Schengen short stay (tourist): US citizens are visa exempt for Schengen short stays. The official EU ETIAS page, checked 2026-10-15, states that ETIAS is not yet in operation and that the EU will announce the start date in advance.
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Living in Malta long term
Malta gives US passport holders Schengen short stays, a nomad permit tested at EUR 42,000 of gross income a year, and permanent residence by investment through the Malta Permanent Residence Programme. Two special tax statuses sit alongside ordinary residence: the Global Residence Programme (15 percent on remitted foreign income, EUR 15,000 minimum tax a year) and the Malta Retirement Programme for pensioners (EUR 7,500 minimum tax), both of which are legislated to fold into a single Individual Tax Programme from 1 January 2027. Citizenship can no longer be bought: the exceptional services by direct investment route was repealed in 2025 after a ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Numbers on this page apply to holders of a US passport. Page last verified: 2026-10-15
Rules change. Confirm the current rules with the official source or the consulate for Malta before you apply, pay a fee, or book travel around a date in this table.
Every route, with the math
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| Route | Income required | Investment required | Total cost | Processing time | Days allowed | Renewal rules | Tax residency trigger | Years to permanent residency | Years to citizenship | Last verified | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schengen short stay (tourist) Tourist allowance | Not applicable | Not applicable | No fee as of October 2026. Entry is visa free for US passport holders and ETIAS is not yet in operation; the official EU ETIAS page lists a fee of EUR 20 for when the system starts. | No advance application as of this check. ETIAS is not yet in operation. | 90 days in any 180 day period across the Schengen area | Not renewable. Time outside the Schengen area does not reset the rolling 180 day window. | A short stay cannot lawfully reach the presence that triggers Maltese tax residence. In general, presence in Malta for 183 days or more in a calendar year establishes tax residence for that year, whatever the purpose of the stay. | Not a residence status. Short stays do not count as legal residence toward EU long term resident status, which requires 5 years of residence on residence permits. | Not a residence status. Short stays do not count toward the residence that ordinary naturalisation requires. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Nomad Residence Permit Digital nomad | EUR 42,000 gross per year, earned from remote work in one of three categories set by Residency Malta: employment with an employer registered abroad, business activity for a company registered abroad in which the applicant is a partner or shareholder, or freelance or consulting services for clients established abroad. Applicants who applied before 1 April 2024 keep the earlier threshold of EUR 32,400. | None. A rental or purchase agreement for accommodation in Malta covering the permit period is required once the application is approved in principle. | EUR 300 non-refundable application fee per applicant, plus a residence card fee of EUR 100 per person payable to Identita (reported; Residency Malta Agency programme guidance). Health insurance and accommodation costs are extra. | About 30 working days from payment of the application fee (reported; Residency Malta Agency programme guidance). | Permit issued for 1 year. | Renewable up to three times, for a maximum total stay of 4 years. Renewal requires evidence of at least 5 months of cumulative residence in Malta in the previous 12 months and continued eligibility. | Under the Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules, income from authorised remote work is not taxed in Malta for the first 12 months of the permit and is taxed at a flat 10 percent after that, per Malta Tax and Customs Administration guidance. Tax residence itself is a question of fact: presence of 183 days or more in a calendar year generally establishes it, and a person who is resident but not domiciled in Malta is taxed on Malta source income and on foreign income remitted to Malta, with no tax on foreign capital gains even if remitted. | Not a route to permanent residence. Residency Malta states that the Nomad Residence Permit does not lead to long term residency, permanent residency, or citizenship. | Not a route to citizenship. Residency Malta states that the permit does not lead to citizenship, and the 4 year cap applies in any case. