Malta Citizenship by Investment in 2026: Why It Closed and What Replaced It
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Malta Citizenship by Investment in 2026: Why It Closed and What Replaced It
Malta citizenship by investment is no longer available. After the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled against Malta’s investor naturalisation scheme on 29 April 2025 (Case C-181/23), the formal scheme closed. What an investor can still obtain in Malta is permanent residence under the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), which does not include a passport.
This guide is general information about Maltese citizenship and the Malta Permanent Residence Programme and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Programme terms, figures and eligibility lists can change. Obtain independent professional advice before making any application or investment decision.
On this page
- Can you still get Malta citizenship by investment?
- Why the scheme closed
- What replaced it: permanent residence, not a passport
- Malta residency vs Maltese citizenship
- How to spot an out-of-date Malta passport offer
- If you want a second citizenship, not residence
- Frequently asked questions
- The bottom line
Can you still get Malta citizenship by investment?
No. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled against Malta’s investor naturalisation scheme in Case C-181/23 on 29 April 2025, and Malta’s formal citizenship by investment scheme has closed. Investors can still obtain permanent residence under the MPRP, but that is residence, not citizenship. Maltese citizenship now comes only through Malta’s ordinary legal routes, none of which is sold for an investment.
Why Malta’s citizenship by investment scheme closed
The case was brought by the European Commission against the Republic of Malta. In its judgment of 29 April 2025 (press release No 52/25), the Court of Justice ruled that Malta’s investor naturalisation scheme breached EU law. Malta then changed its citizenship law. The Maltese Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act XXI of 2025, dated 24 July 2025) deleted the individual investor programme from the Maltese Citizenship Act and replaced article 10(9) with naturalisation by merit: a discretionary grant for exceptional services or contributions that sets no investment amount. There is no revamped version, no successor passport product and no “new” Maltese citizenship by investment programme, whatever an older web page may say.
Malta was the last of three
Malta was not the first EU state to close a golden passport scheme. It was the third.
| Country | What happened | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | Investment naturalisation scheme abolished by a Council of Ministers decision of 13 October 2020 | From 1 November 2020 |
| Bulgaria | Investor citizenship repealed (Bulgarian Citizenship Act, arts. 12a and 14a) by an act adopted 24 March 2022 | State Gazette No. 26 of 1 April 2022 |
| Malta | Court of Justice rules against the investor naturalisation scheme, Case C-181/23; Act XXI of 2025 then removes the investor programme from the Maltese Citizenship Act | 29 April 2025 (ruling); 24 July 2025 (Act XXI of 2025) |
Formal citizenship by investment schemes have now closed across the EU. Some EU states keep discretionary naturalisation for exceptional merit, but that is a decision by the state about a person, not a product with a price. For the background on the other two closures, see the Cyprus golden visa scandal and Bulgaria citizenship by investment.
What replaced it: permanent residence, not a passport
The honest answer is that nothing replaced it as a citizenship route. The investment route that remains in Malta is permanent residence under the MPRP, and the MPRP did not arrive to take the old scheme’s place: it has run alongside it since 2021, under Subsidiary Legislation 217.26 (Legal Notice 121 of 2021, as amended by Legal Notice 57 of 2024, Legal Notice 310 of 2024 and Legal Notice 146 of 2025). There has been no amendment since Legal Notice 146 of 2025.
What the MPRP gives you is the right to live in Malta permanently. What it does not give you is Maltese nationality, a Maltese passport or a vote.
MPRP at a glance
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Property | Purchase of at least EUR 375,000, or lease of at least EUR 14,000 a year, anywhere in Malta or Gozo |
| Government contribution | EUR 37,000 flat, whether you own or rent |
| Administrative fee | EUR 60,000 |
| NGO donation | EUR 2,000 to a local NGO |
| Capital test | Assets of at least EUR 500,000 incl. EUR 150,000 financial, or EUR 650,000 incl. EUR 75,000 financial |
| Dependant fee | EUR 7,500 each, only for adult children aged 18 to 28 and for parents or grandparents |
A few rules sit behind the table:
- One property threshold, nationwide. The single EUR 375,000 / EUR 14,000 threshold applies from 1 January 2025. It was set by Legal Notice 310 of 2024, which removed the former lower tier for the South of Malta and Gozo (EUR 300,000 purchase or EUR 10,000 rent). Legal Notice 146 of 2025 has no property provision.
