Malta golden visa: what the term means and how the MPRP works

Is there a Malta golden visa?

Not under that name. "Malta golden visa" is the shorthand used by agents, journalists and search engines for the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), Malta's residence-by-investment route for nationals of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. The regulations that create it, Subsidiary Legislation 217.26, call it a permanent residence programme, and it is administered by the Residency Malta Agency, not by a visa office.

Two points matter before anything else. First, the MPRP grants residence, not citizenship: the certificate lets you and your family reside, settle or stay in Malta indefinitely while you keep to its conditions, and nothing more. Second, it is not a visa in the Schengen sense: successful applicants receive a Maltese residence card, which the Agency states allows visa-free travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

If you are looking for a route to a Maltese passport, read Malta citizenship by investment: the position in 2026 first.

What the Malta golden visa grants

• A Residence-by-Investment Certificate that does not expire while the programme's conditions are met. [Government of Malta — Subsidiary Legislation under the Immigration Act (Cap. 217)]
• Residence cards for every person on the certificate, issued for five years and renewable.
• The right to live in Malta, an EU member state, with no minimum-stay requirement in the regulations.
• Inclusion of your spouse or partner, children, parents and grandparents on one application.
• Visa-free travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, as stated by the Agency. [Residency Malta Agency (Government of Malta)]

It does not grant the right to work in Malta (a work permit is a separate application), any tax status or benefit, or citizenship. Agency decisions are at its absolute discretion and are not subject to appeal.

Who qualifies

The main applicant must:

• be a third-country national: not Maltese, EU, EEA or Swiss, and not from a country excluded by the Agency;
• be 18 or over;
• hold capital assets of at least €500,000, including €150,000 in financial assets, or at least €650,000, including €75,000 in financial assets (regulation 9(2));
• have stable and regular resources to support the family without recourse to Maltese social assistance;
• be fit and proper: clean criminal record, no sanctions listings, no threat to public policy or security, and pass the Agency's multi-tier due diligence together with every dependant over 14;
• hold health insurance covering all risks normally covered for Maltese nationals.

Every criterion is quoted with its legal reference on Who can apply. You can test your own position against the documented criteria with the Malta MPRP eligibility check.

Malta golden visa cost in 2026

The figures below are read live from our fee database, which records the legal reference and verification date of every amount. They apply to applications governed by Legal Notice 146 of 2025, in force since 22 July 2025.

Professional fees, health insurance, translations and property transaction costs come on top. See the full cost breakdown or run the Malta MPRP cost calculator for your own family.

Property routes: buy or rent

The qualifying property must be residential, in Malta or Gozo, and held for five years from the certificate date. Since 1 January 2025 one threshold applies to the whole country: a purchase of at least €375,000 or a lease of at least €14,000 a year (Legal Notice 310 of 2024). Since 22 July 2025 the government contribution is the same on both routes, so the choice is about the property itself rather than the fees: five years at the minimum rent of €14,000 a year leaves you with no asset at the end, whereas a purchase ties up at least €375,000 plus transaction costs but leaves you owning the home. The property hub covers both routes, the documents the Agency expects and locations.

Family inclusion

One certificate can cover the main applicant's spouse or partner, children under 18, unmarried adult children aged 18 to 28 who are principally dependent on the main applicant, adult children with a certified disability, and parents or grandparents of either spouse who are not in full-time employment and are principally dependent. The spouse, minor children and adult children with a disability pay no dependant administration fee; other adult dependants pay €7,500 each. See Family & dependants.

Timeline

Only the applicant-side deadlines are fixed by the regulations: the initial €15,000 within one month of submission, the fee balance and dependant fees within two months of the Letter of Approval in Principle, and the contribution, qualifying property, donation and health insurance within eight months of that letter. The Agency's own processing time depends on due diligence and is not fixed by law; treat durations quoted by third parties as estimates. The interactive timeline separates the official deadlines from indicative durations.

How the Malta golden visa compares with other EU golden visas

The European residence-by-investment landscape has narrowed since 2023, which is one reason Malta's programme attracts attention:

• Portugal stopped accepting new residence-by-investment applications based on the purchase or rehabilitation of real estate and on capital transfer from 7 October 2023, under article 42 of Law 56/2023; permits already granted could still be renewed.
• Spain removed its investor residence visa and permit (articles 63 to 67 of Law 14/2013) through Organic Law 1/2025, published on 3 January 2025 and in force three months later; applications lodged before then continued under the old rules.
• Greece raised its minimum real-estate investment under article 64 of Law 5100/2024 to €800,000 in Attica, the Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants, and to €400,000 elsewhere (Hellenic Housing Policy Portal).

Against that background the MPRP has a property threshold below Greece's main tiers, no minimum-stay requirement and a permanent (conditional) rather than time-limited status; it also carries a non-refundable administration fee, a government contribution and a five-year holding period that applicants must budget for. Which route suits you depends on where you intend to live, your tax position and your family; this site covers only the Maltese programme.

Next steps

1. Check the documented criteria with the MPRP eligibility assessment.
2. Estimate your total with the MPRP cost calculator, including property, insurance and professional fees.
3. Read the application process and appoint a licensed agent; the Agency only accepts applications through its licensed agents.