Malta's live program is the MPRP (Subsidiary Legislation 217.26), which delivers EU permanent residency in 4–6 months for around €175,000 all-in plus a five-year property commitment. The separate citizenship-by-investment route (MEIN) was effectively ended after the Court of Justice of the EU ruled against Malta's investor-citizenship scheme on 29 April 2025 (Case C-181/23); it is no longer a route to a passport, and only ordinary, discretionary naturalisation after genuine residence remains.
Who this is for: Families wanting permanent EU status fast, without the relocation, language or citizenship-track requirements of Portugal or Greece.
Investment routes
Rent a qualifying property at €14,000/year for 5 years (€70,000 total). Plus a €37,000 government contribution, a €60,000 administration fee and a €2,000 NGO donation. None of it is recoverable.
Buy a qualifying property of at least €375,000 (held 5 years). Plus a €37,000 government contribution, a €60,000 administration fee and a €2,000 NGO donation. The property is a recoverable asset; the fees are not.
Abolished after the CJEU ruling of 29 April 2025 (Case C-181/23). No longer available.
Deep dive
What the April 2025 EU ruling changed
On 29 April 2025 the Court of Justice of the EU held that selling citizenship without a genuine link breaches EU law (Case C-181/23, Commission v Malta). Malta's investor-citizenship route (MEIN) was the direct casualty and is no longer available as a way to buy a passport; what remains is ordinary naturalisation, which is discretionary and requires years of genuine residence. The MPRP — permanent residency, not citizenship — was untouched and continues to operate normally, which is why this dossier focuses on it.
MPRP cost structure: rent vs buy
Since the 22 July 2025 rework, the contribution is a flat €37,000 on both tracks (the old buy/rent split is gone), plus a €60,000 administration fee and a €2,000 NGO donation. Rental track: rent of at least €14,000/year for 5 years (€70,000 total). Purchase track: buy a qualifying property of at least €375,000, held 5 years — the property is a recoverable asset; the fees are not. Plus due-diligence and per-dependent fees.
Tax: non-dom remittance basis
Malta taxes residents on Maltese-source income and foreign income remitted to Malta. Foreign income kept abroad is not taxed. Capital gains arising outside Malta are not taxed at all under the non-dom rule. The Global Residence Programme offers a 15% flat rate on foreign income remitted to Malta, with a minimum annual tax of €15,000. There is no wealth tax, no inheritance tax.
What the 22 July 2025 MPRP rework changed
Malta reworked the Permanent Residence Programme on 22 July 2025, and the changes matter for the cost calculation. The government contribution became a flat €37,000 whether you rent or buy, removing the previous €28,000-buy / €58,000-rent split, so the contribution no longer rewards purchasing. At the same time, owners gained the immediate right to earn rental income from the qualifying property. The rest of the stack is unchanged: a €60,000 administration fee, a €2,000 NGO donation, and either a €375,000 property held five years or €14,000 a year in rent, with €7,500 per additional adult dependent. The net effect is that the fee stack is roughly €99,000 and non-recoverable on either route, while only a purchased property remains a recoverable, now income-generating, asset. For most buyers planning a full five years, the buy route's retained asset and rental income still tilt the real-terms maths toward purchase, even though the upfront cheque is larger.
Why Malta no longer sells citizenship — and what the MPRP still gives
On 29 April 2025 the Court of Justice of the EU ruled, in Case C-181/23, that Malta's investor-citizenship scheme breached EU law, on the principle that EU citizenship cannot be sold without a genuine link to the member state. Malta ended the scheme and removed the investment route from its nationality law, so there is no longer any price at which Maltese citizenship can be acquired, and any current offer to sell it is for a product that no longer exists. People who obtained citizenship under the former scheme keep it; the ruling addressed future grants only. What remains is the MPRP, which was never the citizenship scheme: it grants permanent residence with Schengen access and no minimum stay, but carries no clock to a passport. Malta also introduced a discretionary, payment-free citizenship-by-merit route for exceptional contribution with a genuine link — selective, and not the old scheme renamed. For buyers whose real goal is an EU passport, the honest position is that Malta is now a residence play, not a citizenship one, and an EU programme with a genuine naturalisation path is the route to compare against.
The honest tradeoffs
- + Fastest live route to EU permanent residency (4–6 months)
- + English is an official language
- + Family file: spouse, dependent children of any age, parents and grandparents of both spouses
- + Mature non-dom and Global Residence tax structures
- − Mandatory non-refundable government contribution and NGO donation
- − No citizenship-by-investment route since the April 2025 EU court ruling — MPRP gives permanent residency, not a passport
- − Tiny country — limited business ecosystem
Frequently asked
Can I get Maltese citizenship by investment?+
No — not anymore.
- •The EU Court of Justice ruled on 29 April 2025 that selling citizenship without a genuine link breaches EU law (Case C-181/23).
- •Malta's investor-citizenship route (MEIN) is no longer available as a way to buy a passport.
- •Only the MPRP (permanent residency, not citizenship) remains; citizenship is now only via discretionary naturalisation after genuine residence.
Is MPRP residency permanent or does it need renewal?+
Permanent — no expiry, but conditions apply for 5 years.
- •The certificate has no end date.
- •You must keep the qualifying property (rented or owned) for at least 5 years.
- •You must remain solvent, of good conduct, and keep health insurance in place.
How long does the property/rental commitment last?+
Five years from the date the residence certificate is issued.
- •After year 5 you can downsize, sell, or move out without affecting status.
- •Government contributions and NGO donations are non-refundable from day one.
- •Due-diligence and processing fees are also non-refundable, even on rejection.
What's the cheapest way to qualify under MPRP?+
Rental track, southern Malta.
- 01Rent a qualifying property at €14,000/year (south) or €16,000/year (north) for 5 years.
- 02Pay the €30,000 government contribution (rental track).
- 03Pay the €50,000 administrative fee.
- 04Pay the €10,000 NGO donation.
- 05Add ~€10,000 per dependent and ~€15,000 for due-diligence and processing.