Updated
MT-NAT
Citizenship by investment - scheme discontinued
Malta discontinued its citizenship-by-investment scheme on 24 July 2025. New applications are not accepted. This page covers only the final terms of the former scheme, family cost calculations and the treatment of applications submitted before repeal.
01 / About the program
Until July 2025, the scheme required due diligence, a residence period, a direct contribution, qualifying property and a donation. It is retained here only as a reference for transitional cases and for comparing current alternatives.
In Case C-181/23, the Court held that granting nationality directly in exchange for predetermined payments and investments was contrary to EU law.
Act XXI of 2025 removed the investor programme and its transactional requirements from Maltese legislation. A new application cannot be filed under this ground.
The transitional provision in article 27 of the Maltese Citizenship Act preserves the former rules for applications submitted before the amendments entered into force. Each case must be checked against its filing date and procedural status.
The current merit route is not an investment scheme, a continuation of it or an alternative tariff. It is outside the scope of this page.
02 / What you get
Rights arose only after approval, the oath of allegiance and issue of a certificate of naturalisation.
A Maltese national is an EU citizen. The right to move and reside freely within the Member States is set out in Articles 20 and 21 TFEU and does not depend on the purpose of the trip.
An EU citizen takes up employment or starts a business anywhere in the Union without a work visa or work permit. That is the practical difference between an EU passport and any residence permit.
At European universities EU citizens pay domestic fees and access national student support on the same footing as locals. Across the full course, that difference is usually the family’s main argument.
A child born to a citizen of Malta acquires citizenship by descent under article 5(2) of Cap. 188. A ground established once works for the next generation.
Article 7 of Cap. 188 expressly permits holding Maltese and another citizenship at the same time. Maltese law requires no renunciation — what has to be checked is the law of your current country of nationality.
In a third country where Malta has no embassy, a Maltese national may turn to the diplomatic mission of any other Member State — Article 20(2)(c) TFEU.
Historical calculation
Select the family composition. The page recalculates four scenarios under the discontinued scheme. New applications are not accepted.
Who was included in the application?
instant recalculationfour scenariosscheme discontinued
03 / Why people apply
This is not an intake page for new applications. It is for families with a process already under way and for those comparing the former Malta scheme with currently available solutions.
We check whether the transitional provision applies and which obligations under the former rules remain.
We recalculate public charges for the actual family and separate mandatory costs from professional and external expenses.
We review lease or purchase obligations and the five-year holding period for previously approved applicants.
We prepare source-of-funds, business-history and family updates requested by the authority.
Where no protected application exists, we compare active citizenship and European residence programmes against the family objective.
We distinguish a valid current route from an offer to enter a scheme that no longer exists.
04 / Former scheme family rules
Family composition controls the historical calculation below. These were the final eligibility rules before the scheme was discontinued.
05 / Cost
Select the family composition above. The calculator shows four historical scenarios: 12 or 36 months of residence, with a five-year lease or a property purchase. New applications are not accepted.
Property lease · last terms of the discontinued scheme
from€750,000
Contribution · 1 person in the application
All-in with fees from €861,527.5
Each dependant added a €50,000 contribution. A €10,000 due-diligence fee applied to each dependant aged 12 or over. New applications are not accepted. This is a historical minimum-cost calculation, not an offer to obtain citizenship.
Property purchase · last terms of the discontinued scheme
from€750,000
Contribution · 1 person in the application
All-in with fees from €1,481,527.5
Each dependant added a €50,000 contribution. A €10,000 due-diligence fee applied to each dependant aged 12 or over. New applications are not accepted. This is a historical minimum-cost calculation, not an offer to obtain citizenship.
Property lease · last terms of the discontinued scheme
from€600,000
Contribution · 1 person in the application
All-in with fees from €711,527.5
Each dependant added a €50,000 contribution. A €10,000 due-diligence fee applied to each dependant aged 12 or over. New applications are not accepted. This is a historical minimum-cost calculation, not an offer to obtain citizenship.
Property purchase · last terms of the discontinued scheme
from€600,000
Contribution · 1 person in the application
All-in with fees from €1,331,527.5
Each dependant added a €50,000 contribution. A €10,000 due-diligence fee applied to each dependant aged 12 or over. New applications are not accepted. This is a historical minimum-cost calculation, not an offer to obtain citizenship.
Based on the final Community Malta Agency handbook: a €750,000 contribution after 12 months or €600,000 after 36 months, €50,000 per dependant, property from €700,000 or rent from €16,000 a year for at least five years, a €10,000 donation, due diligence and public charges. Add €10,000 for each child aged 12-17, which the simplified family selector does not identify separately. BRIDGES fees, translations, notarisation, apostilles, insurance, banking and third-party costs are excluded.
