Updated August 11, 2026

MT-DN

The Nomad Residence Permit

Residency in Maltathe nomad visa

A permit for those who work remotely for foreign clients. English is an official language here, the family comes into the same application and the status runs for up to four years. An income of €42,000 a year has to be evidenced.

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The conditions are checked against the Residency Malta Agency portal
Working since 2004
We run the application, the residence card and the extensions

A Maltese residence card under the Nomad Residence Permit

from €42,000 a yearIncome for the applicant

Up to 4 years of statusA year and three extensions

The English languageOfficial in Malta

01 / About the program

How the Nomad Residence Permit works

Malta issues this permit to remote professionals whose income comes from outside the country. The programme is run by the state Residency Malta Agency, and the requirements are set out in specific figures and categories of employment.

Income from €42,000 a year

The threshold applies to applications from 1 April 2024. Those who applied earlier keep the previous requirement of €32,400.

Three categories of employment

Work under a contract for a foreign employer, participation in a foreign company as a partner or shareholder, or freelancing for clients abroad.

A year and three extensions

The card is issued for a year and extended three times — four years in total. After that a pause of twelve months is needed before a new application.

Presence is checked against the account

For an extension a stay in Malta of at least five months in total over the past year is evidenced — by bank statements.

02 / What you get

What the permit gives you

Life in a Schengen country

Residence in Malta and travel around the Schengen area for up to 90 days in every 180.

A status for the family

The first application takes in a spouse, minor children and also dependent adult children and children with a disability.

The English language

English is an official language of Malta: school, documents and daily life with no language barrier.

The work stays abroad

The clients and the employer are outside the country — there is no need to change your work when you move.

The tax rules are written down

Separate rules under S.L. 123.210 apply to holders. The regime is not applied automatically: the conditions are checked individually.

The Mediterranean all year round

A mild climate, safety and the compact infrastructure of the island with direct flights around Europe.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the budget for your family

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the full Maltese picture: the requirements, the budget for the move, the timeline and a plan of action.

Who is applying for the permit?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

The full calculation for your family composition
The timeline for each stage of the process
A plan of action: where to start

A Maltese residence card and a set of documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange the Maltese nomad visa

Malta is chosen for the English language and a clear order: the programme is run by a state agency and the requirements are given in figures, not in evaluative criteria.

English as an official language

The only Schengen country where English is official. For a family with children that removes the main barrier to moving.

Transparent requirements

The income, the categories of employment, the extension periods and the presence are all set out on the agency’s portal.

The work does not change

You stay with the employer or the clients you already have: that is exactly what the programme was created for.

The family together

A spouse and children come into the first application and receive the status for the same term.

A compact country

Everything is at hand: the airport, the clinics, the schools and the co-working spaces are within half an hour’s drive.

Five months of presence

The requirement is milder than a full move: a little under half the year on the island is enough.

04 / Travel

What the Maltese residence card gives you

The permit gives the right to live in Malta and travel around Schengen, but it does not replace an EU passport.

Mode 01

Malta for the term of the permit

Residence on the island with extensions up to four years in total. An extension needs five months of presence in the year.

Mode 02

Schengen, 90 days in 180

Travel around the Schengen countries without a visa — up to 90 days in every 180.

Mode 03

Work only for foreign clients

The employer and the clients are outside Malta. Serving the Maltese branch of a foreign company is not allowed.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime.

Sources: the Nomad Residence Permit rules of the Residency Malta Agency, the tax rules S.L. 123.210 and the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399).

05 / The composition of the application

Who can obtain the status

Dependants come into the first application: they cannot be added after approval. Open a row to see the conditions.

A gross income from €42,000 a year
One of the three categories of employment outside Malta
Insurance covering the EU and the United Kingdom
Housing in Malta and a police clearance certificate

Comes into the first application
Receives the status for the same term
Does not raise the income requirement

Come into the first application
They study in Maltese schools
Newborns can be added after approval

Unmarried and financially dependent on the applicant
Children with a disability are included with no age limit
Evidenced by documents on the dependency

06 / Cost

What income has to be evidenced

The threshold is fixed by the agency: a gross annual income from €42,000. It does not depend on the family composition.

Work under a contract · a foreign employer

€42,000

≈ $49,000

The term of the permit 1 year, up to three extensions

An employment contract with an employer registered abroad
Employees serving a Maltese branch have no right to the permit
Insurance covering the EU and the United Kingdom
A lease or a purchase of housing in Malta

A partner or shareholder · a foreign company

€42,000

≈ $49,000

The term of the permit 1 year, up to three extensions

Participation in a company registered outside Malta
Evidenced by the shareholding, statements and company documents
The income must come from abroad
A background check and a police clearance certificate

Freelancing and consulting · clients abroad

€42,000

≈ $49,000

The term of the permit 1 year, up to three extensions

Clients with permanent establishments outside Malta
Contracts and proof of regular receipts
The same income threshold — €42,000 a year
For an extension, five months of presence on the island

The category of employment

The main applicant

Spouse

Minor children

Dependent adult children

The threshold is given under the requirements of the Residency Malta Agency: €42,000 for applications from 1 April 2024. On top of the income come the processing fee, the residence card, the insurance, the housing and the support. The tax regime under S.L. 123.210 is not applied automatically.

