Malta is a small Mediterranean island attracting visitors from all over the world and offers passport services that are available via a variety of channels. In this article, we will discuss how to get a Malta passport and the requirements.
Malta is one of Europe’s smallest and most densely populated countries. However, there are numerous benefits to choose from when obtaining Maltese citizenship. With a highly regarded education system, a stable economy, and a laid-back lifestyle, Malta can provide ample resources for expats seeking opportunities abroad. Moreover, the island is evolving into an important financial hub. The developments are likely to be a success in terms of creating jobs for both locals and newcomers.
Maltese citizenship is a treasure, allowing you to move, live and work in any other EU, given that Malta is an EU member state. Even though the country is a quiet place perfect for tranquil living, the Malta passport is excellent in terms of the lifestyle and business benefits it provides.
How do you obtain a Malta passport?
Obtaining a passport is quite a simple process. If you are a Maltese citizen applying for a Maltese passport, you must visit the passport office during business hours to receive the application documents. Alternatively, you can obtain all necessary documents online and pick them up at the local council offices, police stations, or main travel agencies.
If you apply for a new passport or renew an existing one, you will then receive a new biometric passport. This is because, in 2008, the Maltese Passport Office started issuing biometric Malta passports. According to international standards and directives, these documents contain images of human faces, signatures, and fingerprints that are securely stored in a passport chip.
Advantages of Holding a Malta Passport
You can enjoy a plethora of lifelong privileges as a Maltese citizen. A Republic of Malta passport acts as both an insurance policy and a means of opening up new prospects for you and your family, and there are several advantages to holding it.
Here are some of the benefits that come with Maltese citizenship:
- Free access to universities;
- While you wait for your Maltese passport, you can get a Schengen residence;
- Maltese citizenship is permanent;
- Maltese citizens can enjoy top-rated and free healthcare services.
Malta’s undeniable power is also seen through the right to live, travel, study, and work in any EU country, access to the high-service healthcare system, and good living conditions in the country.
Additionally, we have listed some other benefits that a Maltese passport grants you below.
172 visa-free travel countries for Maltese citizens
The Maltese passport is one of the most powerful in the world, making Maltese citizenship stand out against other powerful passports. It comes with several benefits, including visa-free travel across Europe. Obtaining Maltese citizenship allows visa-free travel to 172 countries, including countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Access to the EU
The fact that Malta is a member of the European Union (EU) provides a lot of advantages. This means that as a Maltese citizen, you can live and work anywhere in Europe without the need for a residence permit or an entrance visa.
Free education and healthcare
Malta is a country with a high quality of life. There are free public schools as well as free school transportation, and the country boasts one of the world’s most advanced healthcare systems. According to a WHO report in 2022, it is among the top twenty-five in the world, and Maltese people have access to free medical services like hospitalization, prenatal treatments, medications, and childbirth through public fund coverage.
Beneficial tax system
Malta is a country with a VAT below 20 percent. Even if you get Maltese citizenship, you may not be required to pay taxes in Malta. This is because Malta taxation is based on domicile (not residency or citizenship) status. Furthermore, there are tax breaks for new citizens that can help you make your finances more effective and less confusing.
For instance, in Malta, you will not pay taxes on inheritance, gifts, and property (in some cases). Also, you can be a country’s tax resident if you spend less than 183 days in the country. But for this, you must obtain a domicile status.
The power of the Maltese passport
The number of countries you can travel to without a visa or visa-on-arrival is referred to as passport power. The Maltese passport is one of the world’s most powerful passports, enabling visa-free travel to 170 countries. Malta passport holders have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to countries such as Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and the European Union, allowing them to travel easily throughout the world. China, India, and Oman are among the countries that require a visa for Maltese citizens. Thirty-one countries provide visas on arrival, while eleven need electronic travel authorization (eTA).
Obtaining Maltese citizenship
Malta is one of Europe’s most successful and promising countries, and it is no secret many people dream about living in an EU country. Let’s imagine you are from another continent and are looking into how to get Malta passport from Nigeria (for example), as an easy way to secure your roots within Europe. Malta is economically and politically stable, with lovely beaches, a delectable cuisine, and world heritage significance. It would be difficult to find a better new home than Malta!
Malta has one of the greatest rates of economic growth in the European Union. It has been extremely successful in drawing major investors, entrepreneurs, and affluent individuals from across the world.
For many non-EU citizens, Maltese citizenship is an appealing choice. The Maltese government provides numerous options to obtain this status: ancestry, marriage, or state investment.
Here are the types of Maltese passport applications:
- First-time passport application if you are over 18 y.o.
- Passport application if you are under 18 y.o.
- Alien’s passport application.
- Refugee passport application.
- Collective passport application.
Malta citizenship by investment
Malta citizenship by investment is one of the most popular ways to get citizenship in Europe, owing to the numerous benefits it offers investors and the short timescale required to obtain a new passport.
Malta’s citizenship by investment program, which is actually a citizenship by naturalization scheme called the Maltese Citizenship Act Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services Regulations, enables eligible investors to get passports for themselves and their family members in exchange for a real estate minimum investment, financial donations to a government fund, and investments in government-approved bonds.
Obtaining a Maltese Passport through Investment
When searching for how to get citizenship in Malta, or a Malta passport by investment, keep in mind that it is not realistic to get Maltese citizenship by self-investment. Prospective candidates must begin the application procedure through a franchisee or authorized agent. This implies that the only option to obtain Maltese citizenship by investment is through an approved individual. As a result, contacting these professional certification experts to learn more is the best approach to get started. The Malta Community Agency’s official website has a list of approved agents.
