Malta Permanent Residence Programme

The Malta Permanent Residence Programme offers permanent residence in return of investment or rental of a property in Malta, in addition to a payment to the government and a charity donation. The MPRP was launched in 2021 by means of Legal Notice 121 of 2021. The process takes from 4 to 6 months and residency cards are issued for 5 years after which they can be renewed indefinitely if a Maltese address and requirements for the programme are maintained by the investor till then.

Benefits of Malta Permanent Residence Programme

There are plenty of benefits of Maltese Permanent Residence that extend towards the investor's family. The family can stay in Malta for however long they wish to, owing to the Certificate of Malta Permanent Residence for Life which is issued after approval when all investment requirements are fulfilled. The MPRP also grants the luxury of visa-free travel within the Schengen Zone for 90 days out of a 180-day period.

Malta Permanent Residence Programme in a Competitive World

Malta is not the only European country to have a permanent residence scheme and investors are attracted to many of these. However, the Malta Permanent Residence Programme offers some significant competitive advantages. One of them is the property rental option given to investors for application of residence if they don't wish to purchase property right away. This investment is also not required to be made before an approval is granted and residence cards can be renewed every 5 years. There is no language test at any stage of applying for the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, although English being the official language of Malta does make things simpler.

Eligibility for Malta Permanent Residence Programme

For an applicant to be considered eligible for the programme, they must possess €500,000 in capital.  €150,000 from this amount must be in the form of financial assets, such as bank deposits or stocks. Family members who meet the eligibility criteria for the Maltese permanent residence application include spouses or unmarried long term partners, unmarried children who're dependent on their parents irrespective of age, and parents as well as grandparents.

Investment Options for Malta Permanent Residence Programme

When submitting the application for the MPRP, applicants are required to pay  a non-refundable government administration fee of €10,000. Other than that, all investments and the government contribution are only to be paid on approval. Investors can opt for property purchase or property rental. You can browse around our top investment properties and estate projects in Malta.

Property Purchase

The minimum required amount for buying property for the Malta Permanent Residence Programme is €300,000 if in Gozo or the South of Malta, or €350,000 if in the rest of Malta. The required amount of government contribution is €68,000 which is less than that for the property rental option.

Property Rental

Investors may go for the property rental option, the minimum rent for which is €10,000 in the south of Malta and €12,000 in the rest of Malta. This option does, however, require a higher government contribution of €98,000.

Tax System for Malta Permanent Residents

The Malta Permanent Residence Programme does not have any special tax benefits and a tax resident status does not automatically result in permanent residency of Malta.

Tax Residents

Tax resident status is either obtained by residing in Malta for more than 183 days, or by presenting evidence of their intention to reside in Malta in the future. As for permanent residents, a separate procedure is used to obtain a formal confirmation of their tax residence status in Malta.

Non Tax Residents

Tax is payable for non-tax residents only on local source income. Tax residents of Malta enjoy a res non-dom tax regime in which only the portion of foreign income that is remitted to Malta is taxable. Capital gains arising only in Malta are subject to tax. Additionally, there are no wealth reporting obligations, and inheritance, property, or dividend taxes. Whether individuals should be subjected to tax or not is determined by domicile and residence according to the Maltese law.

How we can assist

You can contact our real estate consultants today to know more about the application process, tax and legal  requirements, and some expert advice regarding the Malta Permanent Residence Programme and property investment.