Malta citizenship by investment: the position in 2026

The short answer

Malta no longer grants citizenship in exchange for investment. On 29 April 2025 the Court of Justice of the European Union held, in Case C-181/23 Commission v Malta, that the 2020 investor citizenship scheme ("Maltese Citizenship by Naturalisation for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment") was contrary to EU law. Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) Malta has since rewritten the regulations: the investment route was removed and replaced by naturalisation on the basis of merit, and investment applications not approved before 29 April 2025 ceased to have effect (Legal Notice 159 of 2025).

What a non-EU national can still do in 2026 is (1) obtain permanent residence by investment through the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, (2) apply for naturalisation after years of residence under the Maltese Citizenship Act, or (3) in exceptional cases be considered for citizenship by merit, which is not a purchasable product. Each is explained below.

What the Court of Justice decided

The European Commission brought infringement proceedings against Malta over the scheme introduced after the July 2020 amendment to the Maltese Citizenship Act. The Grand Chamber declared that by establishing and operating that scheme, "which amounts to the commercialisation of the grant of the nationality of a Member State and, by extension, that of Union citizenship", Malta failed to fulfil its obligations under Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 4(3) of the Treaty on European Union. Judgment, operative part

The Court's reasoning, in its own summary: each Member State remains free to lay down the conditions for granting its nationality, but must exercise that competence consistently with EU law; granting nationality, and so automatically Union citizenship, "in direct exchange for predetermined investments or payments through a transactional procedure" turns the acquisition of nationality into a commercial transaction, breaks the bond of solidarity and good faith between a State and its citizens and the mutual trust between Member States, and therefore infringes the principle of sincere cooperation. Press Release No 52/25

What Malta changed after the judgment

Citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services is governed by regulations made under the Maltese Citizenship Act (S.L. 188.06). Legal Notice 159 of 2025 amended them so that:

• the regulations are renamed the Granting of Citizenship by Naturalisation on the basis of Merit Regulations, and their scope is naturalisation on the basis of merit under article 10(9) of the Act;
• the investment route (Part IV of the previous regulations) is gone, and any application under it that had not been approved by the Minister before 29 April 2025 ceased to have effect; citizenship already acquired under earlier rules continues to be regulated by them;
• the merit route is coordinated by the Community Malta Agency and begins with a proposal letter (regulation 11A) describing the exceptional service, contribution or interest, followed by due diligence, including by internationally recognised providers, and evaluation by an Evaluation Board. Legal Notice 159 of 2025

What exists now

1. Permanent residence by investment: the MPRP

The Malta Permanent Residence Programme is a residence route, not a citizenship route. It gives a third-country national and their family the right to reside, settle or stay indefinitely in Malta in return for a qualifying property (purchase from €375,000 or rent from €14,000 a year), a government contribution of €37,000, a €2,000 donation and a non-refundable administration fee of €60,000, after the Residency Malta Agency's due diligence. [Government of Malta — Subsidiary Legislation under the Immigration Act (Cap. 217)] The certificate is conditional and does not expire while the conditions are met, but it is expressly not citizenship. Start with how the MPRP works, check the documented criteria with the MPRP eligibility assessment and estimate your outlay with the MPRP cost calculator.

2. Naturalisation after residence

Ordinary naturalisation is governed by article 10(1) of the Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188). The Minister may grant a certificate of naturalisation to an adult who satisfies the Minister that they:

• resided in Malta throughout the twelve months immediately preceding the application;
• during the six years immediately before that period, resided in Malta for periods amounting in aggregate to not less than four years;
• have an adequate knowledge of Maltese or English;
• are of good character; and
• would be a suitable citizen of Malta.

The grant is discretionary: meeting the residence periods creates no entitlement. The Residency Malta Agency's FAQ makes the same point for MPRP beneficiaries, who may apply for naturalisation after residing in Malta but whose application the Minister may grant or refuse. Agency FAQ

3. Citizenship by naturalisation on the basis of merit

Article 10(9) of the Act allows the Minister to grant naturalisation "by merit" to a person who renders exceptional services or makes an exceptional contribution, including through job creation, to Malta or to humanity, or whose naturalisation is of exceptional interest to Malta; the Act names scientists, researchers, athletes, sports persons, artists, cultural performers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and technologists among the persons concerned. Cap. 188, article 10(9) Under the amended regulations an applicant must, among other things, show proof of residence in Malta for at least eight months before the application and title to adequate residential property in Malta, and pay the applicable non-refundable administrative fees. Legal Notice 159 of 2025

This is a discretionary recognition of merit assessed case by case. It has no predetermined investment amount and is not marketed as a programme; anyone offering a "guaranteed" Maltese passport for a payment is describing something that no longer exists.

Does the MPRP lead to citizenship?

Not automatically, and never by investment. An MPRP certificate gives you the right to live in Malta; the Agency's FAQ notes that a beneficiary may later apply for naturalisation after residing in Malta, and the residence periods, language and character conditions of article 10(1) then apply, with the decision at the Minister's discretion. The MPRP itself has no language test and no minimum stay, but naturalisation requires both actual residence and knowledge of Maltese or English.

Outdated information to watch for

Because the investor citizenship scheme ran from 2020 to 2025, many pages still describe contribution amounts, property conditions and residence periods for a Maltese passport by investment. Those routes closed with the judgment and Legal Notice 159 of 2025. Check the date of any page you read and prefer the primary sources listed at the end of this page, each of which links to the original document.