- Hold it. You hold the qualifying property for at least five years. After that, you must still hold a residential property in Malta or Gozo.
- Payment milestones. The EUR 60,000 administrative fee is paid in two parts: EUR 15,000 within one month of submission and EUR 45,000 within two months of the Letter of Approval in Principle. The EUR 37,000 contribution is due within eight months of that letter, as are the property title, the donation and health insurance (reg 9(4)).
- Capital, not a payment. The capital test is evidenced at submission and the assets are held for five years. It is a wealth test; the money stays yours.
- Through a licensed agent. Applications are made through a licensed agent (reg 4(1)).
- Timing. Residency Malta publishes no total processing time beyond processing “within reasonable times”, according to its brochure.
According to the Residency Malta brochure of August 2026, the residence card costs EUR 500 per person and is valid for five years.
For the full checklist, see Malta MPRP requirements and the Malta permanent residency cost breakdown.
Who can apply
The MPRP is for third-country nationals only: EU, EEA and Swiss nationals are excluded (reg 3). Applicants must not be named in sanctions that the Residency Malta Agency follows (reg 13(1)(h)). The Agency also keeps a list of ineligible countries. The list in the September 2024 MPRP FAQ (version 2.6.5, 12 September 2024) names Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Venezuela (including people with close ties to it), and states that Russia and Belarus are currently not eligible. The Agency says the list may be revised from time to time, so check the current version before you start.
Who counts as a dependant
One MPRP application can include:
- your spouse;
- children under 18;
- children aged 18 to 28 (under 29 when you apply), unmarried and principally dependent on you;
- parents or grandparents of you or your spouse who are not in full-time employment and are principally dependent on you;
- adult children with a certified disability, at any age.
The EUR 7,500 dependant fee applies only to the 18 to 28 group and to parents or grandparents. Your spouse, minor children and disabled adult children pay nothing. Grandchildren are not dependants under the MPRP. The widest family the programme covers therefore runs from the applicant’s grandparents down to the applicant’s children.
What it costs a family of four
Household: main applicant, spouse and two children under 18.
| Purchase route | Lease route | |
|---|---|---|
| Government contribution | EUR 37,000 | EUR 37,000 |
| Administrative fee | EUR 60,000 | EUR 60,000 |
| NGO donation | EUR 2,000 | EUR 2,000 |
| Dependant fees (spouse and two minors) | EUR 0 | EUR 0 |
| Fixed charges subtotal | EUR 99,000 | EUR 99,000 |
| Property | EUR 375,000 purchase | EUR 14,000 a year x 5-year minimum = EUR 70,000 |
| Total | EUR 474,000 | EUR 169,000 over five years |
| What the family owns at the end | The property (EUR 375,000) | Nothing |
If the family includes a child aged 18 to 28 (under 29 at filing), unmarried and principally dependent, or a qualifying parent or grandparent, add EUR 7,500 for each. The capital test is not a cost and sits outside this calculation. Excludes stamp duty, legal, due diligence and advisory fees (advisory fees are quoted per engagement).