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) Investor | No income test. The applicant must show stable and regular resources sufficient to maintain themselves and their dependants without recourse to the social assistance system of Malta, and must meet the capital test in the investment field. | Capital assets of at least EUR 500,000, of which at least EUR 150,000 must be financial assets, or capital assets of at least EUR 650,000, of which at least EUR 75,000 must be financial assets. Plus a qualifying property in Malta or Gozo: purchase for at least EUR 375,000, or rent of at least EUR 14,000 per year. The qualifying property must be held for at least 5 years (Residency Malta Agency). | EUR 99,500 in one time government charges for a single main applicant: a non-refundable administration fee of EUR 60,000, a government contribution of EUR 37,000, a donation of EUR 2,000 to a local NGO registered with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations, and a residence card fee of EUR 500 per person covering 5 years. Each adult dependant other than the spouse adds EUR 7,500 (Residency Malta Agency). Applications must be filed through a licensed agent, whose fees are extra. | No processing time is published. Residency Malta states that decisions are communicated within a reasonable timeframe after a four tier due diligence process; the Agency publishes no decision deadline for this programme. | Permanent residence with no expiry and no minimum stay in Malta. The residence card is issued for 5 years at a time. Holders may travel in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180 day period. | The status itself does not expire. The qualifying property must be held for the first 5 years; after that the beneficiary must continue to maintain a residential property in Malta, and the residence card is renewed every 5 years. | The programme confers no special tax status. Tax residence is a question of fact: presence in Malta for 183 days or more in a calendar year generally establishes tax residence for that year, and a person who arrives intending to settle is resident from arrival. A US citizen will normally be resident but not domiciled, so Malta tax applies to income arising in Malta and to foreign income received in Malta; foreign income kept abroad and foreign capital gains are not taxed. | 0. The programme grants permanent residence on approval. | No direct path and no shortened clock. A holder who actually lives in Malta can apply under ordinary naturalisation, which requires residence throughout the 12 months immediately before applying plus an aggregate of 4 years of residence in the preceding 6 years, adequate knowledge of Maltese or English, good character, and two sponsors. The grant is discretionary. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Global Residence Programme (special tax status) Other | No fixed income amount. The applicant must have stable and regular resources sufficient to maintain themselves and their dependants without recourse to social assistance in Malta, must be able to communicate adequately in English or Maltese, and must be able to pay the EUR 15,000 minimum tax every year (Global Residence Programme Rules, Subsidiary Legislation 123.148). | A qualifying property occupied as the principal place of residence worldwide: purchase of at least EUR 275,000 in Malta, or EUR 220,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta, or rent of at least EUR 9,600 per year, or EUR 8,750 per year in Gozo or the south of Malta. | A non-refundable application fee of EUR 6,000, or EUR 5,500 where the qualifying property is in Gozo or the south of Malta. Applications are filed through an Authorised Registered Mandatary, whose fees are extra. The EUR 15,000 minimum tax is payable every year on top. | No processing time is published by the Commissioner for Revenue. Advisory firms that file these applications report about 3 to 5 months from submission to confirmation (reported). | Residence in Malta for as long as the special tax status is maintained through annual compliance. The residence document is issued by Identita. The beneficiary must not reside for 183 days or more in any other single jurisdiction in a calendar year. | Continued by annual compliance: retain the qualifying property and sickness insurance, pay the minimum tax, and file the annual declaration with the tax return. Status is lost if the conditions stop being met. | The programme is itself a special tax status granted by the Commissioner for Revenue (now the Commissioner for Tax and Customs) to a person who takes up residence in Malta and is not domiciled there. Foreign income received in Malta is taxed at 15 percent, subject to the EUR 15,000 annual minimum; income arising in Malta is taxed at 35 percent; foreign income not remitted to Malta and foreign capital gains are not taxed. | No automatic status. Time lived in Malta under the programme is legal residence and can support an application for EU long term resident status after 5 years, which has its own conditions, including integration measures. | No direct path. Ordinary naturalisation requires residence throughout the 12 months immediately before applying plus an aggregate of 4 years of residence in the preceding 6 years, adequate knowledge of Maltese or English, good character, and two sponsors. The grant is discretionary. