Vallettaculture & etiquette

The capital has roughly 5,000–6,000 residents inside its walls. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site of sixteenth-century townhouses and converted palazzi, with tiny apartments, heritage restrictions on what can be altered, and a heritage premium of perhaps 10–20% on rent. Most people working 'in Valletta' live in Sliema, Gzira, St Julian's, Msida or the Three Cities and commute in by bus or the harbour ferries. Plan on that basis.

The Controlled Vehicular Access system charges Maltese-plated vehicles for entering and remaining in the city during controlled hours, on a camera-based scheme with the first thirty minutes free. Even setting the charge aside, on-street parking inside the walls is close to nonexistent. Most residents and commuters use the park-and-ride at Floriana or the Sliema and Three Cities ferries. Do not choose a Valletta flat assuming you will park outside it.

A former British colony, and it kept the roads. A licence issued outside Malta and the EU lets you drive here for no more than twelve months from your last entry. Malta exchanges licences from the EU and EEA, the UK, Australia, Switzerland and the UAE; everything else means the full theory and practical test. You also need 185 days of Maltese residence in the preceding year before you can apply.

Qualifying income is exempt from Maltese tax for the first twelve months, running from the permit's issue or 1 January 2024, whichever is later. After that, income from authorised work is taxed at a flat 10%. The income threshold also rose to €3,500 a month gross on 1 April 2024. Anything quoting €2,700 a month or a permanent tax exemption is describing a closed cohort.

The Global Residence Programme's 15% rate on remitted foreign income carries a €15,000 annual minimum tax, payable whether or not you owe that much. A non-domiciled resident with foreign income of at least €35,000 not fully remitted faces a €5,000 annual minimum. These schemes are marketed on the rate; the minimum is what determines whether they are actually cheap for you.

Everything from a lease to a court filing to a bank's terms is available in English, and administration runs in it as a matter of course. That removes a category of difficulty that dominates the first year almost everywhere else in the EU. The trade is a small island with an intense summer, heavy traffic and a rental market that reprices sharply in high season.