Golden Visa Malta

Golden Visa MALTA offering residency

Launched in August 2015, the Malta Residence and Visa Programme (MRVP) is a fast and efficient way for foreign investors from non-EU countries to obtain a valid European residence permit legally. Under the Malta golden visa program, non-EU citizens can acquire a Malta residence permit promptly allowing the investor and their family to enter and/or live in Malta, as well as to travel freely to all EU Schengen Area countries including Switzerland. Once in possession of a Maltese residence permit, there is no need to apply for a Schengen Visa in order to visit EU countries such as Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, or Greece.

Real Estate Purchase or Rental

To be eligible for the Malta residency program, an investor must rent or buy a qualifying property in the country. To qualify by buying real estate, an investor must purchase a property in Malta for at least €320,000. If the property is located in Gozo or the South of Malta, the minimum purchase amount is €270,000. To qualify by renting real estate, an investor must lease a property in Malta with a minimum annual rent of €12,000. If the property is in Gozo or the South of Malta, the minimum lease amount is €10,000 per year.

Qualifying Investment

The aim of the Malta Residence and Visa Programme is to attract foreign direct investment to the country in order to create jobs and wealth which will enhance the nation’s standard of living. Consequently, candidates for Malta investor visas must make a qualifying investment in Malta of at least €250,000. To be eligible for the golden visa program, this investment must be made in accordance to the terms set out by Identity Malta, and must be retained for a minimum of five years.

Additional Considerations

In order to obtain an EU golden visa Malta, applicants must be 18 years of age. Applicants must also provide an affidavit stating that they have an annual income greater than €100,000 arising outside of Malta, or are in possession of capital of not less than €500,000. All Malta residence program candidates must also pass a stringent due diligence process, and must not have a criminal record or be involved in any criminal activity.

Schengen Visa

Investors that attain a Malta residence permit through this program will not require a Schengen Visa to travel to other Schengen Area countries for short stays of no more than 90 days in an 180-day period. As a result, obtaining a Europe golden visa through Malta can make it significantly easier for business professionals from outside of the EU to do business in all 26 Schengen countries. Malta residence permit holders can travel to the following countries without the need to apply for a European travel visa: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lichenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Why the Malta Residence Program?

The new Malta Residence and Visa Programme is 100% legal and was introduced into law in 2015 via Legal Notice 288. Although it is occasionally referred to as the “Malta residence scheme”, it is an official Malta immigration program that has replaced the previous Malta Permanent Residence Programme. Second citizenship may be illegal for citizens of some countries, such as China, but obtaining a residence permit in Malta can be a great alternative. If you are a high-net-worth individual (HNWI) looking for a secure and strategic EU residency by investment program, Malta has been a well-respected member of the European Union since 2004 and has a reputation as a great place to do business. The Malta citizenship by investment program is one of the leading economic citizenship programs in the world, and the country has one of the strongest economies in the region. With a Schengen residence permit from Malta, investors from outside of Europe can travel around the EU much easier.

The Malta investors visa is one of the fastest European Golden Visas to obtain with a processing time of only 3 to 4 months. Compared to other EU investment visas, the Malta Residence Program also has very reasonable investment criteria. If the success of the country’s economic citizenship program is any indicator, the Malta gold visa program will quickly become one of the most popular EU residency by investment programs. Our Malta immigration team has been helping foreign investors with all their legal needs in Malta for more than ten years.

Comparing European Investor Visas

There are a number of countries in Europe that offer an investor visa to non-EU/EFTA nationals. The Golden Visa Greece, Golden Visa Spain, Golden Visa Italy, and Golden Visa Portugal programs are well-known European investor visa schemes. The Malta investment visa Europe is second to none, however, with extremely reasonable investment criteria and a processing time of only four months. If you compare the various EU investor visa programs, it is possible that the Malta golden residence program is the cheapest golden visa available today. Both the Portugal Golden Visa and Spain Golden Visa involve a real estate investment above €500,000 in property markets that have been quite uncertain over the past ten years. The Portuguese Golden Visa also offers the option of a capital investment above €1 million. By renting a property in Malta, it is possible to acquire a Malta golden visa with a total investment of only €330,000 of which €250,000 is recoverable (contribution of €30k + property lease of €10k/year X 5 years + investment of €250,000). We strongly believe that Malta offers the best European golden visa for foreign investors interested in an EU residence permit.

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