Yes. You can rent or buy your qualifying property for the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP). Moving between the two during your five-year compliance period is also permitted, as long as you keep meeting the qualifying conditions without a gap. Everything below describes the MPRP Regulations as amended in 2025. These are the rules that apply to an application you submit today.
What counts as your qualifying property
Your qualifying property is a residential property in Malta or Gozo. You can buy it for at least €375,000 or rent it for at least €14,000 per year. The same figures apply across Malta and Gozo.
You hold the property throughout the five-year compliance period. This starts on the day your Certificate of Maltese Residence is issued and ends five years later. Each lease you take must run for at least a year. We may assist with registering your lease with the Housing Authority, so that it keeps pace with each stage of the programme.
You may already own a home that you bought before applying. If you have since paid for works on it, it can still qualify. An independent architect's detailed valuation must put it at €375,000 or more.
What stays the same whether you rent or buy
The programme's administrative fee, government contribution and charitable donation are set amounts. They are the same whether you rent or buy. The administrative fee is €60,000, the government contribution is €37,000 and the charitable donation is €2,000. The real difference is the cost of the property itself, whether the rent or the purchase price.
The capital requirement is separate from the property requirement, although the value of a property you buy can count towards it.
If you are still deciding where in Malta you want to live, renting first keeps your options open. You are not tied to that choice. Our guide to the Malta Permanent Residence Programme sets out the full costs and the process in detail.
Can you change your mind later?
During the compliance period you can replace one qualifying property with another. You need the consent of the Residency Malta Agency (the Agency), and the qualifying conditions must be met continuously. There must never be a gap, including when you switch between properties.
If you rent, you can replace your lease with another lease or with a purchase. The Agency's guidance also allows you to move from an owned property to a rented one.
You must maintain your qualifying residential property throughout the compliance period without a gap. If you sell it or your lease ends during that period without a qualifying replacement, your residence status ends. The same applies to the family members on your certificate.
When do you need the property?
On the straight-to-PR route, which goes directly to permanent residence without the Temporary Residence stage, you do not need the property when you submit your application. Within eight months of the Letter of Approval in Principle you settle the government contribution and secure your qualifying property. You also make the donation and put health insurance in place.
Does the Temporary Residence option change that?
Yes, it brings the requirement forward. If you take up the Temporary Residence option, you need a residential property and health insurance in place when you apply for it. The property can be leased or owned. This is earlier than on the straight-to-PR route.
No minimum rent or value thresholds apply at that stage. A property that already qualifies for the permanent stage typically allows a smoother and faster transition to final approval.
The option suits people with a particular need. One example is nationals who do not enjoy visa-free Schengen access. Another is anyone who simply wants to move to Malta sooner. It can slightly increase your overall cost, mainly because the lease and health insurance are needed at that earlier point. Each case is unique, so it is worth talking it through before you decide.
Would you like to talk through which route suits your plans? Book a consultation.
Buying your property in Malta
Buying gives you a home of your own in Malta or Gozo. A purchase from €375,000 stays with you as an asset. You may sell it once the five-year compliance period ends, or replace it with another qualifying property earlier if you need to. Its value can also count towards your capital requirement.
Buying does involve one extra step. If you are neither a citizen of the European Union nor an EEA or Swiss national, you will ordinarily need an Acquisition of Immovable Property (AIP) permit. It comes under the Immovable Property (Acquisition by Non-Residents) Act (Chapter 246 of the Laws of Malta). Property in a Special Designated Area is the exception, and you can buy it without an AIP permit.
If you would like to know more about the property side of our work, you are welcome to visit our real estate page.
After the five-year compliance period
Annual compliance submissions are mandatory throughout the five-year compliance period. When it ends, the specific value and rent thresholds fall away. You no longer need to keep your original qualifying property.
Your rights arise from your Certificate of Maltese Residence. It entitles you to reside, settle or stay indefinitely in Malta, provided you keep to the programme's obligations and conditions. Your residence card is issued on the strength of the certificate. You carry it when you travel. It is valid for five years and renewable.
To retain your residence permit you must hold a residential property in Malta or Gozo, owned or leased, as well as maintain your health insurance policy. The Agency may ask for proof of this at its discretion.
If you are planning a move in 2027, you may also find our article on planning a move to Malta in 2027 helpful. If your plans are already taking shape, we would be glad to hear them. Book a consultation.
Updated October 2026. The Malta Permanent Residence Programme is sometimes informally called the Malta Golden Visa. This article rests on the Malta Permanent Residence Programme Regulations (S.L. 217.26), as amended by Legal Notice 146 of 2025, and on the guidance of the Residency Malta Agency. It is provided for general information only. It does not constitute legal advice, nor does it create a lawyer-client relationship. Where anything in this article and the legislation differ, the legislation prevails.