07 / Comparison

Malta against the neighbouring nomad visas

Malta is dearer on the threshold but wins on language and on the transparency of the procedure.

	Malta	Spain	Portugal D8	Greece	Croatia
Income requirement	€42,000 a year	€2,442 a month	from €3,680 a month	from €3,500 a month	by the country’s formula
The term of the status	1 year, up to 4 years	3 years	2 years	2 years	up to 18 months
Presence	5 months a year	real residence	real residence	real residence	real residence
The country’s language	English	Spanish	Portuguese	Greek	Croatian
The path to permanent residence	Does not lead	5 years	5 years	5 years	Does not lead

The conditions are given as at the date this page was updated. The Maltese permit runs for a maximum of four years and does not lead to a permanent status.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the process works

STEP 1

Checking the employment and the income

We settle which of the three categories you fall into and check whether a gross income from €42,000 a year is evidenced.

STEP 2

Insurance and housing

A policy covering the EU and the United Kingdom and a lease or purchase of housing in Malta are compulsory documents.

STEP 3

Filing through the agency

The application is filed with the Residency Malta Agency with a complete set of documents and a police clearance certificate.

STEP 4

The background check

The agency runs a check on the applicant and every family member included.

STEP 5

The residence card

After approval the card is issued for one year; the term runs from the date of issue.

STEP 6

Extensions and counting the days

We run the three extensions and the record of presence: five months a year are evidenced by bank statements.

The English language, transparent requirements and four years of status for remote work.

MaltaThe European Union and SchengenThe Residency Malta Agency

Go through your situation

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the Maltese nomad visa with us

The agency checks applicants thoroughly, and the family composition cannot be added to after filing — mistakes here cost a whole cycle.

We settle the category correctly

An employee, a company partner and a freelancer evidence income differently. A mistake in the category means a refusal.

We bring the family in at once

Dependants cannot be added after approval, newborns aside. The composition is fixed before filing.

We choose the insurance

The policy has to cover the EU and the United Kingdom — an ordinary international policy often does not qualify.

We run the extensions

Three extensions, five months of presence and the evidence from statements. We keep the calendar and the documents.

12 / Team

Who runs the Maltese residency process

The application is run by a permanent team: the programme lawyer, a documents specialist and a family coordinator.

Anna KovalevskayaHead of LegalThe strategy for the programme and complex cases

Karim NaserHead of Istanbul OfficeRunning the application legally and the documents

Hanna BergerTrusts and Succession AdvisorThe tax rules and residency

Darya MelnikSenior Investment Migration AdvisorCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on Malta

Materials on the Nomad Residence Permit: the income, the categories of employment, the documents and the extensions.

The main materialPresentation

The Maltese Nomad Residence Permit

The presentation gathers the essentials: the requirements as to income and employment, the documents, the extensions and the tax rules.

Inside:

what income is required and how it is calculated
the three categories of employment and how they differ
which family members come into the application
which insurance qualifies
how much presence on the island is needed
how the extensions up to four years work
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

A short check: the category of employment, the level of income and the readiness to spend five months a year on the island.

The list for the applicant and each dependant, marking what has to be translated and legalised.

We calculate the fees, the insurance, the housing and the support.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What has changed in the programme

2024-04-01

The gross annual income threshold was raised to €42,000. Applicants who filed before that date keep the previous requirement of €32,400.

2026-08-11

The permit runs for a year and is extended three times: four years at most, then a pause of twelve months before a new application.

Worth having

Download the Malta checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the income, the categories of employment, the documents and the timelines.

Inside the document

The income required and how it is evidenced
The three categories of employment
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

A gross annual income from €42,000 — for applications filed from 1 April 2024. Those who applied earlier keep the previous threshold of €32,400. The family composition does not raise the requirement.

Three categories: an employee under a contract with an employer registered abroad; a partner or shareholder of a foreign company; a freelancer or consultant whose clients have establishments outside Malta.

No. What is more, employees of a foreign company who serve its Maltese branch have no right to the permit. The income must come from outside the country.

For one year from the date the card is issued. It is extended three times, so the status can be held for up to four years in total. After that a pause of twelve months is needed before a new application.

For an extension a stay of at least five months in total over the previous twelve is evidenced. The evidence is bank statements.

A spouse, minor children, unmarried dependent adult children and children with a confirmed disability. Dependants cannot be added after approval — the only exception is newborns.

Medical insurance covering the European Union and the United Kingdom. That is an express requirement of the agency; an ordinary travel policy does not qualify.

The rules S.L. 123.210 apply to holders. But the issue of the permit does not mean the special regime applies automatically: the conditions are checked separately and the agency recommends independent tax advice.

No. The permit is designed for a maximum of four years and does not lead to a permanent status. For long-term plans other grounds are considered — the MPRP, for instance.

The programme sets no restrictions on citizenship, but the background check in Malta is strict. Evidencing the source of income and banking compliance are gone through before filing.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

Get a preliminary assessment Book a consultation

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice