Malta permanent residence programme

What the Malta Permanent Residence Programme is

With Malta's citizenship route closed by the 2025 CJEU ruling, the MPRP is what remains: a permanent-residence programme granting the right to settle in Malta and access the Schengen area. It is a residency-by-investment route — a durable EU residence for you and your family — and it is explicitly not a passport.

The requirements: property, contributions and due diligence

The MPRP combines several elements. There is a property requirement — you either rent a qualifying property or buy one from 433,000 USD (thresholds vary by region). On top sit government contributions and administrative fees, and a due-diligence process that vets every applicant. Because the exact contribution amounts, property thresholds and fees are set by the programme and revised over time, confirm the current figures with the Residency Malta Agency before you plan around a number.

What it grants — and what it does not

The permit gives permanent residence: the right to live in Malta and to travel in Schengen, for you and included family members. What it does not give is citizenship. After the 2025 ruling, Maltese naturalisation is a separate, discretionary matter, not something the MPRP converts into — we explain the change in Malta after the CJEU ruling. Treat the MPRP as an EU residence in its own right, valuable for that, not as a back door to a passport.

Timeline: roughly twelve to eighteen months

Official processing runs to about twelve to eighteen months — longer than a Caribbean passport, in keeping with a residence programme that includes property and thorough vetting. Treat that as the government's window and add your own document-preparation time on top; see the timeline, step by step for where delays hide, and how the vetting works for what investigators check.

Tax: understand Malta's system before you rely on it

Malta operates a distinctive tax system — including a remittance basis for certain non-domiciled residents, under which foreign income is taxed when brought into Malta, subject to a minimum. It can be efficient for the right profile, but it has conditions, and holding the residence permit is not the same as qualifying for a particular tax treatment or becoming tax-resident. See the detail on our Malta tax overview and read second citizenship and taxes before building a plan around it.

How it compares

As an EU residence, the MPRP sits alongside the golden visas of other member states. If your priority is a lower entry cost or a lighter presence, weigh a Portuguese golden visa or a Greek golden visa; if Malta's specific tax profile and small-island EU base appeal, the MPRP holds its own. Compare them side by side on our golden visa comparison.

Before you commit

The MPRP suits someone who wants a permanent EU residence with Schengen access, is comfortable with the property requirement and government contributions, and does not mistake it for a citizenship route. Confirm the current property thresholds, contribution amounts, fees and processing with the Residency Malta Agency, use only licensed advisers — our guide to risks, scams and vetting an agent applies — and see how we verify every figure on our methodology page.