Malta Permanent Residence Programme

Route status

Active as of 2025-07-22^[1]^[2]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Status details
Replaces	Malta Residence and Visa Programme

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)	Malta Permanent Residence Programme as of 2025-07-22^[1]^[2] English is an official language of Malta and the regulations are enacted in an official English text; the programme has no distinct Maltese trading name in the sources used.
Official name (English)	Malta Permanent Residence Programme as of 2025-07-22^[1]^[2]
Legal basis	Malta Permanent Residence Programme Regulations, S.L. 217.26 (Legal Notice 121 of 2021, as amended by Legal Notices 57 and 310 of 2024 and 146 of 2025), made under article 7A of the Immigration Act (Cap. 217) as of 2025-07-22^[1]^[2]
Instrument type	residence permit as of 2025-07-22^[1] The instrument is a Residence-by-Investment Certificate issued by Residency Malta Agency under regulation 10; regulation 10(4) deems it to constitute a permit issued under article 7A of the Immigration Act. Approved dependants are separately issued residence cards (regulation 15(3)).

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this route	EU, EEA, EFTA as of 2025-07-22^[1]^[2]
Minimum age	18 as of 2025-07-22^[1] Regulation 9(1): the main applicant must have attained the age of eighteen.
Criminal-record condition	Yes as of 2025-07-22^[1]^[2] Regulation 12(1)(a) requires an original conduct certificate for the main applicant and every dependant over fourteen, from the country of origin and every country of residence of more than six months in the last ten years. Regulation 13(1) adds exclusion grounds covering international criminal courts, INTERPOL/EUROPOL listings, terrorism, money laundering, war crimes, offences against the good order of the family, any non-involuntary offence punishable by more than one year's imprisonment, and international sanctions listings.

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration	Not applicable Regulation 10(1): the certificate entitles the beneficiary and the dependants included on it to reside, settle or stay in Malta indefinitely, so long as the regulation 15 conditions continue to be met. The regulations do not state a validity period for the residence cards issued to beneficiaries and dependants.
Renewable	Not applicable The certificate is of indefinite duration and is not renewed; it ceases only in the circumstances in regulation 17. The Agency monitors adherence to the conditions annually for the first five years from issue and thereafter at its discretion (regulation 10(3)).
Work rights	Not established from a qualifying source

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residence	Not applicable

Requirements

Requirements
Investment options	Option: mt-mprp-qualifying-owned-property Asset class: real estate Minimum amount: EUR 375,000 as of 2025-07-22^[1] Regulation 3, definition of 'qualifying owned property': immovable residential property purchased or acquired by title of emphyteusis for a consideration of not less than EUR 375,000, situated in Malta or Gozo. The same figure applies in Malta and in Gozo, so no territorial variants are recorded. Holding period: 5 years as of 2025-07-22^[1] Regulation 15(1)(c): the qualifying property must be held for a minimum of five years from the appointed day; after five years the beneficiary must still hold a residential property in Malta or Gozo in ownership, lease or emphyteusis. Restrictions: Property purchased before the date of application for less than EUR 375,000 may still qualify if works carried out at the main applicant's expense bring its value to at least EUR 375,000, supported by an independent architect's valuation with a plan and description of works; the Agency may appoint its own architect and may in all cases decide whether the requirement is satisfied. The property must meet Maltese health and safety standards and be normal for a comparable family in Malta. It may be replaced with another qualifying owned property with the Agency's consent. The Agency may carry out spot checks and may issue guidelines on use of the property during temporary absences. Option: mt-mprp-qualifying-rented-property Asset class: real estate Minimum amount: EUR 14,000 per year as of 2025-07-22^[1] Regulation 3, definition of 'qualifying rented property': residential property taken on lease for a rent of not less than EUR 14,000 per annum, situated in Malta or Gozo. The same figure applies in Malta and in Gozo. Holding period: 5 years as of 2025-07-22^[1] Regulation 15(1)(c), as for owned property. Restrictions: An alternative to the qualifying owned property, not an additional requirement; the government contribution is EUR 37,000 either way. A qualifying rented property may be replaced, with the Agency's consent, by another qualifying rented property or by a qualifying owned property.
Source-of-funds checks	Yes as of 2025-07-22^[1]^[2] Regulation 14: the Agency administers the due diligence and verification process and causes checks to be performed by one or more internationally recognised specialised due diligence service providers on every main applicant and dependant, which may include security checks by law enforcement. Residency Malta describes a rigorous multi-tiered process extending to donors, benefactors and business associates.
Income requirement	Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2025-07-22^[1]^[2]

