permanent EU residence for life under the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)
The Malta golden visa is formally the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP): about €99,000 in government fees plus a property you buy for €375,000 or rent for €14,000 a year, permanent residence for life, no minimum stay, and processing in six to eight months. It does not lead to a Maltese passport.
Figures verified 27 September 2026 · Licensed CICC consultant, Toronto
Government fees are identical on both routes: €60,000 administrative fee (€15,000 at submission, €45,000 on approval), €37,000 contribution, €2,000 NGO donation, €500 per residence card, €7,500 per adult dependant. Full breakdown on the cost page.
€14,000 a year
Lowest outlay: about €169,500 over five years for a single applicant, all in. Some sources still quote €12,000 for Gozo and the south; Residency Malta publishes €14,000, and we confirm on your call.
€375,000
Stamp duty, notary and agency fees are extra. The property can be sold after five years, so most of this outlay is recoverable.
Eligible dependants: spouse or partner; children under 18; unmarried, financially dependent adult children; dependent parents and grandparents of either spouse. Dependants added later pay a separate fee.
Jane Katkova has advised on citizenship and residence by investment since 1998. We confirm eligibility, the complete fee schedule and the realistic processing time before you pay anything, and we advise against a programme when it does not fit your circumstances.
The Malta permanent residency program (MPRP) is a government-run route to permanent residence: fixed fees of €99,500 for a single applicant, a property bought for €375,000 or leased for €14,000 a year and held five years, a decision in six to eight months, and no obligation to live in Malta. The rules below took effect on 1 January 2025.
The Malta permanent residence cost is €99,500 in government fees for a single applicant and €101,000 for a couple with two minor children, plus the property: about €70,000 of rent over five years or a €375,000 purchase you can later sell. Adult dependants add €7,500 each. The fees are non-refundable.
The Malta golden visa requirements are a capital test (€500,000 with €150,000 in financial assets, or €650,000 with €75,000), a qualifying property, health insurance, a clean record and third-country nationality. If any one is not met after filing, the €15,000 first instalment is forfeited, so we assess each of them before you apply.
Six to eight months from a complete file. Applications go only through an agent licensed by Residency Malta; the agency does not accept direct filings. Detail on the MPRP page.
We confirm nationality, the €500,000/€150,000 or €650,000/€75,000 asset test, family composition and any visa refusals, and advise you if another programme fits better.
Passports, police certificates from every country of residence, bank and asset statements, source-of-wealth narrative, health insurance, birth and marriage certificates, translations and legalisations.
The licensed agent lodges the file; the first €15,000 of the administrative fee is paid and is non-refundable.
Four-tier vetting by Residency Malta on every applicant aged 12 and over. Questions come back through the agent; we help you respond fully and promptly.
Within about eight months you pay the remaining €45,000, the €37,000 contribution and the €2,000 donation, and you buy or lease the property and buy health insurance.
Each family member visits Malta for biometrics; the certificate of residence is issued and cards follow, valid five years and renewed on the same status.
The permit sits beside your passport. The table sets out its effect for each applicant profile.
| Your situation | What the MPRP adds | What it does not change |
|---|---|---|
| US citizen | A permanent EU base with no stay requirement; Schengen without ETIAS; a contingency residence for the family | US worldwide taxation, FBAR and FATCA reporting; no EU passport |
| Canadian citizen | The same base; a winter home you own or lease; a status your children hold for life | Canadian tax while you keep residential ties; departure tax if you sever them; no EU passport |
| US resident on an Indian, Chinese, Nigerian or Vietnamese passport | Schengen travel on the residence card; an EU home if US status ends; English-language schooling | Your US immigration status; UK, US and Canadian visas still required on your own passport |
| Canadian PR or work-permit holder on a weak passport | The same, plus a permanent status that does not depend on an employer | Canadian status; Maltese citizenship, which is discretionary and needs years of residence |
Photo: CALIN STAN / Unsplash
Photo: Nick Fewings / Unsplash
Photo: Magdalena Smolnicka / Unsplash
Photo: David Gil de la Canal / UnsplashUntil 2025 Malta ran the EU's last citizenship-by-investment scheme. On 29 April 2025 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in Commission v Malta that granting nationality in exchange for payment breaches EU law, and the scheme was closed. Malta has since announced a merit-based naturalisation route for exceptional contribution; it is discretionary, unpublished in price, and not a service we offer. Ordinary naturalisation requires years of actual residence in Malta and is at the minister's discretion. So the MPRP is a residence product: apply for the permanent EU base, not for a passport.
