The rules, with their sources
Every figure here is read from the official source shown beside it, on the date shown. Where an official source does not settle a point, the route is left out for the people it concerns and this page says why.
Rules checked on 3 October 2026 (version 2026-10-03.1).
EU residence registration
Citizens of the EU and the EEA who stay in Malta for more than three months register their residence with Identità and receive a Maltese residence card.
- Open to
- Citizens of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland Identità's pages name EU and EEA citizens. If you are Swiss, confirm with Identità.
- Property
- No minimum price or rent: you need an address in Malta, such as a lease, a purchase deed, or a hotel or host's declaration.
- Also required
- Registration is required if you stay in Malta for more than three months.
- First-time registration is free.
- You register yourself online with Identità; no agent is needed.
Nomad Residence Permit
A residence permit for remote workers from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, issued for a year at a time.
- Open to
- Citizens of other countries Not open to nationals of, or people with close ties to: Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen, Venezuela, Russia, Belarus.
- Property
- No minimum price or rent: a rental or purchase agreement covering the whole permit.
- Also required
- Aged 18 or over.
- You work remotely for an employer, your own company or clients outside Malta.
- A gross income of at least €42,000 a year.
- Issued for 1 year, renewable up to 4 years in all.
- You may apply yourself or through a representative.
Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)
Permanent residence for citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, through a qualifying property, a government contribution, an administrative fee and a donation.
- Open to
- Citizens of other countries Not open to nationals of, or people with close ties to: Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, Russia, Belarus.
- Property
- Buy a home for at least €375,000, anywhere in Malta or Gozo.
- Rent a home for at least €14,000 a year (€1,166.67 a month), anywhere in Malta or Gozo.
- It must be a residential property.
- Also required
- Capital assets of at least €500,000, of which €150,000 in financial assets, or at least €650,000, of which €75,000 in financial assets.
- An administrative fee of €60,000.
- A government contribution of €37,000.
- €7,500 for each adult dependant other than a spouse.
- A donation of €2,000 to a registered Maltese NGO.
- A residence card fee of €500 per person, covering 5 years.
- Keep the qualifying property for at least 5 years.
- The application must go through a licensed agent on Residency Malta's register.
Global Residence Programme
A special tax status for citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland who own or rent a qualifying home in Malta as their main home.
- Open to
- Citizens of other countries
- Property
- Buy a home for at least €275,000, or at least €220,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta.
- Rent a home for at least €9,600 a year (€800 a month), or at least €8,750 a year (€729.17 a month) in Gozo or the south of Malta.
- It must be your main home, and you may not let it out.
- Also required
- Tax at 15% on foreign income received in Malta, at least €15,000 a year.
- An administrative fee of €6,000 (€5,500 for a home bought in the south of Malta).
- No more than 183 days a year in any other country.
- The application must go through an authorised registered mandatary (for example a warranted accountant registered with the tax authority).
The Residence Programme
A special tax status for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland who own or rent a qualifying home in Malta as their main home.
- Open to
- Citizens of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland
- Property
- Buy a home for at least €275,000, or at least €220,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta.
- Rent a home for at least €9,600 a year (€800 a month), or at least €8,750 a year (€729.17 a month) in Gozo or the south of Malta.
- It must be your main home, and you may not let it out.
- Also required
- Tax at 15% on foreign income received in Malta, at least €15,000 a year.
- An administrative fee of €6,000 (€5,500 for a home bought in the south of Malta).
- No more than 183 days a year in any other country.
- The application must go through an authorised registered mandatary (for example a warranted accountant registered with the tax authority).
Malta Retirement Programme
A special tax status for people whose income is mainly a pension received in Malta, living in a qualifying home in Malta.
- Open to
- Citizens of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland
- Property
- Buy a home for at least €275,000, or at least €220,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta.
- Rent a home for at least €9,600 a year (€800 a month), or at least €8,750 a year (€729.17 a month) in Gozo or the south of Malta.
- It must be your main home, and you may not let it out.
- Also required
- A pension, all of it received in Malta, making up at least 75% of your taxable income.
- You are not in an employment relationship.
- Tax at 15% on foreign income received in Malta, at least €7,500 a year plus €500 for each dependant.
- An administrative fee of €2,500.
- At least 90 days a year in Malta, averaged over 5 years.
- No more than 183 days a year in any other country.
- The application must go through an authorised registered mandatary (for example a warranted accountant registered with the tax authority).
The south of Malta, as the Rules define it: Birżebbuġia, Cospicua, Fgura, Għaxaq, Gudja, Kalkara, Kirkop, Luqa, Marsascala, Marsaxlokk, Mqabba, Paola, Qrendi, Safi, Santa Luċija, Senglea, Siġġiewi, Tarxien, Vittoriosa, Xgħajra, Żabbar, Żejtun, Żurrieq.
Left out where the official sources do not settle it
- Malta Retirement Programme: not shown to citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. Its Rules make anyone who is not Maltese eligible (rule 4(c)) but end the status if the holder becomes a third-country national (rule 6(1)(b)), and the tax authority's own guidance could not be read to settle it. A registered mandatary can tell you.
