Since Portugal introduced the first residency by investment program (aka “Golden Visa”) in Europe back in 2012, they have grown immensely in popularity and many European nations have followed suit. There are now several European countries which offer long-term residency permits to wealthy investors in exchange for an investment or donation.
Malta is one such country in Europe which offers the opportunity to acquire a Golden Visa in exchange for an investment in the country. However, Malta is now the only European country which also has a dedicated Citizenship by Investment program (since Cyprus recently discontinued theirs).
In this article we compare these two attractive programs which Malta offers, and take a look at the requirements and benefits of each.
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There are two primary differences between the Malta Citizenship by Investment program and the Malta Golden Visa program.
Firstly, the former provides a way to easily acquire full citizenship in Malta in exchange for an investment and/or donation, as well as fulfilling some other basic requirements. In comparison, the Golden Visa program provides an opportunity to acquire permanent residence in Malta in exchange for an investment. This can potentially lead to full citizenship in the long run, but it is not guaranteed and will take substantially more time.
The second major difference between these two programs are the costs involved. The Malta citizenship by investment program can cost a total of anywhere between EUR 600,000 to EUR 900,000 whilst the Golden Visa program can cost as little as EUR 300,000. Choosing which of these programs is best suited to you involves an analysis of your needs, and weighing the benefits and costs of each.
As mentioned, the Malta Citizenship by Investment program, officially known as the Maltese Citizenship by Naturalisation for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment (MEIN), allows anyone with the financial means who fulfils the basic requirements to acquire citizenship in Malta in exchange for an investment.
Since Cyprus discontinued their citizenship by investment program at the end of 2020, this is currently the only Citizenship by Investment program in Europe.
In order to qualify for citizenship by investment program in Malta, you must:
There are numerous benefits to becoming a citizen of Malta. Firstly, you will receive a first-tier European passport which is guaranteed for life. This will allow for visa-free travel to 180 countries worldwide, including the USA and many other top-tier nations. Other benefits include:
In order to qualify for full citizenship through the citizenship by investment program, you will first need to apply for a Maltese residence card and spend at least 12 months in Malta as a resident. You will be eligible to apply for citizenship by investment after 12 or 36 months from your residency stage depending on the investment amount you have chosen.
The Malta Golden Visa program, officially known as the Malta Permanent Residency Programme (MPVP) was launched in 2015 as an alternative to their full citizenship by investment program. The MPVP provides a fast and efficient route to acquire permanent residency status in Malta in exchange for an investment.
*A third program was launched in April 2021 called the Malta Residency Program. What distinguishes it from the MPVP program is that this gives an option for individuals to get residency for 100,000 EUR. The program is very similar to the one above, with the distinction that instead of purchasing real estate for 300,000 EUR you can rent a house instead for 100,000 EUR. The rest of the conditions are the same.
The total investment requirements to qualify for the Malta Golden Visa amount to less than EUR 300,000 for the main applicant, making it much affordable than the full citizenship by investment program. The requirements can be broken down as follows:
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Permanent residence confers almost all of the same benefits as full citizenship does. Therefore, many of the benefits which were mentioned above also apply in the case of permanent residency. The exception is that you will not have the benefit of an actual European passport for travel around the world, although you will still be able to work and travel freely throughout Europe.
In order to qualify for full citizenship through the citizenship by investment program, you will first need to apply for a Maltese residence card and spend at least 12 months in Malta as a resident. You will be eligible to apply for citizenship by investment after 12 or 36 months from your residency stage depending on the investment amount you have chosen.
After five years as a permanent resident in Malta, you will be eligible to apply for full citizenship by naturalisation. This involves a longer process than if you had just applied for citizenship by investment in the first place, but is much more affordable of course.
If your main purpose for acquiring residency is to live and work in Europe, without the need for a second passport, then the Maltese residence by investment program is a good alternative to the full citizenship program.
As is the case with all European countries, Malta taxes its citizens based on residence, not citizenship. This means you will only be considered a tax resident if you spend more than 183 days a year in Malta. Non-residents are only liable for tax on income and capital gains generated within Malta itself.
Malta has one of the more favourable tax systems in Europe, which includes no inheritance tax, no estate duties, no wealth tax, no municipal taxes, and no property ownership tax.
Malta is the only European nation which offers two types of investor immigration programs, with the opportunity to directly acquire citizenship by investment. Both of these programs are straightforward and offer many clear advantages. They cater to individuals and families with varying needs and budgets. Determining which is best suited for you depends on a careful analysis of both of these factors with the guidance of an investor immigration expert.
Please note: Offshore Protection does not offer work visas services nor services related citizenship through ancestry. We only offer citizenship by investment and golden visa services. Read more for info on EU work visas and EU ancestry visas.