oscarleo.
← Passports for sale: all countries

Malta.

How Malta sells citizenship and residence for investors: 6 programmes, 2 of them open today. Every number and rule below links to the document it comes from.

9,406
numbers
470
prices and rules
56
events
57
documents and articles
Residence·Open·since 2013

Global Residence Programme

Sells the right to live in the country (a “golden visa”), sometimes leading to citizenship later.

Official name: Global Residence Programme (GRP)

Lowest price for one person: €220,000

Lowest purchase price: EUR 220,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta; EUR 275,000 elsewhere in Malta (t-1c19c07cc4). Renting instead (EUR 8,750/9,600 a year) is allowed. A tax status, not an immigration permit; minimum tax EUR 15,000 a year. Applies to applications up to 31 Dec 2026; from 2027 the Individual Tax Programme needs EUR 700,000 (t-8a6bce70f6).

Notes from the research

Special tax status under the Income Tax Act (L.N. 167 of 2013, S.L. 123.148) for non-EU nationals who buy (EUR 275,000; EUR 220,000 south/Gozo) or rent (EUR 9,600/8,750 a year) property in Malta: 15% tax on foreign income remitted to Malta, minimum EUR 15,000 a year. A tax-residence scheme run by the Commissioner for Revenue rather than an immigration permit, but it lets holders reside in Malta. Succeeded the 2011 High Net Worth Individuals non-EU rules (mlt-hnwi-non-eu). From 1 Jan 2027 the Individual Tax Programme Rules (L.N. 195/2026) apply, with much higher thresholds; existing statuses and applications made by 31 Dec 2026 continue to 31 Dec 2031. No official numbers of beneficiaries or tax collected were found.

Prices and rules

Ways in that apply today (minimum amounts)
Fees today

What is measured

No published numbers found for this programme. That is itself worth knowing: see the notes and the documents below.

Residence·Closed·2011–2013

High-net-worth tax status for non-EU

Sells the right to live in the country (a “golden visa”), sometimes leading to citizenship later.

Official name: High Net Worth Individuals - Non-EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals Rules (special tax status)

Lowest price when it closed: €400,000

Price at closure (30 Jun 2013): property bought for at least EUR 400,000; leasing at EUR 20,000 a year was an alternative. Minimum tax EUR 25,000 a year.

Notes from the research

L.N. 403 of 2011 (S.L. 123.130), deemed in force 1 Jan 2011: 15% tax status for non-EU nationals buying property of at least EUR 400,000 or renting at EUR 20,000 a year, minimum tax EUR 25,000 plus EUR 5,000 per dependant. No applications after 30 Jun 2013 (L.N. 178 of 2013); holders could move to the GRP.

Prices and rules

Rules while it was open

What is measured

No published numbers found for this programme. That is itself worth knowing: see the notes and the documents below.

Citizenship·Closed·2013–2020

Individual Investor Programme

Sells citizenship, and with it a passport.

Official name: Individual Investor Programme of the Republic of Malta (IIP)

Lowest price when it closed: €1.15 million

At closure (31 Jul 2020) all three were required together: EUR 650,000 contribution (includes a EUR 10,000 non-refundable deposit), EUR 150,000 in stocks/bonds held 5 years, and a home bought for at least EUR 350,000 held 5 years. Renting at EUR 16,000 a year for 5 years (t-1d63d4db9e) could replace the purchase, in which case the money invested or donated is EUR 800,000.

Notes from the research

Created by Act XV of 2013 amending the Maltese Citizenship Act (Government Gazette No 19,166, 15 Nov 2013); launched is that publication date, because the Act's in-force date is not in any stored document (the Act is not stored). Regulations L.N. 450 of 2013, replaced by L.N. 47 of 2014. Closed to new applications 31 Jul 2020. Pending applications were processed until 2024 (6 naturalisations in 2024). Cap of 1,800 main applicants; 1,555 were naturalised.

