme was held contrary to EU law by the Court of Justice of the European Union on 29 April 2025 (Commission v Malta, Case C-181/23), so Indohill does not present Maltese citizenship by investment as an available route, and any claim to the contrary should be tested against the law in force at the time. Treat the MPRP as what it is: a residence programme.

Background & Legal Considerations

The Malta Permanent Residence Programme is established under Legal Notice 121 of 2021, issued pursuant to Article 7A of Malta's Immigration Act (Cap. 217), and set out in full in the Malta Permanent Residence Programme Regulations — Subsidiary Legislation 217.26. These regulations have since been amended by Legal Notices 57 and 310 of 2024 and Legal Notice 146 of 2025, which is why Indohill re-verifies the programme's figures and terms against the Residency Malta Agency's own published regulations before every client engagement rather than relying on a single point-in-time summary.

Program history

The dated milestones we have verified for this program, drawn from its legal basis and our Program Watch tracker. It is a record of what has changed, not a complete legislative history. Last reviewed 5 October 2026.

2021 New

Permanent Residence Programme established

Legal Notice 121 of 2021, issued under Article 7A of the Immigration Act (Cap. 217), sets up the programme as Subsidiary Legislation 217.26.
2024 Changed

Regulations amended

Legal Notices 57 and 310 of 2024 amend the programme regulations.
2025 Changed

Regulations amended again

Legal Notice 146 of 2025 amends the regulations a further time.
29 APRIL 2025 Ruling

EU Court of Justice rules citizenship-by-investment scheme unlawful

In Commission v Malta (Case C-181/23), the Grand Chamber held that granting nationality for predetermined payments is contrary to EU law. Malta's separate residence programme continues.

Why Indohill Advises This Program

A private, advisor-reviewed intake — every application is scoped by a person, with the asset and liquidity tests confirmed before any accommodation route is recommended
Coordination with independently licensed Maltese immigration counsel, vetted against Indohill's Certified Partner Network standards before any introduction is made
A clear statement that the MPRP grants residence only, with no route to a Maltese passport implied or promised, in light of the EU Court of Justice's April 2025 ruling on Malta's citizenship scheme
Full statutory, legal, and government-contribution fee disclosure through the Global Matrix Marketplace before you commit to a rental or purchase route

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Malta Permanent Residence Programme FAQ

It is Malta's residence-by-investment route, granting qualifying non-EU nationals and their families the right to reside indefinitely in Malta in exchange for a qualifying property arrangement plus a government contribution, administered by the Residency Malta Agency under Legal Notice 121 of 2021.

The lower-cost entry point is the rental route: a qualifying lease of at least €14,000 per year for five years, combined with a €99,000 government contribution, for an all-in five-year commitment of approximately €169,000. The alternative purchase route requires property of at least €375,000 instead of the lease, bringing that route's total to roughly €474,000.

Either route qualifies. Renting (from €14,000 per year) is the lower-cost entry point; purchasing property (from €375,000) is the alternative. Both are combined with the same €99,000 government contribution.

Only for the first five years. The qualifying lease or purchase must be maintained for five years from grant; after that period, the residence right continues indefinitely without a further ongoing property requirement.

Not directly. The MPRP grants residence only and does not lead automatically to citizenship. Malta's separate investor-citizenship scheme was ruled contrary to EU law by the EU Court of Justice on 29 April 2025, so we do not present it as an available route. Any future naturalisation would depend on the ordinary naturalisation rules in force at the time.

Yes. A spouse and dependent children are includable on the main application, and — subject to conditions — dependent parents and grandparents can also qualify.

Indohill's tracked timeframe for this programme is approximately 6 months from a complete application submission, covering the Residency Malta Agency's due-diligence review and approval-in-principle stage.

The Residency Malta Agency, which reviews every application, conducts due diligence, and issues the Residence-by-Investment Certificate that confers the right to reside in Malta indefinitely.

Legal Notice 121 of 2021, issued under Article 7A of Malta's Immigration Act (Cap. 217), and set out in the Malta Permanent Residence Programme Regulations (Subsidiary Legislation 217.26), as subsequently amended by Legal Notices 57 and 310 of 2024 and 146 of 2025.