To be eligible for the Malta Citizenship by Naturalization for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment process (CES), otherwise referred to as the Maltese Citizenship Act Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services Regulations, you must fulfill the following requirements:
- All candidates must be at least 18 years old.
- A contribution of at least €600,000 for a residency of at least 36 months, or a contribution of at least €750,000 for a residence of at least 12 months.
- Purchase a residence in Malta for at least €700,000 that must be kept for at least five years. Another option is to rent a residential home for at least €16,000 per year for five years. Note that the property cannot be sublet during these five years. During residency, a 36-month (or 18-month) lease or real estate purchase is necessary.
- A contribution of at least €10,000 to a Maltese Community Authority-approved sport, cultural, scientific, charitable, animal welfare, or social NGO.
- Legal residency in Malta for at least 36 months, or 12 months under exceptional circumstances, including a leasehold of a residential property with an annual rent of at least €16,000 kept throughout the same time. For citizenship, applicants must have a residency card.
Timeframes for Maltese passport processing
You must have resided in Malta for at least 36 months (or 12 months) before applying for citizenship. If you complete the Level 1 due diligence and apply for a residency permit through the Malta Community Agency, they will confirm whether you satisfy all of the requirements. If this is the case, applications for eligibility can be submitted. They will undergo additional scrutiny (levels 2-4) and will be sent to the relevant Minister of Malta, who will evaluate their qualifications before making a decision.
Following this, you must fulfill the investment conditions. Following the investment, you will need to make an oath and receive an official naturalization certificate. Maltese Community Agency representatives will continue to monitor your situation for five years after granting citizenship.
The application procedure can be time-consuming and tiresome in general. However, you must have the proper documents in place and follow the correct procedures to avoid any complications. So make sure you fill out all of their paperwork truthfully.
Malta dual citizenship
If you are interested in getting a second passport, try looking for how to get Malta passport as Malta permits dual citizenship, which means you can be a national of both Malta and another country. However, it is important to investigate the legislation of your place of origin to clarify whether dual citizenship is permitted. Otherwise, you may be forced to forfeit your citizenship.
Since February 2000, Maltese people have been able to hold dual citizenship. This was established in Article 22 of the Maltese Constitution, giving up Maltese citizenship is not required.
A Malta passport allows you to travel freely and visa-free across much of the world, as well as helping you build a prosperous future for yourself and your family.
People benefit from dual Maltese citizenship in the following ways:
- Safety
Investors who are Maltese nationals can create a haven for themselves and their families in Malta or another EU country. A Malta passport allows them to travel or relocate quickly if unanticipated political, economic, or other challenges arise in their home country.
Citizenship in Malta permits buying real estate and retaining your money in a European bank. Having second citizenship in Malta allows you to visit the country, even in exceptional circumstances, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic when much of the world was cut off from international travel.
- Moving to the EU
The primary benefit of immigration to Malta in 2024 is the ability to live in any EU nation as well as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein without time or other limitations. Furthermore, while investors have the option of relocating to Malta or another EU member state, they are not required to do so.
- Quality healthcare
The European Union countries routinely rank well in terms of population health. The Bloomberg Health Index 2022 listed Italy, Spain, Iceland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Norway among the top ten nations in terms of the superiority of their healthcare systems.
If you need to endure a lengthy course of treatment, you must be able to live freely in the European Union, and a Maltese passport allows you to.
- Work and make business in the EU
Maltese nationals, unlike holders of residence permits for financially independent persons, can work and even start a company or other business in any other EU country.
- Visa-free travels
A Maltese passport allows you to travel visa-free to 170 countries across the world. On the other hand, a Maltese passport does not allow the holder to relocate to the United Kingdom. A Maltese national cannot stay in the UK for longer than six months without a visa and will need a residence permit to remain there.
- European education
With a Maltese passport, you and your children may study in any EU country without having to apply for a student visa or worry about falling under the quota established for citizens from third countries. You do not need any further authorization to stay in Malta or another EU nation after graduation and when you are looking for work.
How to renew a Maltese passport
You must renew your Maltese passport every ten years. Maltese passports are biometric in type.
How do you renew your Maltese passport?
Adults over the age of eighteen who desire to renew their passports must visit a passport office in person and bring the following documents:
- Electronic ID cards and other similar papers` front and back copies.
- Completed 1, 2, 5, and 9 parts of Form A.
The passport office will keep your face and fingerprint photos.
Normally, applications are completed and collected from the passport office within four working days. The applicant will be alerted if their application is incomplete. This may cause the entire procedure to take longer. If at least one of the necessary papers is not supplied, the application process will be terminated straight away.
Passports are not renewed in the case of minors, and the minor must reapply for the first time.
Global Citizen Solutions has created its very own Global Passport Index to measure the true strength of a passport. To create this, quantitative data like composite indicators were used to analyze specific criteria that determine the attractiveness of a passport. The ranking is based on data from various institutions and multilateral organizations, such as the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the Sustainable Development Report, and was put together in collaboration with senior analysts.
In our 2023 Global Passport Index, Malta ranks in 34th position, making it one of the strongest in the world, particularly given that Maltese passport holders can enjoy visa-free access to 172 countries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy a Malta passport?
It is not possible to buy citizenship in Malta, however, citizenship by naturalization is possible. Family members are also eligible. Maltese passports are available for eligible investors and their families if they conduct real estate investments and provide financial assistance to state funds and bonds that have been approved by official regulators. They will need to fulfill all the requirements of the citizenship by investment program.
Who can have a Maltese passport?
People can become Maltese citizens if they were born abroad but they have Maltese parents or their family resides in Malta, by marrying a Maltese passport holder, or by naturalization. Another way to get Maltese citizenship is by investment.