Process

Process
Where to apply from	Not established from a qualifying source Neither S.L. 217.26 nor the Residency Malta programme page states whether the application must be filed from abroad or in Malta. Applications are filed by a licensed agent (regulation 4(1)); regulation 9(6) lets an applicant apply for a one-year temporary residence permit once the application is submitted, which implies in-country presence is possible but does not establish that it is required.
Statutory processing time	Not established from a qualifying source S.L. 217.26 sets deadlines that bind the applicant (one month for the first fee instalment, two months for the balance, eight months for the contribution, property, donation and insurance after the Letter of Approval in Principle) but no statutory clock binding the Agency.
Fees	Kind: application Amount: EUR 60,000 as of 2025-07-22^[1] First Schedule (regulations 9 and 11), as substituted by L.N. 310 of 2024 and L.N. 146 of 2025. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: Non-refundable administration fee for the main applicant: EUR 15,000 payable within one month of submission of the application, the remaining EUR 45,000 within two months of the issue of the Letter of Approval in Principle Kind: per dependent Amount: EUR 7,500 as of 2025-07-22^[1] First Schedule (regulations 9 and 11). Charged per: dependent Paid by: applicant Condition: Non-refundable administration fee per dependant. Not payable for a spouse, a child under eighteen, or an adult child certified as having a disability (regulation 3, definition of 'dependant', paragraphs (a), (b) and (e)) Kind: other Amount: EUR 37,000 as of 2025-07-22^[1] First Schedule (regulations 9 and 11), as substituted by L.N. 146 of 2025: EUR 37,000 where the qualifying property is owned and EUR 37,000 where it is rented. Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Government contribution, payable within eight months of the issue of the Letter of Approval in Principle; the same amount applies whether the qualifying property is owned or rented Kind: other Amount: EUR 2,000 as of 2025-07-22^[1] Regulation 3, definition of 'donation'. Charged per: application Paid by: applicant Condition: Donation to a local registered philanthropic, cultural, sport, scientific, animal-welfare or artistic non-governmental organisation registered with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations, or as otherwise approved by the Agency, before issuance of the certificate
Quota	Quota exists: Not established from a qualifying source Neither S.L. 217.26 nor the Residency Malta programme page states any annual cap on certificates.

Physical presence

Physical presence
none stated	to keep the permit as of 2025-07-22^[1] S.L. 217.26 imposes no minimum physical presence in Malta. The continuing conditions in regulation 15(1) are instead: holding a qualifying property for at least five years from the appointed day and a residential property in Malta or Gozo thereafter; stable and regular resources sufficient to maintain the applicant and dependants without recourse to social assistance; a valid travel document; health insurance covering all risks normally covered for Maltese nationals; and holding the regulation 9(2) capital for five years from the appointed day.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be included	Yes as of 2025-07-22^[1]
Eligible relations	spouse, registered partner, unmarried partner, minor child, adult dependent child, parent, grandparent as of 2025-07-22^[1] Regulation 3, definition of 'dependant': (a) the spouse in a monogamous marriage or another relationship of the same or similar status, including a civil union, domestic partnership or common law marriage, the term being gender neutral, and other similar relationships at the Agency's discretion (recorded as spouse, registered_partner and unmarried_partner); (b) a child, including an adopted child, of the applicant or spouse under eighteen; (c) such a child aged eighteen but under twenty-nine, unmarried at the time the main applicant applies and principally dependent on the applicant; (d) a parent or grandparent of the applicant or spouse who is not in full-time employment and is principally dependent; (e) an adult child of the applicant or spouse certified as having a disability under the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act. In every case the person must not be a beneficiary of the Residents Scheme Regulations, the Highly Qualified Persons Rules, the High Net Worth Individuals (Non-EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals) Rules, the Malta Retirement Programme Rules, the Qualifying Employment in Innovation and Creativity (Personal Tax) Rules or the Residence Programme Rules.
Family may apply at the same time	Yes as of 2025-07-22^[1] Regulation 11(1) allows dependants to be included when the main applicant applies. Regulations 11(2) to 11(5) also allow a beneficiary to add dependants after the certificate has been issued, including the spouse of a dependent child already included and the minor child of a previously approved dependent child.
Family members' work rights	Not established from a qualifying source Not addressed by S.L. 217.26.

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited	2
of which official (tier 1)	2
Oldest as-of date	2025-07-22
Newest as-of date	2025-07-22
Reviewed on	2026-08-11
Schema version	1.1

Sources

[1] Malta Permanent Residence Programme Regulations (S.L. 217.26), consolidated text
Legislation Unit, Office of the State Advocate (Legislation Malta) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2025-07-22 · Accessed 2026-08-07
[2] Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)
Residency Malta Agency · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07