Updated October 2026. Requirements and figures in this article are based on the Malta Permanent Residence Programme Regulations (S.L. 217.26) as amended by Legal Notice 146 of 2025, together with official guidance published by the Residency Malta Agency. Where the legislation and any summary conflict, the legislation prevails.
If you are planning a move to Malta in 2027, the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) is worth understanding well. It gives permanent residence in Malta to the whole family on a single application. This article sets out the practical side of planning for it; the full legal treatment is in our Malta Permanent Residence Programme guide. If you would like to talk through your own plans first, you are welcome to book a consultation.
1. What the MPRP gives you
The MPRP is the only Maltese residence route that confers permanent status from the point of final approval. The Certificate of Maltese Residence does not expire.
The programme's conditions, including the qualifying property, apply for the first five years. After that, the property value and rent thresholds fall away. A title of ownership or lease over a residential property in Malta, with valid health insurance, keeps the residence permit current.
A single application can include up to four generations, covering you, your spouse or partner, your children, and dependent parents and grandparents. Adult children can be included while they are under 29 at the time of application, unmarried and principally dependent on you. For adult children of any age certified by a recognised medical professional or authority as having a disability under the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act, the age limit does not apply.
There is no minimum stay requirement; you attend in Malta for biometrics. The residence card also brings visa-free travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for anyone who does not already enjoy it.
It helps to be clear about scope from the start, because it makes planning easier:
- The MPRP is a residence status for Malta, and its rights extend to Malta only.
- It does not by itself include the right to work, which is a separate authorisation. A beneficiary or spouse may apply to set up a business in Malta through the competent authorities.
- It confers no special tax status; ordinary Maltese tax rules apply. Special tax status is a separate matter, set out in our Individual Tax Programme guide.
- It grants residence, not citizenship. Maltese citizenship is governed separately by the Maltese Citizenship Act, on that Act's own conditions.
You may also see the programme called the "Malta Golden Visa". That is a colloquial shorthand rather than a legal term.
2. What the programme asks of you
Every application is prepared and submitted through a Licensed Agent of the Residency Malta Agency (RMA). The requirements are set out in the Regulations:
| Requirement | Amount or condition |
|---|---|
| Capital (main applicant) | At least €500,000, of which at least €150,000 in financial assets; or at least €650,000, of which at least €75,000 in financial assets |
| Qualifying property | Purchase from €375,000, or rent from €14,000 a year, held for five years |
| Government administrative fee | €60,000: €15,000 within one month of submission, €45,000 within two months of approval in principle |
| Government contribution | €37,000, on either property route |
| Donation | At least €2,000 to a registered Maltese NGO or another body approved by the RMA |
| Each dependant other than a spouse and children under 18 | €7,500 |
| Health insurance | Cover across Malta and Europe of at least €100,000 |
| Residence card | €500 per person, for the five-year card |
Applicants must also meet these conditions:
- they are fit and proper;
- they hold stable and regular resources to support the family without recourse to social assistance;
- they are not nationals of, and do not have close ties to, a country designated as ineligible.
The capital requirement applies to the main applicant only and does not rise with the number of dependants. It is maintained for the first five years after the certificate is issued.
For a worked illustration of how these amounts combine over five years, see section 4 of our MPRP guide.
3. How a 2027 timeline can look
Every file moves at its own pace, set largely by how complete it is and by the due-diligence review. As a guide to planning, the stages commonly run like this.
- Preparation. Due diligence and compiling the application commonly take around two to three months.
- Temporary Residence, if you would like to live in Malta sooner. The 2025 amendments introduced a Temporary Residence option, so you can reside in Malta while your permanent application is processed. Where no entry visa is required, it can usually be secured within a couple of months. Choosing it means the first €15,000 of the administrative fee is settled at that earlier stage.
- Approval in principle. After submission, the RMA carries out due diligence on you and your dependants. A complete, well-prepared application commonly reaches a Letter of Approval in Principle within four to six months of submission.
- Completing the requirements. Within two months of that letter, the remaining €45,000 of the fee is settled. Within eight months, the contribution, the qualifying property, the donation and health insurance are put in place. If you are already living in a qualifying property under Temporary Residence, these proofs are often ready sooner.
- Final approval and residence cards. The certificate and the residence cards follow, indicatively within one to three months, with biometrics taken in Malta.
These stages explain why the last weeks of 2026 are a good time to begin. The timings above are indications from practice, not commitments; each file, and the authorities' review of it, sets its own pace.
Would you like to see how this could work for your family? We are happy to map out the timeline with you. Book a consultation
4. What to prepare now
Your source of funds and source of wealth. This is the heart of every file.
Your documents. Civil-status records and police certificates may need to be legalised or apostilled, and any documents translated into English where required.
Who joins the application. Parents and grandparents can be included where they are principally dependent on you, which has a specific meaning in the Regulations. An adult child must be under 29 at the time of application, unless the disability exception in section 1 applies. If a birthday is close, the timing of submission is worth planning.
Renting or buying. The government fee, contribution and donation are the same on both routes; the difference is the property itself.
- A purchase by a third-country national ordinarily needs an Acquisition of Immovable Property (AIP) permit, except in Special Designated Areas.
- Applicants under the 2025 amendments can switch between owned and rented qualifying property.
- Our property in Malta page sets out how we help with either route.
Travel to Malta. Biometrics are taken in Malta. If you need a Schengen visa to enter, build that into the calendar from the outset.
Tax advice at home. Because the MPRP confers no special tax status, it is worth taking tax advice in your current country of residence as well as in Malta before you move.
5. A note for visa-exempt nationals
Nationals of visa-exempt countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, often have the smoothest start. The Temporary Residence option can usually be secured within a couple of months where no entry visa is required.
Once you hold your residence card, present it together with your passport whenever you cross an external Schengen border. That way you are processed as a resident rather than as a short-stay visitor.
United States citizens typically remain subject to US tax rules wherever they live, so it is worth taking cross-border tax advice before the move.
Not every move begins with permanent residence. For business owners and remote professionals whose work and clients remain outside Malta, the Nomad Residence Permit may be the better fit. It is a renewable residence permit rather than permanent residence, with conditions of its own, set out in our Nomad Residence Permit guide.
Planning a move to Malta in 2027? We would be glad to help you get started, with a first conversation online and without charge. Book a consultation
This article is provided for general information only. It does not constitute legal or tax advice, nor does it create a lawyer-client relationship. It states the law as at the date shown at the top of the page; legislation, guidelines and official practice may change. Where anything in this article and the Malta Permanent Residence Programme Regulations (S.L. 217.26) differ, the legislation prevails.
