Legal Services

Malta Residence and VISA Programme Regulations (MRSVP)

Under the MRVP rules the successful applicant is granted with a certificate for residence in Malta which allows him to reside, settle or stay indefinitely in Malta provided that the conditions of the programme are satisfied.

Eligibility Criteria 

An applicant needs to meet all the below requirements, throughout the entire duration and persistence of the certificate, in order to be eligible to benefit from the MRVP:

1. Be at least 18 years of age

1. The applicant is a third country national and is not Maltese, EEA or Swiss national

1. The applicant must not be a beneficiary under the Residents Scheme Regulations, the High Net Worth Individuals Rules, the Malta Retirement Programme Rules, the Residence Programme Rules, the Qualifying Employment in Innovation and Creativity Rules or the Highly Qualified Persons Rules

1. The applicant holds a “Qualifying Property Holding” for a minimum period of 5 years from the date of the certificate, at a consideration of:

1. not less than €320,000 for a property situated in Malta or not less than  €270,000 for a property situated in Gozo or in the south of Malta (qualifying owned property); or

1. rent property at a lease of not less than  €12,000 per annum for a property situated in Malta or not less than  €10,000 per annum for a property situated in Gozo or in the south of Malta (qualifying rented property);

1. Holds a qualifying investment having an initial value of €250,000 in a form determined from time to time by Identity Malta, which investment needs to remain so held for a period of 5 years from the date of the certificate

1. The applicant is in receipt of stable and regular resources which are sufficient to maintain himself and his dependants without recourse to the social assistance system of Malta

1. The applicant is in possession of a valid travel document

1. The applicant is in possession of sickness insurance in respect of all risks across the whole of the European Union normally covered for Maltese nationals for himself and his dependants, if any

1. The applicant should provide an affidavit declaring that from the date of the application onwards he has either an annual income of not less than hundred thousand euro (€100,000) arising outside Malta or has in his possession a capital of not less than five hundred thousand euro (€500,000)

1. The applicant must make a “one-time” financial contribution of €30,000 to the Government of Malta;

Procedure for Application

An application under MRSVP can only be submitted to Identity Malta through the services of an accredited agent. The accredited agent is tasked with submitting the form, and making certain declarations on behalf of the applicant, carrying our due diligence procedures, etc. The acknowledgement or request for more information of the application will be sent to the Applicant’s accredited agent.

Necessary due diligence procedures should be carried out in line with the qualifications, general requirements and eligibility criteria laid down by the MRSVP. The applicant should provide the authority with a proper background verification of the applicant and his dependents if any, over the age of 12 years, a police certificate, shouldn’t be indicted before the International Criminal Court, not listed with INTERPOL etc.

Tax Treatment

From a tax perspective, the beneficiary would not be subject to a reduced rate of Malta tax and the general Malta basis of taxation would apply i.e.:

Persons who take up residence in Malta but retain a domicile of origin or choice outside of Malta are only taxable on a remittance basis and are subject to Maltese tax on:

(a)    Income/capital gains arising in Malta; and

(b)   Income arising outside of Malta which is received in Malta

The certificate which is issued by Identity Malta is monitored annually for the first 5 years from issuance, and every 5 years thereafter.