GlobeQuest

Malta visas and residency

Who can visit Malta without a visa, and the 6 long-stay routes that let you actually live there.

Short stay

Visiting Malta, by passport

How the 198 passports we track get in. A visitor entry is never permission to work, study or settle — that is what the routes further down are for.

United StatesVisa-free · 90 daysUnited KingdomVisa-free · 90 daysIndiaVisa requiredCanadaVisa-free · 90 daysAustraliaVisa-free · 90 daysGermanyFree movementFranceFree movementNetherlandsFree movementIrelandFree movementSpainFree movementItalyFree movementPortugalFree movementPolandFree movementSwedenFree movementSwitzerlandFree movementSouth AfricaVisa required
No visa at all

Who can simply move to Malta

EU/EEA and Swiss free movement

Citizens covered by EU/EEA and Swiss free movement need none of the routes below

Citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland can live, work and study in each other's countries without a visa or a work permit.

For the first three months a valid passport or national ID card is all you need. Beyond that you may have to register as a resident, and if you are not working or studying you need enough money to live on and health cover. Switzerland issues an EU/EFTA residence permit on the same terms.

Verified November 2026:Your Europe — residence rights when living abroad in the EUState Secretariat for Migration — free movement of persons Switzerland–EU/EFTA
Long stay

How you actually move to Malta

Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Single Permit (employment and residence)

The mainstream route for a third-country national with a Maltese employer. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need it — they register with Identità for an eResidence card after three months.

What you need
  • A job offer and signed contract with an employer registered in Malta
  • A labour market test: the employer must show the vacancy was advertised through Jobsplus and could not be filled from the local or EU labour market, unless an exemption applies
  • Proof of accommodation in Malta, health insurance and a police conduct certificate
  • Application submitted by the employer through Identità's Expatriates Unit
How long it lasts
First approval is normally a one-year residence permit, renewable. Renewals require a valid employment contract and an annual tax declaration stamped by the tax authority.
Path to permanent residence
EU long-term resident status after 5 years of continuous legal residence, subject to income, accommodation, integration and a Maltese language element. Maltese citizenship by naturalisation is discretionary and slow — do not plan around it.
Cost
€600 for the first-time permit; renewals €150 per year. Employer-side advertising and administration are additional.
Processing time
Several months on the ordinary track — this is Malta's chronic bottleneck and the reason the Key Employee Initiative exists.
Worth knowing
  • The single permit is tied to the employer. Changing jobs means a new application, and there is a period in which you cannot lawfully start with the new employer.
  • The labour market test is real and adds weeks. Ask your employer early whether your role is exempt or whether they will file under the Key Employee Initiative instead.
  • Malta is small enough that the processing queue at Identità genuinely determines start dates across the whole economy. Employers who quote you a start date without a filed application are guessing.
  • Renewal is conditioned on a stamped annual tax declaration, so falling behind on Maltese tax filing directly threatens your permit — a link people do not expect.
Sources:Identità — Expatriates Unit, employment-related permits
Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Key Employee Initiative

Managerial and highly technical hires — executives and specialists — whose employers want to avoid the ordinary single permit queue.

What you need
  • An annual gross salary of at least €45,000
  • Certified copies of relevant qualifications, warrants or documented proof of the work experience the role requires
  • Evidence that the post was advertised for at least two weeks within the two months before application
  • An employer declaration that the applicant holds the credentials for the role
How long it lasts
First approval issues a one-year residence permit, renewable for up to three years at a time on a valid contract and a stamped annual tax declaration.
Path to permanent residence
Counts toward EU long-term resident status at 5 years in the same way as the ordinary single permit.
Cost
€600 first-time, €150 per year on renewal — the same fees as the single permit. The saving is time, not money.
Processing time
Fast-tracked relative to the ordinary single permit; the scheme was introduced with a target of a few working days from a complete application, though real timelines depend on the file being complete.
Worth knowing
  • The €45,000 salary floor is the whole gate. Below it the role goes back into the ordinary single permit queue whatever its seniority.
  • This is an administrative fast track, not a different legal status. The permit you end up holding is the same one, with the same renewal conditions and the same tie to the employer.
  • Advertising the post beforehand is still required — the KEI removes the queue, not the evidence.
  • The published processing target is a target. Treat any recruiter's promise of a five-day permit as conditional on a file with nothing missing, which is rare on a first application.
Sources:Identità — Key Employee Initiative: who is eligibleIdentità — Expatriates Unit, employment-related permits
Digital nomadMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Nomad Residence Permit

Third-country nationals working remotely for a foreign employer, running a foreign-registered business they part-own, or freelancing for clients established abroad. English-language administration makes Malta unusually easy to actually operate in on this permit.

