Individual Investor Program in Malta

Malta is one of the most appealing citizenship by investment countries in Europe from several points of view. Among these, the beautiful landscapes that attract impressive numbers of tourists every year, the taxation system, and the quality educational and healthcare systems. All these contribute to making Malta one of the best places to live in this part of the world.

For years now, the government has enabled various options under the golden visa program through which those who want to relocate to Malta can access special immigration schemes and one of them was the Individual Investor Program (MIIP), which closed in 2020.

Below, our agents who specialize in assisting foreign citizens who want to buy golden visas explain how this scheme worked. You can also rely on us if you want to apply for Malta's current residence programmes.

Malta’s former citizenship by investment scheme

The Individual Investor Program was Malta’s citizenship by investment scheme from 2014 to 2020 (now closed) and its 2020 successor was ruled contrary to EU law by the CJEU on 29 April 2025. The European Commission challenged it and the CJEU held the investment route contrary to EU law in 2025. It has attracted an important number of foreign high net worth individuals outside the EU who wanted to move to Europe in citizenship by investment countries. As a matter of fact, there is no EU recognition of such schemes.

In order to move to Malta under the golden visa program and more specifically under the Individual Investor Program, one must comply with specific requirements that have been amended at the end of 2020. The amounts to be invested have been altered and investors could choose to apply for citizenship after 1 or 3 years; this route is no longer available since the CJEU ruling of 29 April 2025.

Our golden visa agents in Malta are at your service with information about the legislation under which foreigners can obtain golden passports in this country.

Conditions under the Malta Individual Investor Program

The MIIP is dedicated to high net worth foreigners who are not EU citizens but want golden passports. However, these must meet specific conditions in order to accede to the scheme and will be subject to verifications completed by the agency in charge with application approvals.

The following requirements applied under Malta's former investor citizenship schemes (MIIP closed in 2020; its successor was struck down in 2025):

• the applicant must have a good character and a clean criminal record;
• he or she must make a contribution of at least 600,000 euros to the local economy;
• he or she must also invest at least 150,000 euros in government bonds;
• an additional donation of 10,000 euros to a non-government organization must also be made;
• the applicant can relocate with other family members against a financial contribution;
• for dependents, the contribution is 50,000 euros.

Apart from these, the golden visa applicant has two investment options:

• real estate property purchase with a value of 700,000 euros;
• real estate property lease with a minimum value of 16,000 euros per year.

The investment must be maintained for at least 5 years.

Before the CJEU ruling of 29 April 2025, the minimum investment of 600,000 euros enabled a person to obtain a Maltese golden visa/citizenship by investment in 3 years, while an investment of 750,000 euros granted citizenship in one year.

If you are interested in entering golden visa countries, our agents can guide you through new requirements.

You can also rely on us if you are interested in moving to other European countries and obtaining EU residency.

The main advantages of entering the Individual Investor Program in Malta

Moving to Malta through the Individual Investor Program has several advantages, among which these are only a few:

• free access to all EU members states;
• free access in the Schengen area;
• visa-free travel to 160 countries.

The claim that the MIIP was recognized by the European Union, presented here as one of the greatest advantages of this program, is not correct: the CJEU struck down Malta's investment citizenship on 29 April 2025. The main requirement to be acknowledged was for the applicants to obtain a one-year residence permit during which he or she only had to travel to Malta followed by citizenship under the conditions presented above.

The latest change to the golden visa program also implied a limited number of 400 application approvals.

How can our specialists help you buy a golden visa in Malta?

If you are interested in buying a golden visa in Malta, our officers are at your service with information and support in preparing the necessary documents for immigration.

We will explain the documents you need to file for verification and also the contributions you need to make, including setting up the bank account in which the amount of money to be deposited as proof of the investment.

Once you move here, we will advise on the steps you need to complete in order to register with the local authorities.

If you are interested in moving to Malta and applying for a residence programme, do not hesitate to contact us for support for the entire procedure. The same services are available through our agents in other golden visa countries.