There are two real routes to permanent residence in Malta, and they suit very different people. If you already live and work there, five years of legal, continuous residence lets you apply for long-term residence for a €500 fee. If you want permanence from day one, the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) costs €99,000 in government fees and contributions plus a property bought for at least €375,000 or rented for at least €14,000 a year.
What does permanent residence in Malta actually mean?
It means the right to keep living in Malta without a job-linked or temporary permit. Under both routes, the status is permanent but the card is renewed – the long-term residence card is issued for five years at a time.
Permanent residence is not citizenship. You keep your own passport, you cannot vote in national elections, and a long absence or a breach of the conditions can end the status. It does let you travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 on your Maltese residence card.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens play by different rules. They need no permit to live in Malta, register their residence with Identità for free, and acquire permanent residence automatically after five years of legal residence under EU free-movement law.
How do you get permanent residence after five years?
This is the route for non-EU nationals who moved for work or family, and the rules are the same for every nationality – an Indian nurse, a Filipino carer and a Briton who arrived after Brexit all qualify the same way. Identità grants long-term residence to third-country nationals who:
- have lived in Malta legally and continuously for at least five years;
- have stable and regular resources to support themselves and any dependants;
- have their own accommodation in Malta;
- meet the integration measures set out in Subsidiary Legislation 217.05.
The application fee is €500, the form is filed online through the Expatriates Unit portal, and your passport must be valid for at least six months when you submit. Once granted, the status is permanent and the residence permit runs for five years before renewal.
"Continuously" is the word that trips people up. Gaps between permits, or periods without legal status, can reset the count – so a missed Single Permit renewal years earlier can cost you far more than the €150 renewal fee.
What is the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)?
The MPRP is the investment route, open to non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals who can show capital and buy or rent a qualifying home. It is regulated by Subsidiary Legislation 217.26, amended in 2025 by Legal Notice 146 of 2025, and run by the Residency Malta Agency. You cannot apply on your own – the application must go through an agent licensed by the Agency.
You first prove you hold the required capital, then pay the fees, then secure the property:
- Capital: assets of at least €500,000, of which €150,000 in financial assets, or €650,000, of which €75,000 in financial assets – kept for five years.
- Property: a home bought for at least €375,000 or rented for at least €14,000 a year, anywhere in Malta or Gozo, held for at least five years.
- Health insurance covering you and your dependants, and a clean due-diligence check.
How much does the MPRP cost in 2026?
The government charges are the same whether you buy or rent. They add up to €99,000 for the main applicant – which is where the "€100,000 permanent residency programme" figure people search for comes from.
| MPRP payment | Amount | When it is due |
|---|---|---|
| Administration fee | €60,000 | €15,000 within 1 month of applying, €45,000 within 2 months of approval in principle |
| Government contribution | €37,000 | Within 8 months of approval in principle (same for owning or renting) |
| Donation to a registered Maltese NGO | €2,000 | With the contribution, after approval in principle |
| Each additional adult dependant | €7,500 | Spouse and minor children are exempt |
| Qualifying property | €375,000 purchase or €14,000 a year rent | Held for at least 5 years |
On the rental route, the minimum total outlay over five years is about €169,000 (€99,000 plus five years of rent at €14,000), before agent and legal fees. Every fee and contribution is non-refundable, so the agent's due-diligence assessment matters before you pay the first €15,000.
How many years does it take to get PR in Malta?
Five years on the standard route, counted from your first legal residence permit. On the MPRP, residence is permanent from the start, and the process – from application to approval – typically takes several months of due diligence before the property, contribution and donation fall due.
Two other routes are often confused with permanent residence:
- Nomad Residence Permit: a temporary permit for remote workers earning at least €42,000 a year from a foreign employer or clients, issued for a year at a time. Do not plan on it counting towards long-term residence without confirming with Identità.
- Global Residence Programme and Malta Retirement Programme: tax programmes with a 15% flat rate on income brought into Malta. They support a residence permit but are not permanent residence in themselves – see Malta tax for expats.
Can you buy property in Malta and get residency?
Not by buying alone. A €375,000 home is one of several MPRP conditions, alongside the capital test, the €99,000 in payments and due diligence. Foreigners can buy property in Malta without any residence status at all, but the purchase itself grants no right to live there.
Renting is the cheaper way into the MPRP and the more common choice for applicants who are not sure where they want to settle. A €14,000-a-year lease is about €1,170 a month, below Numbeo's October 2026 average of ~€1,750 for a three-bedroom flat in a city centre – so a typical family rental in the harbour area already qualifies.
Does permanent residence lead to Maltese citizenship?
It can, but not automatically. The Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188) allows naturalisation for someone who has lived in Malta throughout the 12 months before applying and for at least four of the six years before that, has adequate knowledge of Maltese or English and is of good character. The decision is at the minister's discretion.
The old citizenship-by-investment route is closed. The EU Court of Justice ruled against Malta's scheme on 29 April 2025, and the investor naturalisation route was removed by Act XXI of 2025, in force from 24 July 2025. Permanent residence through the MPRP remains open.
If you are still choosing between routes, the overview of moving to Malta compares every permit side by side.
Budgeting for the years in between matters as much as the paperwork – rents, bills and a realistic monthly total are in our guide to the cost of living in Malta.
01How do I get permanent residency in Malta?
Non-EU nationals have two main routes. After five years of legal, continuous residence, you can apply to Identità for long-term residence for a €500 fee, provided you have stable resources, your own accommodation and meet the integration measures. Alternatively, the Malta Permanent Residence Programme grants permanent residence through an investment of €99,000 in government payments plus a qualifying property.
02Is it hard to get PR in Malta?
The long-term residence route is mostly a matter of time and paperwork: five continuous years of legal residence, stable income and your own accommodation. Gaps in your permits can reset the five-year count. The MPRP is fast but expensive, requiring capital of at least €500,000 or €650,000 and a licensed agent.
03How much money do you need for the Malta Permanent Residence Programme?
In 2026 the MPRP requires a €60,000 administration fee, a €37,000 government contribution and a €2,000 NGO donation – €99,000 in total – plus a property bought for at least €375,000 or rented for at least €14,000 a year for five years. Applicants must also hold assets of €500,000 (€150,000 financial) or €650,000 (€75,000 financial).
04Can I buy property in Malta and get residency?
Not through the purchase alone. Buying a home worth at least €375,000 is one condition of the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, which also requires €99,000 in government payments, proof of capital and due diligence. Foreigners can buy property in Malta, but ownership by itself gives no right of residence.
05How many years to get PR in Malta?
Five years of legal and continuous residence for the standard long-term residence route, after which the €500 application is decided by Identità. EU citizens acquire permanent residence automatically after five years. The MPRP grants permanent residence from approval, without a waiting period.
06Does Malta permanent residence lead to citizenship?
Not automatically. Under the Maltese Citizenship Act, naturalisation requires residence throughout the 12 months before applying plus at least four of the previous six years, adequate Maltese or English and good character, and the minister decides. Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme closed in July 2025 after the EU Court of Justice ruling.
Featured image: Leandro Neumann Ciuffo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
