Malta residence programmes compared: MPRP, Global Residence Programme, Retirement Programme and Nomad Residence Permit

Malta runs several residence routes for foreign nationals, and search results often blur them together. Only one, the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, is a permanent residence-by-investment route. The Global Residence Programme and the Malta Retirement Programme are special tax statuses granted by the Commissioner for Revenue, and the Nomad Residence Permit is a temporary permit for remote workers run by the Residency Malta Agency. The table sets the four side by side; the sections that follow quote the conditions of each.

About the figures. MPRP amounts are read live from our fee database. The figures for the other three routes are not in that database: they are quoted from the consolidated rules on legislation.mt and from the Agency's Nomad Residence Permit pages as published on 5 October 2026, and they are not updated automatically. Check them against the source linked on each row before relying on them.

The four routes at a glance

Malta Permanent Residence Programme

The MPRP is an immigration status. In return for a qualifying property, a government contribution of €37,000, a €2,000 donation and a non-refundable administration fee of €60,000, a third-country national and their family receive a Residence-by-Investment Certificate that does not expire while its conditions are met. There is no minimum stay, no language test and no tax benefit; ordinary Maltese tax rules apply, and work requires a separate permit. S.L. 217.26 Read how the MPRP works, check the criteria with the MPRP eligibility assessment and price your family with the MPRP cost calculator.

Global Residence Programme

The GRP is a special tax status for third-country nationals who are not Maltese, EEA or Swiss nationals and not long-term residents. The beneficiary must hold a qualifying property as primary residence (bought for at least €275,000, or €220,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta, or rented for at least €9,600, or €8,750, a year), have stable and regular resources, hold sickness insurance covering the whole EU, be able to communicate in Maltese or English and be fit and proper. Income arising outside Malta and received in Malta is taxed at 15%, with a minimum tax of €15,000 a year; the application, made through an authorised registered mandatary, carries a non-refundable fee of €6,000 (€5,500 for property in Gozo or the south of Malta). The status ends if the holder becomes a Maltese, EEA or Swiss national, stops holding the property, becomes a long-term resident or spends more than 183 days a year in another jurisdiction. Global Residence Programme Rules, S.L. 123.148, as published on 5 October 2026

Malta Retirement Programme

The MRP is a special tax status for people living on a pension. The beneficiary must not be a Maltese national and must not be domiciled in Malta (nor intend to become domiciled within five years); must receive in Malta a pension making up at least 75% of their chargeable income; must hold a qualifying property on the same thresholds as the GRP; must hold EU-wide sickness insurance; and must be fit and proper. Foreign income received in Malta is taxed at 15%, with a minimum tax of €7,500 for the beneficiary plus €500 for each dependant and special carer; the fee is €2,500. The status is lost if the holder spends fewer than 90 days a year in Malta averaged over five years, more than 183 days a year in any other jurisdiction, stops receiving the pension in Malta, becomes a permanent or long-term resident, or becomes a Maltese national or a third-country national. Malta Retirement Programme Rules, S.L. 123.134, as published on 5 October 2026

Nationality note. The rules as published do not restrict eligibility to EU nationals, but rule 6(1)(b) ends the status if the holder becomes "a Maltese national or a third country national". How that applies to an applicant who is already a third-country national is a question for an authorised registered mandatary or the Commissioner for Revenue; we quote the rules rather than interpret them. The MPRP regulations, for their part, exclude anyone who currently benefits from the Malta Retirement Programme Rules.

Nomad Residence Permit

The NRP is the Residency Malta Agency's route for third-country nationals who can work remotely: employees of a foreign employer, owners or partners of a foreign business, or freelancers serving foreign clients. The Agency's eligibility criteria require a gross yearly income of at least €42,000 (for applications from 1 April 2024), health insurance covering the EU and the United Kingdom, a property rental or purchase agreement, a police conduct certificate and a background check. Nomad Residence Permit eligibility, as published on 5 October 2026 According to the Agency's FAQs the permit is valid for one year from the issue of the residence card and may be renewed three times, for a maximum of four years; the non-refundable application fee is €300 per person plus €100 per residence card, and the main applicant may include a spouse or partner, minor children, dependent adult children and adult children with a disability. Nomad Residence Permit FAQs Income from authorised remote work is chargeable at 10% under the Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules, although the Agency notes that holding the permit does not by itself make someone subject to Maltese tax and advises independent advice. S.L. 123.210

Which one fits?

• You want a permanent base in the EU for the whole family, with no obligation to spend time in Malta or to receive income there: the MPRP.
• You intend to live in Malta and pay tax on foreign income at a flat 15%, and the property and minimum-tax conditions suit you: the GRP (or, if you live on a pension and will spend at least 90 days a year in Malta, the MRP).
• You work remotely for foreign clients or an employer abroad and want to stay for a year or a few years without a property investment: the Nomad Residence Permit.

EU, EEA and Swiss nationals cannot use the MPRP, the GRP or the NRP at all; the rules name a separate Residence Programme for them (the Residence Programme Rules, S.L. 123.160), which is outside the scope of this site.

Can the routes be combined?

The MPRP regulations list Maltese tax schemes that an applicant or dependant must not currently benefit from, including the Malta Retirement Programme Rules and the Residence Programme Rules, and the GRP and MRP rules in turn exclude beneficiaries of each other and of several further schemes. Whether a particular combination is possible, or whether one status can follow another, is a question for a licensed MPRP agent or an authorised registered mandatary, not for this page.

Next steps

If the MPRP is the route you are considering, the MPRP eligibility assessment walks through the documented criteria and the MPRP cost calculator prices the fees, contribution and property for your family. The Malta golden visa page explains the informal name, and Malta citizenship by investment explains why none of these routes is a citizenship programme.