Updated August 11, 2026

MT-PR

Permanent residence by investment

Permanent residence inMalta for an investor

European Union permanent residence straight away, with no interim cards and no renewals: you can buy a home or rent one, and the whole family receives the status.

Get a preliminary assessment Choose the option

Filing only through a licensed Residency Malta agent
Working since 2004
We prepare the file for the strictest screening in Europe

A Maltese permanent resident card under the MPRP

from €375,000Buying a home

open-endedThe term of the status

6-8 monthsTo the status

01 / About the program

How the MPRP works

Malta grants permanent residence to investors under the MPRP. The status is issued as permanent straight away — with no temporary cards and no renewals. The applicant chooses the way in: buying a home from €375,000 or entering into a lease. The government contribution is paid either way, and the screening of the applicant is one of the strictest in Europe.

The status is permanent from the outset

No interim cards and no renewals every few years. Residency is evidenced by a card, which is reissued when the document expires, not the status.

Two ways in: buying or renting

Buying a property from €375,000 or a lease for a set period. Renting does not freeze capital, but the money goes without a trace — the property does not stay yours.

One of the strictest screenings

Malta carries out deep due diligence on the applicant and every adult family member, with full evidence of the origin of funds. Some applicants are filtered out precisely here.

Schengen means travel, not living

The status gives a stay of up to 90 days in every 180 in the other countries of the zone. To live permanently in another EU country you need that country’s own status.

02 / What you get

What Maltese permanent residence gives you

A permanent status with no renewals

Residency is issued open-ended. The conditions for keeping it have to be met, but there is no need to prove your right to the status again every few years.

Travel around Schengen without a visa

Up to 90 days in every 180 in the Schengen countries. The status does not give the right to work as an employee in other EU countries.

A status for four generations

A spouse, children with no age limit where they are financially dependent, and the parents and grandparents of both spouses — all in one application.

A choice: freeze the capital or not

Buying leaves you an asset; renting keeps the capital free. We work out both scenarios over a long horizon.

English language and law

English is an official language of Malta and the legal system is built on the British one. The paperwork, the schools and the banks work in English.

Tax regimes

The status itself does not make you a tax resident. On a move the remittance basis of taxation applies — we work it out with a tax adviser.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the budget for your family

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the full Maltese budget: the home, the contributions and fees for each participant, a comparison of buying with renting, the timeline by stage and a plan of action.

Who is applying for the status?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

The full budget with the contributions and fees
A comparison of buying and renting in money
A plan of action: where to start

Maltese permanent resident cards and a set of documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange Maltese permanent residence

Malta is taken for a permanent status in the EU and the reputation of the jurisdiction: the screening is strict, but the status that follows holds firm. It is neither a fast nor a cheap route.

A permanent status in the European Union

Residency is issued as permanent straight away — for a family that is a horizon with no periodic confirmations.

The whole family in one application

Children with no age limit where they are dependent, and the parents and grandparents of both spouses. On the breadth of family Malta is one of the widest programmes.

An English-speaking environment

English, English law and international schools. For a family with children the move goes without a language barrier.

The reputation of the jurisdiction

The strict screening works in your favour too: a status obtained after Maltese due diligence raises no questions with banks.

Flexibility on capital

Renting instead of buying lets you avoid taking a large sum out of the business. The decision is worked out over five to ten years.

A base for tax planning

On a genuine move Malta offers a predictable tax regime for foreign income. The decision is taken with an adviser.

04 / Travel

What the status gives you for travel

Malta is in Schengen, so the status gives travel around the zone. But it is travel, not a right to move to another country of the Union.

Mode 01

Malta without limits

Entry, exit and residence on the island at any time. The programme sets no compulsory minimum of days.

Mode 02

Schengen, 90 days in 180

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

Mode 03

Living in another EU country

To live permanently in another country of the Union you need its own status: Maltese residency does not replace it.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your current passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime, not the residence card.

Sources: the rules of the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) and the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399) as regards the 90 days in every 180. Entry rules are set by the receiving states and may change.

05 / The composition of the application

Who gets the status with you

Permanent residence goes to everyone entered in the application. Open a row to see the conditions.

