How to Get Malta Golden Visa: a Comprehensive Guide

Malta Golden Visa, also known as Malta Permanent Residency by Investment, is a program that allows wealthy individuals to become Maltese residents by investing.

Under the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), an applicant must fulfill several investment requirements.

Real estate investment can be made in one of two ways:

• rent a property with a minimum annual rent of €10,000 in the South of Malta or Gozo or €12,000 in the rest of Malta;

• purchase a property for a minimum value of €300,000 in the South of Malta or Gozo or €350,000 in the rest of Malta.

The chosen property must be held for at least five years and cannot be rented out or sublet during this time​​.

The contribution fee is the following:

• if purchasing a property, you must pay €28,000;

• if leasing a property, the contribution is €58,000.

An additional €7,500 is required for each adult dependent, except for the spouse​.

A mandatory donation of €2,000 must be made to a local philanthropic, cultural, scientific, artistic, sport, or animal welfare NGO registered with the Commissioner of Voluntary Organisations​.

Applicants must also pay a non-refundable administrative fee of €40,000​.

Getting a Malta Golden Visa is a complex process that requires careful preparation and attention to detail.

Required documents generally include:

• a valid passport;

• birth certificate;

• cover letter;

• personal information for due diligence;

• a power of attorney with a verified agent;

• a medical report and questionnaire;

• proof of source of funds and wealth;

• bank statements;

• evidence of business ownership or employment.

For all family members included in the application, you must submit passports with biometric data like fingerprints and facial images. You’ll also need to write a cover letter explaining why you want to acquire Maltese citizenship and provide proof of funds to show you can make the required investment.

In addition to these basic requirements, you’ll need to provide bank statements, medical reports, and health insurance coverage that meets the specific requirements of the Residency Malta Agency. Your policy should cover emergency treatments and routine healthcare services within European Union countries.

If you’re married, a marriage certificate is also required. Other documents may be required depending on your circumstances.

To be eligible for the MPRP, applicants must:

• be third-country nationals, non-EU, non-EEA, and non-Swiss citizens;

• not originate from sanctioned countries;

• have stable and regular financial resources sufficient to maintain themselves and their dependents without recourse to the social assistance system of Malta;

• show they have capital assets of not less than €500,000, out of which a minimum of €150,000 must be financial assets;

• have a clean criminal record;

• not pose any potential threat to Malta’s national security, public policy, public health, or public interest​.

The Malta Golden Visa program allows applicants to include their eligible dependents, ensuring that the entire family can enjoy the benefits of Maltese residency.

To be considered an eligible dependent, the following family members may be included in your application:

• your spouse or de facto partner;

• children under 18 years old;

• adult children over 18 who are unmarried and financially dependent on you;

• parents and grandparents from both sides.

All dependents must meet specific eligibility criteria, such as being free from criminal records and having valid health insurance coverage. To avoid delays or potential rejections, you need to provide accurate information about each family member when submitting your application.

The process of acquiring a Maltese residence permit entails several steps.

1. Preliminary Due Diligence

An accredited Anti Money Laundering Officer carries out the initial due diligence process, verifying the investor’s eligibility for the MPRP by cross-referencing information in the databases used by the Residency Malta Agency. This process remains confidential.

2. Application preparation

Lawyers provide the investor with the necessary document checklist for the application. Then the papers are translated and notarized. The lawyers also complete the application forms on behalf of the investor.

The lawyers submit the application to the Residency Malta Agency upon finalizing the documents. At this stage, the investor must initially pay €10,000 towards the administration fee.

3. Due Diligence

During this phase, the Residency Malta Agency processes the application and conducts a thorough due diligence check. If any queries arise regarding the applicants' personal or financial details, the agency communicates them to the licensed agent. Our lawyers then prepare all the necessary documents and responses.

Typically, the application processing time extends from 4 to 6 months. However, in some instances, consideration might take up to eight months.

Upon successful completion of Due Diligence, a letter of approval is issued and delivered to the licensed agent.

4. Completion of investment requirements

Post-approval, the investor is expected to pay the remaining €30,000 of the administrative fee within two months. Other conditions, such as a government contribution, charitable donation, and property rental or purchase, must be satisfied within eight months.

In addition, the investor and their family must secure health insurance coverage of at least €30,000 per person.

Once all conditions are met, our lawyers forward the supporting documents to the Residency Malta Agency.

5. Fingerprinting in Malta

All applicants are required to visit Malta for fingerprinting by the Residency Malta Agency. This step usually follows approval in principle but can be accomplished before meeting the investment conditions.

6. Final approval

The Residency Malta Agency scrutinizes the additional documents submitted after satisfying the investment conditions. Then the Maltese authorities issue a Certificate of Residence, and the PR cards are sent to our lawyers in Malta. The investor receives these documents via courier without the need to visit Malta.

Adult-issued Malta permanent residence cards are valid for five years. Cards issued to minor children expire a month after they turn 14 or 18 and must be renewed.

Relocating to Malta. Investors acquire the privilege of residing in Malta but are not obliged to emigrate. Those possessing Malta PR can invest in real estate within the country and open bank accounts, establishing a "safe haven" if required.

Unrestricted travel within the Schengen Zone. Possession of a Malta residence permit grants the ability to travel freely across other Schengen states, with a permissible stay of 90 days within 180 days. The duration spent in Malta is not factored into this limit.

High-quality healthcare and education. Individuals holding Malta PR can seek education or healthcare services in Malta. They can also visit other European countries without a visa for specific needs, such as obtaining treatment or attending short-term educational programs.

Residency for four generations. The MPRP empowers investors to include their spouses or partners, offspring, parents, and grandparents in the application. There are no age restrictions applicable to the family members.

Maltese citizenship can be obtained by naturalization by living in a country for several consecutive years.

The main requirement is to legally reside in the country with a residence or permanent residence permit for 5 years within the last 7 years preceding the application. Previous 12 months, the individual must live in Malta continuously.

The applicant must also:

• prove knowledge of English or Maltese;

• have a permanent place of residence;

• be a person of good character and be integrated into Maltese society;

• have sponsors — an individual who can guarantee that an applicant is a good person suitable to be the country’s resident.

The sponsor must be Maltese, know the aspiring citizen for at least two years and have one of the following professions:

• a member of Parliament;

• a judge;

• a magistrate;

• an advocate;

• a notary public;

• a legal procurator;

• a medical practitioner;

• a public officer;

• a police officer;

• an officer of the Armed Forces of Malta;

• a parish priest.

Any Maltese citizen over 18 who did not obtain their passport by naturalization can be another sponsor.

When applying for citizenship by naturalization, an individual doesn’t need to invest anything. They only pay an application fee of €450 and €50 to issue the citizenship certificate.

Malta Golden Visa, also known as Malta permanent residence, is granted to persons who invest in the country’s economy.

The main requirement is to rent or purchase a property for €10,000+ and 300,000+, respectively. The investor also needs to pay a government contribution fee and administrative fee and contribute to the charity.

To be eligible for the MPRP, applicants must: be third-country nationals, non-EU, non-EEA, and non-Swiss citizens, have stable and regular financial resources, show they have capital assets of not less than €500,000, out of which a minimum of €150,000 must be financial assets and have a clean criminal record.

The investor can also add their close family members to the application.

The benefits of the Malta Golden Visa are relocating to Malta, unrestricted travel within the Schengen Zone, high-quality Healthcare and education, and residency for four generations.