Malta Permanent Residence Programme: residence by contribution and property

Eligibility requirements

• The principal applicant must be a third-country national (not an EU, EEA or Swiss national), not a national of a country on the Agency's exclusion list, and not a beneficiary of another Maltese residence scheme. Applications are submitted only through an agent licensed by the Agency.
• Assets: capital assets of at least €500,000, of which at least €150,000 must be financial assets, or capital assets of at least €650,000, of which at least €75,000 must be financial assets, plus stable and regular resources sufficient to maintain the family without social assistance.
• Qualifying property: purchase of a residential property for at least €375,000, or a lease at not less than €14,000 a year, anywhere in Malta or Gozo (the former Gozo and south-of-Malta differential no longer applies). The property must be held for at least five years, after which a residential address must still be maintained.
• Payments: a non-refundable administrative fee of €60,000 (€15,000 within one month of submission, €45,000 within two months of the letter of approval in principle); a contribution of €37,000 whether the property is bought or leased; a €2,000 donation to a registered Maltese NGO; €7,500 for each adult dependant other than the spouse (adult children, parents, grandparents); and €500 per person for the five-year residence card.
• Dependants: spouse or partner, children (including unmarried, principally dependent adult children under 29 at application, and adult children with a certified disability), and principally dependent parents and grandparents of the applicant or spouse. All undergo due diligence.
• Clean criminal record, no threat to public policy, security or health, a valid travel document and health insurance covering Malta and other European countries. The Agency applies a four-tier due diligence process that extends to donors, benefactors and business associates.

Legal framework

Build the evidence

Prepare records that substantiate the relevant criteria. The final checklist depends on the applicant, route and filing authority.

• Application forms and the licensed agent's engagement, with the Agency's source-of-funds and source-of-wealth questionnaire completed for the principal applicant and adult dependants.
• Bank and investment statements evidencing the capital and financial-asset thresholds, with an audit trail for the funds used to pay the fee, contribution and property costs.
• Police conduct certificates from every country of residence in the relevant period, apostilled and translated, for all adult applicants.
• Civil-status documents: passports, birth and marriage certificates, evidence of dependency for adult children, parents and grandparents.
• Property deed or lease for the qualifying property, health insurance policies, and the NGO donation receipt at the required stage.
• A sworn declaration and any additional information requested during due diligence, including explanations of business interests and political exposure.

How to apply

1. 01

   Pre-screen and engage an agent

   The Agency accepts applications only from licensed agents. The agent runs an initial eligibility and reputational screen, since a refusal elsewhere or an adverse finding is disclosable and may be decisive.

2. 02

   Submit the application and first fee instalment

   File the application with the full document set; €15,000 of the administrative fee is payable within one month. Applicants may request a one-year temporary residence permit after the initial background checks while the main application proceeds.

3. 03

   Due diligence

   The Agency conducts a multi-tiered review covering identity, criminality, sanctions, source of wealth and reputational risk for every person in the application. Further questions and interviews may follow.

4. 04

   Letter of approval in principle and remaining payments

   On approval in principle the balance of the administrative fee (€45,000) is due within two months; the contribution, property, donation and dependant payments follow within the periods the Agency sets, typically eight months for the contribution.

5. 05

   Final approval and residence cards

   After compliance with all conditions, the Agency issues the certificate of permanent residence and the residence cards (€500 per person, valid five years). Biometrics are taken in Malta.

6. 06

   Maintain the conditions

   Hold the qualifying property for five years, keep health insurance and a Maltese residential address, respond to the Agency's annual compliance checks, and report changes in the family or circumstances.

After approval & family planning

• Dependants hold the same permanent residence. Adult children and other dependants added later are assessed case by case and attract the dependant fee. Family members may apply separately for work authorisation; residence under MPRP does not itself confer employment rights.
• Residence is permanent but conditional: the property, insurance and address requirements continue, and the Agency may revoke status for breach, false information or security grounds.
• MPRP is not a route to citizenship and the Agency states that it is distinct from citizenship legislation. Maltese citizenship by naturalisation is governed separately by the Maltese Citizenship Act and is discretionary.
• Tax residence is not created by the certificate. A beneficiary who actually lives in Malta is taxed under Malta's ordinary rules (worldwide or remittance basis according to domicile and residence); the Global Residence Programme is a separate tax status with its own conditions.

What this route builds, and what it opens

WG assesses every route on three returns: the knowledge it adds, the cognitive capability that sustained work abroad develops, and the institutional opportunity it opens or closes. Real work is the mechanism in each case.

Programme context. This is a contribution-based residence programme rather than an employment route. Where a participant's family seeks a European residential base alongside a genuine role with a Maltese or EU affiliate, it may be assessed as a complement, not a substitute, for that role. Read the framework ↗

Frequently asked questions

Points to consider

• The due-diligence standard is the point of friction. Families with complex ownership structures should prepare the source-of-wealth narrative before filing rather than in response to questions.
• Fees and thresholds were revised twice in 2024 and 2025. Agree the figures with the licensed agent against the Agency's current publication on the day of filing.