Two other Maltese schemes cause confusion. The Global Residence Programme is a tax status for people who move to Malta, not an investment permit. The Malta Residence and Visa Programme (MRVP) was the MPRP's predecessor and closed in 2021; older MRVP pages remain online and quote outdated fees.
Figures verified 27 September 2026. Fees are set by Subsidiary Legislation 217.26 and can change; we confirm the current schedule on your call.
US and Canadian citizens are the programme's core applicants. The MPRP secures a permanent EU base without relocating: no stay requirement, English as an official language, and a status that does not expire. Your tax residency changes only if you relocate. Spend 183 or more days in Malta, or make it your centre of life, and you become Maltese tax resident: foreign income is taxed only when remitted to Malta, and the US–Malta and Canada–Malta treaties prevent most double taxation. If you are American you keep filing US returns, FBAR and FATCA wherever you live. If you are Canadian and you leave for good, you face departure tax on deemed dispositions of most assets the day you cease residence.
The MPRP is open to third-country nationals only, which includes Indian, Chinese, Nigerian, Vietnamese, Pakistani and Gulf-resident clients on US or Canadian work permits, PR or study permits. It gives your family a permanent EU home and visa-free Schengen travel on the residence card; it does not change your US or Canadian status, and it does not get you into the UK, US or Canada without a visa. Residency Malta excludes nationals of sanctioned countries, currently including Russia and Belarus; we check your nationality before you pay anything.
Thirty minutes with Jane Katkova, licensed CICC consultant, in Toronto. We tell you whether Malta, Greece or Portugal fits your passport, family and tax position, with the full cost in writing.
Video forthcoming: the 2025 fee changes, the CJEU ruling and who should choose Malta over Greece, in eight minutes.
€99,500 in government fees for a single applicant: €60,000 administrative fee, €37,000 contribution, €2,000 NGO donation and a €500 residence card. A couple with two minor children pays €101,000, because spouse and children under 18 pay only the card. Adult dependants add €7,500 each. On top you rent for at least €14,000 a year or buy for at least €375,000, held five years. Our professional fee is quoted in writing.
No. The MPRP is permanent residence only. Malta's investor citizenship scheme was annulled by the Court of Justice of the European Union on 29 April 2025 and replaced by a discretionary merit-based route that is not for sale. Ordinary naturalisation needs years of residence and ministerial approval. If an EU passport is the goal, Portugal or Greece are the routes to consider.
No. There is no minimum stay, no language test and no renewal application. You must keep a qualifying property for five years, then any residential address in Malta, hold health insurance covering Malta and Europe, and keep a clean record. Cards are re-issued every five years on the same status.
Third-country nationals (not EU, EEA or Swiss) aged 18 or over with capital of €500,000 including €150,000 in financial assets, or €650,000 including €75,000 financial, a clean record, no undisclosed visa refusals, and health insurance. Nationals of sanctioned countries, currently including Russia and Belarus, are excluded. Full detail on the requirements page.
Only if you move. US citizens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live and keep FBAR and FATCA reporting. Canadians pay Canadian tax while they keep residential ties, and face departure tax on deemed dispositions if they sever them. Living in Malta 183 or more days makes you Maltese tax resident; foreign income is then taxed on a remittance basis and the US–Malta and Canada–Malta treaties apply.
Six to eight months on average from a complete file, plus one to two months to assemble police certificates, bank evidence and source-of-wealth documents before filing. A temporary residence permit can be requested while the file is pending if you need to move early.
Compare them side by side: golden visa programmes compared and Europe's open investor residence programmes. Looking for a passport rather than a permit? See St Kitts and Nevis citizenship by investment or St Lucia's National Economic Fund route.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Programme rules change; we confirm every figure before you commit.
A confidential consultation with a licensed CICC consultant. We assess eligibility and total cost before you commit to any programme.