Investors approved, not counting family members
010020030040020162018202020222024

Prices and rules

Rules while it was open

What is measured

  • Properties acquired for citizenship2750
  • Donations by programme applicants to local entities1504
  • Applicant share1075
  • Investors approved, not counting family members332
  • Applications received298
  • Investment by programme investors222
  • Dependants granted citizenship218
  • Applications turned down211
  • Applications approved187
  • Average investment per investor (or per property)115
  • Requests for review of a refusal103
  • Donations paid into the government's fund68
  • People who became citizens66
  • Agents through whom applications were submitted65
  • Entities receiving applicant donations49
  • Licensed programme agents46
  • Programme cases meeting a stated condition (review of files)42
  • Money the programme handed to the government42
  • Share of applications or agents reviewed by the oversight body41
  • Applications processed34
  • Share of reviewed applications with a finding34
  • CBI fees collected by the programme unit28
  • Share of licensed agents by type22
  • Balance of a CBI-related government account20
  • Payments out of a CBI-financed account or fund20
  • Income of programme intermediaries20
  • CBI unit revenue18
  • All money paid by buyers, including property purchases14
  • Share of applications turned down13
  • Share of applications submitted by a group of agents12
  • Dependants approved12
  • Share of the approval cap used10
  • Family members per application10
  • Passports issued10
  • Outcome rate of an agent's applications9
  • Applications withdrawn9
  • All money paid by buyers, as a share of the economy9
  • Fiscal balance excluding CBI proceeds9
  • Share of applications by processing-time band9
  • Structural fiscal balance excluding CBI proceeds9
  • Structural primary balance excluding CBI proceeds9
  • CBI contributions as a share of GDP8
  • Share of applicant donations received by a recipient7
  • Suspicious-transaction reports concerning programme clients4
  • Cases on which the programme agency worked with the financial intelligence unit4
  • Applications for an agent licence3
  • Applications pending3
  • Selling citizenship as a share of all government income3
  • Agents deregistered or not renewed2
  • Programme real-estate purchases as a share of all property transactions2
  • Net income of the programme agency2
  • Programme grants as a share of all grants of the same status2
  • Estimated economic benefit of a programme2
  • Jobs created by programme investors2
  • Visa-free destinations2
  • Change in licensed agents1
  • Agent licence retention rate1
  • Application grant rate1
  • Change in applications received (percent, as stated)1
  • Programme cases not meeting a stated condition (review of files)1
  • Money the government received from selling citizenship1
  • Staff working on a programme1
  • Programme applicants identified as high risk1
  • Payment out of a CBI development fund (line item)1
  • Change in persons naturalised1
  • Persons naturalised without a stated document1
  • Processing time1
  • Investment intended (pipeline)1
  • Deprivations of programme citizenship decided1
  • Deprivations of programme citizenship recommended1
  • Compliance site visits to programme entities1
Citizenship·Closed·2020–2025

Citizenship for exceptional services

Sells citizenship, and with it a passport.

Official name: Maltese Citizenship by Naturalisation for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment (Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services, GCES)

Lowest price when it closed: €1.31 million

At closure (Act XXI of 2025, 24 Jul 2025): EUR 600,000 contribution after 36 months' residence (EUR 750,000 after 12 months, t-db49859676), EUR 10,000 donation to an NGO, and a home bought for at least EUR 700,000 held 5 years. Renting at EUR 16,000 a year (t-ab38b2cdd0) could replace the purchase, in which case the money donated is EUR 610,000.

Notes from the research

Set up by the Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services Regulations, 2020 (L.N. 437 of 2020, S.L. 188.06; Government Gazette No 20,524 of 20 November 2020); launched is that publication date, because the regulations state no in-force date. Legal basis: Art. 10(9) of the Maltese Citizenship Act as amended by Act XXXVIII of 2020 (adopted 28 July 2020, Gazette 31 July 2020). Found contrary to EU law by the CJEU on 29 Apr 2025 (C-181/23). Discontinued by Act XXI of 2025, whose transitional clause keeps applications filed before it under the old rules. The date new applications actually stopped (reportedly 29 Apr 2025) was not verified in a primary source.