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Malta Retirement Programme (special tax status for pensioners) Retirement | A pension, supported by documentary evidence, all of which is received in Malta and which constitutes at least 75 percent of the beneficiary's chargeable income (Malta Retirement Programme Rules, Subsidiary Legislation 123.134). The beneficiary may not be in employment, apart from limited exceptions such as non-executive directorships. | A qualifying property occupied as the home: purchase of at least EUR 275,000 in Malta or EUR 250,000 in Gozo, or rent of at least EUR 9,600 per year in Malta or EUR 8,750 per year in Gozo. | A non-refundable application fee of EUR 2,500, filed through an Authorised Registered Mandatary, plus a minimum tax of EUR 7,500 per year for the beneficiary and EUR 500 per year for each dependant and each special carer. | No processing time is published by the Commissioner for Revenue for this programme. | Special tax status with residence in Malta. The beneficiary must be present in Malta for more than 90 days a year, averaged over a period of 5 years, and must not stay in any other single jurisdiction for more than 183 days in a calendar year. | Maintained by annual compliance: retain the qualifying property, sickness insurance, and pension conditions, pay the minimum tax by 30 April ahead of the year of assessment, and file the annual declaration confirming the conditions still hold. | The status is granted by the Commissioner for Revenue to a person who is resident in Malta, is not a Maltese national, is not domiciled in Malta, and does not intend to establish domicile in Malta within 5 years of applying. Income arising outside Malta and received in Malta is taxed at 15 percent, subject to the EUR 7,500 minimum tax; other income is taxed at 35 percent; foreign income not remitted to Malta is not taxed. | No automatic status. Note that under the Retirement Programme Rules a beneficiary who obtains long term resident or permanent resident status stops benefiting from the 15 percent remittance basis of taxation (reported from the rules as summarised by Maltese advisers). | No direct path. Ordinary naturalisation requires residence throughout the 12 months immediately before applying plus an aggregate of 4 years of residence in the preceding 6 years, adequate knowledge of Maltese or English, good character, and two sponsors. The grant is discretionary. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Single permit: employment with a Maltese employer Work | Set by the job. The employer applies and must hold a genuine offer of employment; the vacancy generally has to be advertised locally first under the Labour Migration Policy in force from 1 August 2025, with exemptions for shortage occupations and the expedited Key Employee Initiative and Specialist Employee Initiative schemes. | None. | EUR 600 for a first time single permit and EUR 150 per year for renewal, per Identita (authorised live in carers pay EUR 27.50). A change of employer is a new application. A national long stay (D) visa fee can also apply before travel, depending on the consulate. | No single processing time is published. The application is checked by Identita, Jobsplus, and security stakeholders, and an Approval in Principle letter is issued before biometrics and issue of the card. | Issued for up to 1 year at a time, tied to the named employer and the specific job. | Renewable while the employment continues; the renewal application may be filed up to 90 days before expiry. The permit lapses if the holder changes employer or job without a new application. | Presence in Malta for 183 days or more in a calendar year generally establishes tax residence for that year, and a person who arrives intending to settle is resident from arrival. Malta source employment income is taxed at progressive rates up to 35 percent. A resident who is not domiciled in Malta is taxed on foreign income only when it is remitted to Malta. | 5 years of legal and continuous residence, then EU long term resident status under Subsidiary Legislation 217.05, subject to stable and regular resources, suitable accommodation, sickness insurance, and integration measures including the I Belong programme. Absences of more than 6 consecutive months, or more than 10 months in total over the 5 years, break continuity. | Ordinary naturalisation requires residence throughout the 12 months immediately before applying plus an aggregate of 4 years of residence in the preceding 6 years, adequate knowledge of Maltese or English, good character, and two sponsors. The grant is discretionary. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Self-employment (single permit with a Jobsplus employment licence) Work | No salary floor. Jobsplus assesses the business case before an employment licence for self employment is granted. | Jobsplus criteria, at summary level, include one of: a capital investment in fixed assets in Malta (EUR 100,000, reported); status as a highly skilled innovator with a sound business plan and a commitment to recruit at least three Maltese or EEA nationals within 18 months; acting as sole representative of an overseas company of sound reputation with at least 3 years of trading history; or directing a company project formally approved by Malta Enterprise (reported). | EUR 600 for a first time single permit and EUR 150 per year for renewal, per Identita, once the employment licence is in place. Business registration, VAT, and trade licence costs are extra. | No processing time is published. The Jobsplus licence assessment comes first, then the Identita single permit stages described in the employment route. | Issued for up to 1 year at a time, tied to the approved self employment activity. | Renewable while the business remains active and the licence and permit conditions continue to hold. | Presence in Malta for 183 days or more in a calendar year generally establishes tax residence for that year, and a person who arrives intending to settle is resident from arrival. Malta source business income is taxed at progressive rates up to 35 percent. A resident who is not domiciled in Malta is taxed on foreign income only when it is remitted to Malta. | 5 years of legal and continuous residence, then EU long term resident status under Subsidiary Legislation 217.05, subject to stable and regular resources, suitable accommodation, sickness insurance, and integration measures including the I Belong programme. | Ordinary naturalisation requires residence throughout the 12 months immediately before applying plus an aggregate of 4 years of residence in the preceding 6 years, adequate knowledge of Maltese or English, good character, and two sponsors. The grant is discretionary. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Ordinary residence: economic self-sufficiency Passive income | Stable resources sufficient to support the holder and any dependants in Malta without working and without recourse to public funds, plus sickness insurance covering all risks in Malta. The benchmarks Maltese advisers consistently cite for self sufficiency assessments are capital of at least EUR 14,000 for a single person or EUR 23,300 for a couple, or an equivalent regular weekly income (reported; the figures originate in the free movement framework applied by Identita). | None. A residential address in Malta, by rental or purchase, is required. | No programme fee. Identita charges EUR 25 for each year of validity of the residence document issued to a third country national (reported, from Identita fee guidance). | No processing time is published by Identita for this category. | The residence document is issued 1 year at a time. | Renewable annually while the resources, accommodation, and insurance conditions continue to hold and the holder is genuinely living in Malta. | Presence in Malta for 183 days or more in a calendar year generally establishes tax residence for that year, and a person who arrives intending to settle is resident from arrival. A US citizen will normally be resident but not domiciled, so Malta tax applies to income arising in Malta and to foreign income received in Malta; foreign income kept abroad and foreign capital gains are not taxed. No special rate applies on this route; progressive rates up to 35 percent apply to income taxed in Malta. | 5 years of legal and continuous residence, then EU long term resident status under Subsidiary Legislation 217.05, subject to stable and regular resources, suitable accommodation, sickness insurance, and integration measures including the I Belong programme. | Ordinary naturalisation requires residence throughout the 12 months immediately before applying plus an aggregate of 4 years of residence in the preceding 6 years, adequate knowledge of Maltese or English, good character, and two sponsors. The grant is discretionary. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Citizenship for Exceptional Services by direct investment (closed) Citizenship by investment | Not applicable | Not in operation. The former published terms (a contribution of EUR 600,000 after 36 months of residence status or EUR 750,000 after 12 months, a property purchase of EUR 700,000 or rent of EUR 16,000 per year, and a donation of EUR 10,000) were repealed in 2025 and no application can be made on them. | Not in operation | Not in operation | Not in operation | Not in operation | Not applicable. No status under this route exists to be held. | Not applicable | Not in operation as an investment route. Citizenship by merit is a separate discretionary grant with no published price or investment threshold; see the notes. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
Route notes
Nomad Residence Permit: For third country nationals who work remotely using telecommunications. Work for a Maltese employer or clients, including the Maltese subsidiary of a foreign employer, is not allowed and the permit is not a work permit. A spouse, minor children, and adult children who are unmarried and principally dependent may be included in the application. Holders may travel in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180 day period.
Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP): Terms are those published by Residency Malta as checked on 2026-10-15. The programme was amended twice in quick succession: Legal Notice 310 of 2024 set a EUR 50,000 administration fee and contributions of EUR 30,000 (purchase) or EUR 60,000 (rent) for applications from 1 January 2025, and a later restructuring unified the contribution at EUR 37,000 and raised the administration fee to EUR 60,000. Pages quoting the older figures are out of date. Up to four generations can be included in one application. A one year temporary residence permit is available while the full application is prepared. MPRP status gives no right to work in Malta; employment requires a separate single permit.
Global Residence Programme (special tax status): For third country nationals only (non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss) who are not long term residents of Malta, and who do not benefit under another special tax scheme. Announced change: the Individual Tax Programme Rules 2026 (Legal Notice 195 of 2026) consolidate the Global Residence Programme, the Residence Programme, the Malta Retirement Programme, and the UN Pensions Programme into a single Individual Tax Programme from 1 January 2027, with a EUR 35,000 minimum tax for global residents, unified property thresholds of EUR 700,000 to buy or EUR 14,000 a year to rent, an application fee of EUR 8,500, and five year renewable status (reported). The terms in this entry are the rules in force at the check date.
Malta Retirement Programme (special tax status for pensioners): Open to third country nationals as well as EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals. Announced change: the Malta Retirement Programme is one of the four schemes consolidated into the Individual Tax Programme from 1 January 2027 under Legal Notice 195 of 2026, where the retired pensioner category carries a EUR 15,000 minimum tax, double the current EUR 7,500 (reported). Retirees who do not want the special tax status can instead live in Malta on an ordinary residence ground, the MPRP, or the Global Residence Programme.
Single permit: employment with a Maltese employer: Summary level. Applications are submitted by the employer through the Single Permit Online portal at singlepermit.gov.mt; the worker cannot self-file, except live in carers with employer endorsement. An EU Blue Card route also exists within the single permit system for highly qualified employment.
Self-employment (single permit with a Jobsplus employment licence): Summary level. This is the ordinary residence route for running a business or freelancing for Maltese clients; it is separate from the Nomad Residence Permit, which covers only work for foreign employers and clients, and from the Malta Startup Residence Programme run by Malta Enterprise for innovative startup founders.
Ordinary residence: economic self-sufficiency: Summary level. This is the plain ordinary residence ground for living in Malta on your own means, with no right to work attached. In practice many US citizens in this position use the Global Residence Programme, the Malta Retirement Programme, or the MPRP instead, because those routes pair the residence document with a defined tax status or permanent residence. The source link is the Identita economic self sufficiency application form published by the Expatriates Unit.
Citizenship for Exceptional Services by direct investment (closed): On 29 April 2025 the Court of Justice of the European Union held in Commission v Malta (Case C-181/23) that granting nationality in exchange for predetermined payments or investments breaches EU law. Malta repealed the route through the Maltese Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Act XXI of 2025, published on 24 July 2025, and Legal Notice 159 of 2025 recast the regulations as the Granting of Citizenship by Naturalisation on the Basis of Merit Regulations (Subsidiary Legislation 188.06). Citizenship by merit under Article 10(9) of the Maltese Citizenship Act is a discretionary, case by case grant for exceptional services or exceptional contributions, including through job creation. The Community Malta Agency states that it is neither a programme nor a scheme, pathway, continuation, or alternative to the former investment framework, and that it may not be marketed; treat any website quoting a fixed price for a Maltese passport with caution. Citizenships already granted under the old scheme are unaffected. The remaining path to a Maltese passport is ordinary naturalisation after real residence in Malta, described in the other routes.