Nomad Residence Permit
Route status
Active as of 2026-08-07[1][2][3]
Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.
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Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Nomad Residence Permit as of 2026-08-07[2][4] Malta enacts and publishes in parallel official English and Maltese texts and English is an official language of Malta; the official English name is therefore recorded identically as the local name rather than as a translation. |
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| Official name (English) | Nomad Residence Permit as of 2026-08-07[2][4] |
| Legal basis | A residence permit issued in terms of the Immigration Act (Cap. 217) granting a third-country national a licence to perform work in Malta consisting exclusively of authorised work, as defined in rule 2 of the Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules (S.L. 123.210), L.N. 277 of 2023. Administered by Residency Malta Agency. as of 2026-03-12[1][4] The permit's own conditions – income threshold, duration, fees, renewal – are published by Residency Malta Agency as programme criteria; no immigration subsidiary legislation setting them was located. S.L. 123.210 is a tax instrument that defines the permit in order to tax it, and is the only instrument that defines it at all. |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-04-17[3][4] Rule 2 of S.L. 123.210 calls it a residence permit issued in terms of the Immigration Act. Residency Malta states it is not possible to hold two statuses at a time: where the holder of a single permit or any other permit is issued a Nomad Residence Permit, the other permits are automatically revoked. |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-07[2][3] |
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| Minimum age | 18 as of 2026-04-17[3] The FAQ requires applicants to be 18 years and over. |
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2026-08-07[2][3] All applicants aged 18 and over must provide an original police conduct certificate issued by the competent national or federal authorities in the country of origin, less than six months old at submission, and must pass a background verification check. Where a country issues such certificates for minors who are part of the application, those must be submitted too. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | 1 year as of 2026-04-17[3] Valid for one year from the issuance of the residency card. |
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| How the initial term is set | fixed |
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-04-17[3] The permit may be renewed three times, at the discretion of Residency Malta Agency and subject to the applicant still satisfying the programme criteria. |
| Renewal duration | 1 year as of 2026-04-17[3] |
| Maximum total duration | 4 years as of 2026-04-17[3] One year plus three renewals, for a total stay of a maximum of four years. |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-04-17[3][4] Rule 2 of S.L. 123.210 defines the permit as granting a licence to perform work in Malta consisting exclusively of authorised work – services under a contract of employment with an employer who is not resident in Malta and does not carry on business in Malta through a fixed place of business, or services performed in a self-employed capacity for clients who do not reside in Malta and do not carry on business there through a fixed place of business, provided remotely by telecommunications technology approved by Residency Malta Agency. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | No as of 2026-04-17[3] Residency Malta states that the Nomad Residence Permit does not lead to any sort of permanent or long-term residency or citizenship. |
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Requirements
| Minimum income | EUR 42,000 per year as of 2026-08-07[2][3] A minimum gross yearly income of EUR 42,000. Applicants who submitted before 1 April 2024 retain the previous annual gross income requirement of EUR 32,400, on first application and on renewal alike. The FAQ additionally requires proof of a guaranteed source of income at the applicable threshold for a minimum cumulative period of five months from the day of application. |
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| Qualifying income basis | employment abroad, own company abroad, freelance work for foreign clients as of 2026-08-07[2][3] Three qualifying profiles: employment with an employer registered in a foreign country under a contract of employment; conducting business activity for a company registered in a foreign country of which the applicant is a partner or shareholder; or offering freelance or consulting services under contract to clients whose permanent establishments are in a foreign country. |
| Local work allowed | No as of 2026-08-07[2][3][4] Persons contracted by a foreign company who provide services to that company's Maltese subsidiary, and persons who directly or indirectly provide services to Malta-based companies or individuals, are ineligible. Residency Malta states a holder may not offer services to individuals or companies registered in Malta. |
| Minimum remote-working history | Not established from a qualifying source No minimum period for which the remote arrangement must have been in place is published. The nearest published condition is different in kind: proof of a guaranteed source of income for a minimum cumulative five months from the day of application. |
| Route carries its own tax regime | Yes as of 2026-03-12[1][4] S.L. 123.210 rule 3(1) charges income tax at ten per cent on chargeable income derived from authorised work, subject to double taxation relief, and rule 3(2) treats that income as the first part of total chargeable income. Rule 3(3) makes authorised-work income not chargeable before the end of twelve months from the later of the permit's issue date and 1 January 2024, unless the holder files a written declaration with Residency Malta Agency that his residence in Malta is not merely of a casual nature. Rule 3(6) disapplies the Final Settlement System, and rule 7 provides that the holder's presence does not of itself make his employer or clients derive income arising in Malta. Residency Malta and the tax authority both state that acceptance as a nomad does not of itself grant tax residency. |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-04-17[3] The application is made through Residency Malta's online system. Where an entry visa is needed the applicant is contacted by the Central Visa Unit at Identita after approval; where the applicant is already in Malta on a valid visa no further entry visa is required and they may book the biometrics appointment directly, the FAQ recommending that the visa cover at least thirty calendar days on the day of application. |
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| Observed processing time | 30 to 30 days as of 2026-04-17[3] |
| Fees |
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| Stages |
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Physical presence
| minimum days per year | 5 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-04-17[3] To be eligible for renewal, holders must provide a bank statement showing payment transactions carried out in Malta as proof that they have resided in Malta for a cumulative period of at least five months over the previous twelve months. |
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Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-04-17[3] |
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| Eligible relations | spouse, minor child, adult dependent child as of 2026-04-17[3] The spouse; minor children of the main applicant and, or spouse; unmarried adult children of the main applicant and, or spouse who are principally dependent on the main applicant; and adult children unable to cope independently due to a medical condition or disability. Where the applicant does not hold sole custody of a minor child and both parents are not on the same application, prior approval to include the dependant must be obtained from Residency Malta and is examined case by case. |
| Family may apply at the same time | Yes as of 2026-04-17[3] Dependants cannot be added after payment has been effected or after approval has been obtained, so they must be included in the initial application. |
| Family members' work rights | Not established from a qualifying source Residency Malta does not state whether an included family member may work in Malta. S.L. 123.210 rule 3(5) addresses only their tax position, providing that income of a family member authorised as such by being included in the permit is governed by the Income Tax Act rather than by the ten per cent nomad rules. |
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.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 4 |
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| of which official (tier 1) | 4 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-03-12 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-07 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-11 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules S.L. 123.210 – guidelines
Malta Tax and Customs Administration · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-03-12 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [2] Nomad Residence Permit – Eligibility
Residency Malta Agency · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [3] Nomad Residence Permit – FAQs (version 14.1)
Residency Malta Agency · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-04-17 · Accessed 2026-08-07 - [4] Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules (S.L. 123.210), consolidated text
Legislation Unit, Office of the State Advocate (Legislation Malta) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2023-12-07 · Accessed 2026-08-07