Moving to Malta: the questions people actually ask

No programme demands full-time presence. The MPRP has no published minimum-stay rule. GRP and TRP beneficiaries may not spend more than 183 days in any other single jurisdiction in a calendar year but have no minimum days in Malta. The Retirement Programme requires at least 90 days a year averaged over five years. The Nomad Permit is renewed only if you can show at least five months of residence in the preceding 12 months. Tax residence is a separate question — see below.

The Income Tax Act defines a resident as someone who resides in Malta apart from reasonable temporary absences; the Commissioner's practice is that more than 183 days of presence in a calendar year makes you resident, and a settled pattern of living here makes you ordinarily resident. Domicile is different and is normally retained from your country of origin, which is what puts you on the remittance basis.

Yes. The MPRP allows up to four generations in one application (spouse, children, parents and grandparents), with a €7,500 fee for each adult dependant other than the spouse. GRP, TRP and MRP cover the spouse or partner, minor children, non-economically active children under 25, disabled adult children and dependent relatives living with you. The Nomad Permit covers spouses, minor children and dependent adult children.

Naturalisation under the Maltese Citizenship Act requires residence throughout the 12 months before application and at least 4 years in aggregate during the 6 years before that, plus adequate Maltese or English and good character; the grant is at the Minister's discretion. A separate 'exceptional services' route exists under article 10(9) of the Act, but the residency programmes on this page do not themselves lead to citizenship.

MPRP: €60,000 administrative fee, €37,000 Government contribution, €7,500 per adult dependant (not the spouse), €2,000 NGO donation and €500 per person for the five-year card. GRP and TRP: €6,000 administrative fee (€5,500 south of Malta). MRP: €2,500. Nomad Permit: €300 application fee plus €100 card fee per person. EU/EEA nationals register with Identità free of charge. Long-term residence status for non-EU nationals after five years costs €500.

For the MPRP, yes in substance — applications must be submitted through a Licensed Agent. GRP, TRP and MRP applications go through an Authorised Registered Mandatory. The Nomad Permit can be filed directly online. Exit Global is independent, is not a government body and does not grant residency; only Residency Malta Agency, Identità and the Commissioner do. We review the file and hand it to a vetted licensed agent.

Yes, and the Nomad Residence Permit is designed for exactly that: a foreign employer, foreign company or foreign clients, with income from that 'authorised work' taxed at 10% under S.L. 123.210. Under the other programmes, remote employment income is foreign-source income and is taxed only on the amount received in Malta, but the employer's obligations and any permanent-establishment risk need checking.

Getting residency here does not end tax residency where you came from. Use the relevant Exit site — see exitglobal.app.