Over 18
Goes through deep due diligence
Confirms assets of €500,000, of which €150,000 are liquid
A confirmed lawful source of funds

In a registered marriage or recognised partnership
Goes through due diligence on the same basis as the applicant

There is no age limit where financial dependency is confirmed
Unmarried
Adult children go through due diligence

The parents and grandparents of the applicant and the spouse
The financial dependency is confirmed by documents
A separate government fee is paid for each of them

06 / Cost

What Maltese permanent residence costs

The budget depends on the way in: buying a home or renting. The government contribution and the fees are paid either way, and the number of people in the application affects the top-up for each dependant.

Buying a home · the asset stays yours

from€300,000

≈ $348,000

Holding period 5 years

The property is held for five years from the date the status is issued
The threshold depends on the location: the south of Malta and Gozo are cheaper
On top of the price of the property a government contribution of €30,000 is paid
A compulsory donation to a registered organisation of €2,000
An administrative fee of €50,000 is paid when the application is filed

Renting a home · the capital is not frozen

€14,000

≈ $16,000

Holding period 5 years

A lease of at least €14,000 a year; in the south of Malta and Gozo from €10,000
The lease runs for five years from the date the status is issued
The government contribution is higher than on a purchase: €60,000
A compulsory donation of €2,000 and an administrative fee of €50,000
Rent payments are not returned — over a long horizon the option is dearer than buying

The way in

Where the property is

The main applicant

Spouse

Dependent children

Parents and grandparents

The conditions are given under the rules of the MPRP. On top of the investment come an administrative fee of €50,000, a government contribution of €30,000 on a purchase or €60,000 on a lease, a donation of €2,000, and €10,000 for each additional dependant, plus medical insurance and the licensed agent’s support. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.

07 / Comparison

Malta against other residency programmes

Malta is dearer than its neighbours, but it gives a permanent status straight away and the widest circle of family. Here are the main parameters side by side.

	Malta	Cyprus	Greece	Portugal	Hungary
Property threshold from	€300,000	€300,000	€250,000	no property in the programme	no property in the programme
The type of status	Permanent	Permanent	Temporary	Temporary	Temporary
Schengen visa-free	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Parents and grandparents	Yes	Parents	Parents	Parents	Parents
Processing time	6-8 months	2-3 months	4-6 months	6-18 months	4-6 months

The amounts are the minimum thresholds, excluding government contributions and fees. In Malta an administrative fee, a contribution and a donation are compulsory on top of the threshold. The data are given as at the date this page was updated.

Full program comparison →

09 / Full cycle

One team for the property and the status

Normally the client assembles this chain alone: an agent shows the property, a lawyer checks the papers, an immigration consultant files the application — and after the purchase the owner is left with the apartment on their own. With us all six steps run in one pair of hands under one contract.

01
Selecting a qualifying property
We calculate the program threshold and shortlist properties that meet it. We also show the ones that do not qualify — and explain why.
02
Due diligence and the deal
Developer, permits, title, encumbrances. Contract, secure settlement and registration in your name — you know every risk before any deposit.
03
The status application
We compile the file, evidence income and source of funds, run the application with the authority and answer their queries until a decision.
04
Running the property
Handover and keys, utilities, insurance, maintenance and control of recurring payments — while you live in another country.
05
Letting, if the property sits empty
Preparation, finding a tenant, the lease and payment control. The asset works instead of waiting for your visit.
06
Renewals and exit from the asset
We handle renewals and the owner’s duties, and when you decide to sell — we prepare the property and run the transaction. The status is retained under the program rules.

One client. One property. One accountable team.

The scope of services, limits of responsibility and fees are set by a separate contract and depend on the country and the property.

10 / How it works

How the Maltese permanent residence process works

STEP 1

The preliminary check

We go through the situation: citizenship, the family composition, the source of funds, past refusals. Malta screens strictly, so we find the weak points before filing.

STEP 2

Choosing the way in

Buying a property or renting. We work out both scenarios together with the government contribution and the fees over five and ten years.

STEP 3

Preparing the file

Full evidence of the origin of funds and assets, police clearance certificates, documents for each family member, legalisation and translations.

STEP 4

Filing through an agent

The application is filed by a licensed Residency Malta agent — the agency does not accept documents directly. The administrative fee is paid.

STEP 5

Due diligence

Deep due diligence on the applicant and every adult in the application. At this stage the agency may request further documents.

STEP 6

The purchase or the lease

After the letter of approval the purchase of the property or the lease is completed and the government contribution and the donation are paid.

STEP 7

Biometrics and the issue of the status

A visit to Malta to give biometrics, then the issue of the certificate and the residence cards. The overall time is 6-8 months.