Malta residency vs Maltese citizenship: the difference that matters
The two are easy to confuse. They are different legal statuses.
| Malta permanent residence (MPRP) | Maltese citizenship | |
|---|---|---|
| What you hold | A permanent residence status and residence card | Maltese nationality |
| Passport | No | Yes |
| How you get it | By investment, under S.L. 217.26 | Not by investment; the formal scheme closed after Case C-181/23 |
| Effect on your existing citizenship | None: holding residence is not acquiring a citizenship | Depends on your home country’s law |
That last row matters for many investors. Home-country rules that end a citizenship, such as India’s Citizenship Act 1955, s.9(1), are triggered by acquiring another citizenship, not by holding residence abroad. MPRP residence leaves your passport alone. For Pakistani nationals considering later naturalisation, note that Malta is not on the official dual nationality list published by DGI&P (last modified 9 January 2026).
How to spot an out-of-date Malta passport offer
Older Malta pages are still online. Treat any page as out of date if it:
- Sells a Maltese passport or citizenship for an investment after April 2025. The formal scheme closed after Case C-181/23.
- Quotes a EUR 30,000 or EUR 60,000 government contribution, or EUR 10,000 per dependant. Those were the Legal Notice 310 of 2024 figures, superseded by Legal Notice 146 of 2025. The EUR 28,000 / EUR 58,000 figures from 2021 are older still. The current contribution is EUR 37,000 flat.
- Offers a cheaper threshold for the South of Malta or Gozo. That tier was removed from 1 January 2025.
- Lists grandchildren as dependants. The MPRP does not include them.
None of these points is a matter of opinion; each traces to the legislation or the Court’s ruling.
If you want a second citizenship, not residence
Then Malta is not the route. Within the countries Aegir covers, the only citizenship by investment route left is Turkey, which is outside the EU; see Turkey citizenship by investment. European residence programmes can lead to citizenship only through ordinary naturalisation after years of residence. Portugal, for comparison, now requires 10 years of legal residence from the first residence card (7 for EU and Portuguese-speaking countries) under Organic Law 1/2026. Our guide to residency versus citizenship by investment sets out both paths side by side.
If you are a US citizen weighing Malta residence, see Malta golden visa for US citizens; Indian nationals can read Malta golden visa for Indian nationals.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still buy Maltese citizenship?
No. Malta’s formal citizenship by investment scheme closed after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled against it in Case C-181/23 on 29 April 2025. Investors can obtain permanent residence under the MPRP, which is not citizenship and does not come with a Maltese passport.
What replaced Malta’s citizenship by investment?
No citizenship route replaced it. The investment route that remains is permanent residence under the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, which has been in place since 2021 under S.L. 217.26. It gives you the right to live in Malta, not Maltese nationality.
How much is Malta permanent residency for a family of four?
For an applicant, spouse and two children under 18, fixed charges are EUR 99,000 (EUR 37,000 contribution, EUR 60,000 administrative fee, EUR 2,000 donation). With a EUR 375,000 purchase the total is EUR 474,000; with a EUR 14,000 a year lease it is EUR 169,000 over five years.
Does Malta permanent residency give a passport?
No. MPRP status is permanent residence, not citizenship. You keep your existing citizenship and passport, and holding residence in Malta does not by itself trigger home-country rules that end a citizenship when another is acquired.
Why did the EU Court rule against Malta?
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Malta’s investor naturalisation scheme breached EU law, in Case C-181/23 (European Commission v Republic of Malta), judgment of 29 April 2025. Malta then removed the investor programme from its citizenship law by Act XXI of 2025.
Which EU countries still sell citizenship?
None through a formal investment scheme. Cyprus closed its scheme from 1 November 2020, Bulgaria repealed its provisions in 2022, and Malta’s scheme closed after the 2025 ruling. Some EU states keep discretionary naturalisation for exceptional merit, which cannot be bought.
The bottom line
Malta no longer sells citizenship, and nothing sold today in Malta leads directly to a passport. What an investor can buy is permanent residence: a EUR 375,000 property or a EUR 14,000 a year lease, EUR 99,000 in fixed charges for a family of four, and a capital test. If that is what you need, start with the Malta Permanent Residency Programme guide or the wider Malta golden visa overview. If a second passport is the goal, look at naturalisation timelines or at routes outside the EU.
Advisory fees are quoted per engagement.
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