What you need
  • Gross income of at least €3,500 per month — a minimum gross annual income of €42,000. Applicants who filed before 1 April 2024 remain on the earlier €32,400 threshold
  • Evidence of income secured for at least five months, roughly €17,500 at the time of application
  • One of three qualifying relationships: employment by a foreign-registered employer under contract; business activity for a foreign-registered company in which you are a partner or shareholder; or freelance/consulting work for clients whose permanent establishments are abroad
  • Health insurance covering risks in the EU including Malta, and in the UK
  • A rental or purchase agreement for accommodation in Malta, a valid travel document and a police conduct certificate
How long it lasts
One year, renewable annually at the Agency's discretion, to a maximum stay of four years.
Path to permanent residence
None. The Nomad Residence Permit does not lead to permanent residence or citizenship, and the four-year ceiling is a hard stop rather than a staging post.
Cost
Application fee per applicant and per dependant, plus residence card issuance. Budget for document legalisation, which is the larger real cost for most applicants.
Processing time
Around 30 days from a complete application in normal conditions, longer where documents need clarification.
Worth knowing
  • The tax treatment changed and the old description is still everywhere. Qualifying income is exempt from Maltese income tax for the first twelve months, running from the date the permit is issued or 1 January 2024, whichever is later. After that, authorised work income is taxed at a flat 10%. The MTCA issued interpretative guidelines on 16 January 2026 clarifying compliance without changing the substance: permit holders are registered for Maltese income tax automatically on issue, foreign tax paid on the same income can be relieved against the Maltese charge, and a holder who needs a Maltese tax confirmation sooner can elect in writing to be taxed immediately rather than take the twelve-month exemption.
  • The 10% rate applies only to 'authorised work' as defined in the rules. Work performed for a Maltese subsidiary of your foreign employer does not qualify — a trap for people whose group has a Maltese entity.
  • The 10% applies as the first layer of income. Any other Maltese-source or remitted income sits on top and is taxed under the ordinary progressive rates, which reach 35%.
  • Dependants may join you, but the permit is for you: their status follows yours and ends when yours does.
  • The income threshold rose from €2,700 to €3,500 a month on 1 April 2024. Any guide quoting €2,700 is describing a closed cohort, not the current scheme.
Sources:Residency Malta Agency — Nomad Residence Permit eligibilityResidency Malta AgencyMalta Tax and Customs Administration — guidelines on highly qualified persons rules
RetirementMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Global Residence Programme

Non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss nationals with foreign income who want Maltese special tax status — typically retirees and people living off investments abroad. There is an equivalent programme (the Residence Programme) for EU/EEA/Swiss nationals.

What you need
  • Qualifying property: purchase of Maltese residential property from €275,000, or €220,000 if in Gozo or the south of Malta; alternatively a qualifying lease
  • Payment of a minimum annual tax of €15,000, covering the beneficiary and dependants on foreign income remitted to Malta
  • Adequate health insurance covering the EU, sufficient stable resources, and a fit-and-proper assessment
  • An authorised registered mandatory must file the application; you cannot file it yourself
How long it lasts
Special tax status held indefinitely while the conditions continue to be satisfied and the annual minimum tax is paid.
Path to permanent residence
The GRP confers a residence permit and special tax status, not permanent residence or citizenship. Time under it can contribute to long-term residence only if the underlying residence conditions are met — treat it as a tax arrangement first.
Cost
A one-off administrative fee to the government, the property purchase or lease, and €15,000 of tax every year whether or not you owe that much. Plus the mandatory's professional fees.
Processing time
Several months, driven by due diligence rather than by volume.
Worth knowing
  • The 15% headline is on foreign income remitted to Malta, and it comes with a €15,000 annual floor. In a low-income year you still pay €15,000 — the effective rate on a modest remittance can be far above 15%.
  • Maltese-source income is taxed at 35%, not 15%. The programme does nothing for money you earn in Malta.
  • You must not spend more than 183 days in any other single jurisdiction in a calendar year.
  • The programme is heavily promoted by firms who earn the mandatory's fee. Read the minimum tax and the property condition before the headline rate.
Sources:PwC — Malta taxes on personal incomeResidency Malta Agency
InvestmentMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)

Third-country nationals seeking permanent residence through a combination of government contribution, property and a donation. It is a residence programme, not a citizenship one.