A step-by-step plan of the process

The same seven steps as a document: what is prepared at each stage, which documents are needed, how long each step takes and when a visit is required.

Download the step-by-step plan

The permanent residence programme operates under the supervision of the Residency Malta Agency.

MaltaThe European Union and SchengenA permanent status

Choose the option

11 / Our role

Why people arrange Maltese permanent residence with us

Malta refuses not over money but over the file. What wins here is having the origin of funds and the family history prepared before filing, rather than explained after a request.

We prepare the file for a strict screening

The full chain of the origin of funds, the assets, the history of the business and the family. We find the weak points ourselves and close them with documents before filing.

Filing through a licensed agent

An application is accepted only from an agent licensed by Residency Malta. We work through licensed representatives — that is the only lawful way.

We compare buying against renting

Over five years renting often looks cheaper; over ten the opposite. We show both scenarios in money before you choose.

We run the status after it is issued

Keeping the conditions on the property or the lease, adding family members, reissuing the cards and questions of tax residency on a move.

12 / Team

Who runs the Maltese permanent residence process

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

Sergey EvdokimovManaging PartnerThe strategy for the programme and complex cases

Klara RihterHead of Compliance and Due DiligenceThe file, compliance and work with the agent

Dmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantTax regimes and residency

Elena TitovaClient Relationship ManagerCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on Malta

Materials on the MPRP: the ways in, the requirements for the file and the composition of the application.

The main materialPresentation

Permanent residence in Malta

The presentation gathers the essentials of the programme: buying and renting, the contributions and fees, the family composition, the documents and how the work is done.

Inside:

how buying and renting differ
which contributions and fees are compulsory
what it costs all in over five and ten years
which relatives are included in the application
which documents will be needed
how the due diligence works
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

A short check: the assets, the source of funds and what the Maltese due diligence looks at.

The list of documents for the applicant and each family member, marking what has to be translated, certified and apostilled.

We calculate the full budget for both ways in: the home, the contributions, the fees for each dependant 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 Maltese programme

2021-03-29

The MPRP was launched: permanent residence by investment with a choice between buying and renting a home.

2025-07-24

The Court of Justice of the European Union held that the Maltese citizenship by direct investment scheme was contrary to EU law. The citizenship programme is closed; the residency programmes continue to operate.

Worth having

Download the Maltese permanent residence checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the ways in, the compulsory contributions, the requirements for the file and the stages — in one list, with nothing padded.

Inside the document

Buying and renting: the conditions and the full cost
What the Maltese due diligence checks
The current conditions for 2026

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

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

The budget is made up of the way in and the compulsory payments. On a purchase — from €375,000 (in the south of Malta and Gozo from €300,000) plus a government contribution of €30,000. On a lease — from €14,000 a year (in the south and Gozo from €10,000) plus a contribution of €60,000. In both cases an administrative fee of €50,000, a donation of €2,000 and €10,000 for each additional dependant are paid.

Over five years renting is usually cheaper because it does not freeze capital. Over ten years buying more often wins: the property stays your asset while rent payments go without a trace. We work out both scenarios in money before you choose.

The applicant confirms assets of €500,000, of which at least €150,000 are liquid. Five years after the status is issued the requirement drops to €500,000 with no breakdown. The origin of the funds is evidenced in full.

The programme sets no compulsory minimum of days. The status is kept where the conditions on the home are met and medical insurance is confirmed each year.

A spouse, dependent children with no age limit where the financial dependency is confirmed, and the parents and grandparents of both spouses. A government fee of €10,000 is paid for each additional dependant.

One of the strictest in Europe. The applicant and every adult in the application are checked: the origin of funds, the history of the business, convictions, sanctions lists and past visa refusals. That is the stage where some applicants are filtered out, so the file is prepared in advance.

No. The status allows you to live in Malta and travel around Schengen for up to 90 days in every 180. To work as an employee in another EU country you need that country’s own status.

Not automatically. The citizenship by direct investment scheme was abolished following the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 24 July 2025. Naturalisation is possible under the general rules — through long actual residence and knowledge of the language.

6-8 months from filing to the issue of the status. Most of the time goes on the due diligence, so the completeness of the file bears directly on the timeline.

The condition on the home is kept for five years from the date the status is issued. Selling the property early or terminating the lease is a ground for reconsidering the status, so the exit is planned in advance.

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