Applications received
0200400600202020212022202320242025

Prices and rules

Rules while it was open

What is measured

  • Donations by programme applicants to local entities517
  • Applications received133
  • Properties acquired for citizenship90
  • Investors approved, not counting family members86
  • Applications turned down82
  • Applicant share81
  • Applications approved60
  • Eligibility applications approved39
  • Licensed programme agents20
  • Agents through whom applications were submitted20
  • Applications processed18
  • Dependants granted citizenship15
  • Share of licensed agents by type12
  • Entities receiving applicant donations10
  • CBI fees collected by the programme unit10
  • Average investment per investor (or per property)9
  • Investment by programme investors9
  • Money the programme handed to the government8
  • People who became citizens5
  • Requests for review of a refusal5
  • Donations paid into the government's fund4
  • Share of applicant donations received by a recipient4
  • All money paid by buyers, including property purchases3
  • Share of applications turned down3
  • CBI unit revenue3
  • Family members per application3
  • Outcome rate of an agent's applications2
  • Applications withdrawn2
  • Programme cases meeting a stated condition (review of files)2
  • Balance of a CBI-related government account2
  • Suspicious-transaction reports concerning programme clients2
  • Applications lapsed1
  • Change in applications received (percent, as stated)1
Residence·Open·since 2021

Permanent Residence Programme

Sells the right to live in the country (a “golden visa”), sometimes leading to citizenship later.

Official name: Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)

Lowest price for one person: €412,000

Purchase route: home of at least EUR 375,000 (Malta or Gozo, from 1 Jan 2025) plus EUR 37,000 government contribution (from 22 Jul 2025). Renting at EUR 14,000 a year (t-0165e1528d) replaces the purchase, leaving EUR 37,000 contribution plus rent. Excludes the EUR 60,000 administration fee (t-45af9b2823); applicants must also hold EUR 500,000 in assets (proof, not payment). The 2021 rules also required a EUR 2,000 NGO donation; not checked for 2025.

Notes from the research

Successor to the Malta Residence and Visa Programme (MRVP). Run by Residency Malta Agency. No official application or approval statistics were found.

Prices and rules

Ways in that apply today (minimum amounts)
Fees today

What is measured

  • Applicant share6
  • Applications received5
  • Money the programme handed to the government5
  • CBI real-estate investment inflows4
  • Investment by programme investors4
  • Share of applications by status3
  • Investors approved, not counting family members3
  • Share of applications turned down2
  • Processing time2
  • All money paid by buyers, including property purchases1
  • Dependants approved1
  • Average investment per investor (or per property)1
  • Application withdrawal rate1
Residence·Closed·2015–2021

Residence and Visa Programme

Sells the right to live in the country (a “golden visa”), sometimes leading to citizenship later.

Official name: Malta Residence and Visa Programme (MRVP)

Lowest price when it closed: €550,000

At closure (29 Mar 2021): EUR 30,000 contribution (of which EUR 5,500 is paid up front as a non-refundable administrative fee; excluding it gives EUR 544,500), EUR 250,000 qualifying investment (government stocks) and a home bought for at least EUR 270,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta (EUR 320,000 elsewhere, t-17631e09cc, making EUR 600,000). Renting (EUR 10,000/12,000 a year) could replace the purchase.

Notes from the research

Created by L.N. 288 of 2015 (S.L. 217.18): residence certificate entitling the holder to reside, settle or stay indefinitely in exchange for a EUR 30,000 contribution, a EUR 250,000 qualifying investment (government stocks) and a qualifying property (EUR 320,000/270,000 purchase or EUR 12,000/10,000 rent). Run by Identity Malta, from 2017 by the Malta Residence and Visa Agency (later Residency Malta Agency). Replaced by the MPRP on 29 Mar 2021; L.N. 122 of 2021 set deadlines for pending applications (end-2021 / 31 Mar 2022). Most applicants were Chinese nationals. ended = closure to new applications.

Golden visas issued
0255075100201520162017

Prices and rules

Rules while it was open

What is measured

  • Golden visas issued3
  • Applicant share1
  • Applications approved1
  • Applications pending1
  • Applications received1
  • Investors approved, not counting family members1
  • Programme marketing spending1
Explore

All the numbers we have for Malta

Pick what you want to see. Each dot is one number from one document; click anything to open its source.

Timeline

What happened, and when

Sources

The 57 documents behind this page

The stories behind the numbers

Who buys passports and golden visas, what they cost, and what happens when governments change the rules. Written from this data, in the newsletter.

Subscribe, it's free