What you need
  • A government administrative fee of €60,000 — €15,000 on submission and €45,000 after the letter of approval in principle
  • A government contribution of €37,000, the same figure whether you buy or lease. The old split — €28,000–€30,000 for purchasers against €58,000–€60,000 for tenants — was replaced by a single amount in 2025
  • Qualifying property held for five years — a purchase of at least €375,000 or a lease of at least €14,000 a year. The lower Gozo and southern-Malta property values were abolished from 1 January 2025 and one figure now applies across the islands
  • A donation of at least €2,000 to a registered Maltese philanthropic, cultural, sport, scientific, animal welfare or artistic NGO
  • Evidence of capital assets and stable income, health insurance and a four-tier due diligence process
How long it lasts
A permanent residence certificate, with the property and contribution conditions binding for the first five years.
Path to permanent residence
This route is permanent residence. It does not confer citizenship, does not shorten naturalisation, and does not give the right to work in Malta without a separate employment permit.
Cost
Six figures all-in. The government-side components come to €99,000 — €60,000 administrative fee, €37,000 contribution, €2,000 donation — and since the 2025 revision that total is the same whichever property route you take, before five years of rent at €14,000 a year or a €375,000 purchase. Verify current amounts with Residency Malta before committing; the structure was last revised in 2025.
Processing time
Typically six months or more, dominated by the four-tier due diligence.
Worth knowing
  • Permanent residence here does not include the right to work. People conflate the two constantly; employment still needs its own permit.
  • The programme's fee structure was restructured in 2025 — the administrative fee rose, the purchase/lease split in the contribution was collapsed into one €37,000 figure, and the discounted Gozo and southern-Malta property values were abolished. Intermediaries frequently quote the previous numbers. The Residency Malta Agency's own page is the only reliable source for what you will actually pay.
  • Malta no longer sells citizenship, and anyone offering it is describing a closed scheme. The Court of Justice of the EU ruled on 29 April 2025 (Case C-181/23, Commission v Malta) that citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment breached EU law, and Malta abolished the direct-investment route by Act XXI of 2025 on 24 July 2025. Citizenships already granted stand; what remains is a merit-based exceptional-services route with no investment tier. The MPRP is permanent residence and has never led to a passport — do not let an adviser blur the two.
  • Five years of committed property is a real cost of exit — the conditions bind even if you decide Malta does not suit you.
Sources:Residency Malta Agency
Work / sponsoredMedium confidenceVerified August 2026

15% flat rate under the Tax Treatment of Highly Skilled Individuals Rules (formerly the Highly Qualified Persons Rules)

Senior and specialist staff in Malta's targeted sectors — financial services, gaming, aviation and transport, health, and Malta Enterprise-recognised STEM and innovation roles. This is a tax election that sits on top of a permit, not a route in itself.

What you need
  • An eligible office as defined in the rules — the list is of named senior and specialised roles, not of seniority in general
  • A minimum annual gross basic income of €65,000, exclusive of fringe benefits, rising automatically by €10,000 every five years
  • Employment with a company licensed, regulated or recognised by the relevant Maltese authority — the MFSA, the Malta Gaming Authority, Transport Malta, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer or Malta Enterprise
  • Non-domiciled status in Malta and a determination from the competent authority
How long it lasts
An initial five years, renewable for two further five-year periods subject to continued compliance, and in every case subject to a hard sunset: no benefit applies to income earned after 31 December 2040.
Path to permanent residence
None on its own — it is a tax treatment. Your route to residence is the single permit or the Key Employee Initiative underneath it.
Cost
No fee for the election; the cost is the professional work of establishing eligibility.
Processing time
Determined alongside the employment, typically by the employer's advisers.
Worth knowing
  • Malta consolidated its separate highly-skilled tax incentives into one regime — the Tax Treatment of Highly Skilled Individuals Rules, Legal Notice 20 of 2026, issued on 23 January 2026 with effect from 1 January 2026. Guides describing the old Highly Qualified Persons Rules and the Qualifying Employment in Innovation and Creativity rules as separate live regimes are out of date, as is anything giving a shorter benefit period to third-country nationals than to EEA and Swiss nationals: the consolidated rules run for the same five-plus-five-plus-five years regardless of nationality.
  • People who qualified under one of the legacy schemes as at 31 December 2025 can apply to move onto the new rules, subject to conditions. That is an application, not an automatic transfer.
  • 'Eligible office' is a closed list of named positions. Being senior and well paid is not enough — a Chief Technology Officer at a licensed gaming operator may qualify where an equally senior role at an unlicensed employer does not.
  • The €65,000 floor steps up by €10,000 every five years, so a package that qualified at hire can fall below the floor later without anything about the job changing.
  • This is the regime most often described loosely as 'Malta's 15% tax'. It applies to qualifying employment income in named sectors, for a limited number of years, and to nobody else.
Sources:Malta Tax and Customs Administration — guidelines on highly qualified persons rulesPwC — Malta taxes on personal income
On the ground

Where you'd land in Malta

Valletta

A UNESCO capital of about 6,000 people where English is official — though most people who work here live in Sliema.

Full Valletta guide

Malta at a glance

Capital
Valletta
Population
580K
Languages
Maltese, English
Currency
EUR