06 / Comparison
Status comes first: the Malta investor scheme is closed and cannot be compared with active programmes as though it remained an available offer.
| Malta - former scheme | Active citizenship programme | European residence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New applications | Not accepted | Depends on the country | Accepted under current national rules |
| Outcome | EU citizenship for protected earlier cases | Second citizenship | Residence rights, not citizenship |
| Cost | Historical calculation only | Calculated under the active programme | Calculated under the residence programme |
| First check | Transitional protection and case status | Eligibility and source of funds | Residence purpose and financial criteria |
The alternative is selected after checking nationality, source of funds, family composition and the intended outcome.
Full program comparison →09 / How it works
Confirm whether the application was filed before 24 July 2025 and document its procedural stage.
Review family composition, public payments, property, donation and additional requests.
Create a continuation plan for a protected case or compare active alternatives for a new enquiry.
Manage documents, checks and communication with specialist partners under the applicable procedure.
10 / Travel
For a Maltese national the travel position is different in kind from a Caribbean passport: within the Union this is not visa-free entry but freedom of movement. We do not publish a headline number of visa-free countries: the lists change, and a figure without a check date misleads.
The Member States of the Union, plus the European Economic Area and Switzerland under separate agreements. This is a right to reside, work and study, not a permission to enter for a period.
Within the Schengen area there are no checks at internal borders. Malta is part of the area, so the passport works there as a domestic document.
A number of countries admit EU citizens without a visa but require a prior electronic authorisation. It is obtained online in advance and is not issued at the border.
Some destinations remain visa-required even for EU citizens. The requirements are set by the receiving state and changed unilaterally.
Sources: Articles 20 and 21 TFEU — citizenship of the Union and freedom of movement; Article 20(2)(c) — consular protection. Entry rules for third countries are set by those countries and may change at any time.
Union citizenship cannot be the object of a commercial transaction — Court of Justice, Case C-181/23, 29 April 2025.
Discuss an alternative11 / Our role
A closed programme requires clear status disclosure and a strict separation between the former investment scheme and citizenship by merit.
We work from the CJEU judgment, the current Maltese Citizenship Act and Community Malta Agency materials.
We separate the contribution, property, donation, due diligence and public charges.
We do not promise access to a terminated scheme and identify solutions that exist today.
Legal, financial and documentary work is organised in one process.
12 / Team
Malta is legal work, not form-filling. It is run by a citizenship lawyer, a compliance specialist and a tax adviser responsible for residence once the status is in place.
Irena SokolovskaHead of Europe OfficeStrategy on the ground and complex files
Klara RihterHead of Compliance and Due DiligenceLegal conduct of the file, documents and compliance
Yan NovakWealth Structuring AdvisorTax matters and residence in Malta
Sofia MendesInvestment Migration ExpertFamily coordination and contact at every stage15 / Materials
The deliverable depends on whether there is a previously filed case or a need to select a current alternative.
Personal documentCALCULATION AND PLAN
We record whether transitional protection applies, what remains due and which current options exist if no new filing is possible.
Inside:
Prepared after a preliminary document check.
Check the filing date, case number and current stage.
A family, financial and case-update document list.
A comparison of active routes against the family objective.
Documents and calculations are prepared for the specific family and do not replace the Maltese authority decision.
16 / News
Act XXI of 2025 entered into force. The investor scheme was terminated and its provisions removed from the law.
The CJEU delivered its judgment in Case C-181/23 and held the transactional investor-citizenship scheme contrary to EU law.
The final scheme rules introduced two residence periods, a direct contribution, property, a donation and multi-tier due diligence.
Worth having
A concise document for checking transitional status, remaining obligations and documents under the discontinued investor scheme.
Inside the document
We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.
17 / Questions
No. The investment scheme was terminated on 24 July 2025 and new applications are not accepted.
It records the final terms of the former scheme for checking previously filed cases and comparing expenditure. It is not a quote for a new application.
A transitional provision applies. Continuation depends on the filing date and procedural status, which must be confirmed from the case documents.
No. Community Malta Agency states that citizenship by merit is not a programme, continuation, replacement or alternative route to the former investment framework.
A €600,000 or €750,000 direct contribution, €50,000 per dependant, property from €700,000 or rent from €16,000 a year for at least five years, a €10,000 donation, due diligence and public charges.
Depending on the family objective, the options may include active citizenship programmes, European residence programmes or another lawful citizenship ground. Outcome, timing, restrictions and budget must be compared first.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.
