Since July 2025 Malta no longer grants citizenship for investment. An EU passport is available only through naturalisation by merit: an exceptional contribution to science, technology, sport, culture, entrepreneurship or philanthropy, at least 8 months of residence in Malta, and a decision by the Minister on the recommendation of an evaluation board. There is no fixed price and no promised outcome. For Indian citizens it would also replace the Indian passport. Such applications make sense only where there is a substantive basis.
Facts verified October 8, 2026 against official sources · Sources
Facts verified October 8, 2026 against official sources · Sources
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Article 7 of the Maltese Citizenship Act allows a person to be a citizen of Malta and of another country at the same time. Malta does not require renunciation. India, however, does not recognise dual citizenship, so an Indian citizen would surrender the Indian passport.
The spouse or partner and dependent children up to 28 are included in the proposal letter and receive certificates together with you after the oath.
The statutory test is the exceptional nature of the services, contribution or interest to Malta. That opens the route to people with genuine achievements and closes it to anyone who expected simply to pay.
Due diligence by the agency and independent providers of at least four tiers, an evaluation board chaired by an advocate of at least 7 years' standing, and the Minister's decision. A complaint about a refusal may be investigated by the Regulator (article 25A of the Act).
The requirement of at least 8 months of residence means the family genuinely settles on the island before naturalisation: a home, schools, ties — exactly what the board sees as a link to the country.
Facts verified October 8, 2026
| Contribution or investment | none set S.L. 188.06 as amended in 2025 contains no amounts; the contribution is assessed on its merits |
|---|---|
| Community Malta Agency fees | per the agency's tariffs non-refundable, at each stage; not published in the regulations |
| Residence before the main application | at least 8 months evidenced by documents; a residence permit is obtained for this period |
| A home in Malta | required ownership or lease, with no minimum amount in the regulations |
| Oath | within 6 months of the letter of approval; the Minister may extend in exceptional circumstances |
| Processing | no statutory term the regulations require evaluation 'within a reasonable period'; no specific deadlines |
Assessment of achievements, the field, plans for Malta and the family composition. Conclusion: whether there is a basis for merit or a residence route is needed.
A preliminary check of the family, then the proposal letter: achievements, description of the contribution, plan after naturalisation, supporting documents.
Community Malta Agency runs due diligence of at least four tiers with independent providers, requests documents and fees, then refers the proposal to the evaluation board. The board may call you for an interview.
The Minister approves the proposal in principle — with no duty to give reasons. The family obtains a residence permit and a home, settles in Malta and accumulates at least 8 months of residence.
The application is filed with proof of residence, the home, the contribution (endorsed by the designated competent body), language and ties. The agency updates its due diligence, the board evaluates again and the Minister takes the final decision.
A letter of approval, possibly with continuing obligations. The oath of allegiance to Malta within 6 months, then the certificate of naturalisation for the applicant and family.
The official conditions are above. Below is how this works in practice, from open sources and industry practice.
Malta's former investment-citizenship programme can no longer be presented as a working way to buy a passport for a fixed sum. After the Court of Justice of the EU's ruling of 29 April 2025 the law was changed and the transactional model removed.
Citizenship by merit has no universal price tag, and financial participation alone does not guarantee a positive decision. Obligations accepted by the applicant can matter even after naturalisation — up to deprivation of citizenship.
This path is worth considering only where there is genuine merit. If the family needs a predictable right to live in Europe, the correct move is to assess Malta's residence programmes separately and not to mix them up with citizenship. For Indian applicants that separation is doubly useful: a Maltese residence permit leaves the Indian passport untouched.
Community Malta Agency states that this is neither a programme nor a scheme and that promotion of the legislation is not permitted. That means no 'guaranteed packages' — only an individual, case-by-case assessment.
Malta's former investment-citizenship programme can no longer be presented as a working way to buy a passport for a fixed sum. After the Court of Justice of the EU's ruling of 29 April 2025, the law was changed and the old transactional model removed.
Citizenship by merit means an assessment of a person's contribution to the country. It has no universal price tag, and financial participation alone does not guarantee a positive decision. Obligations accepted by the applicant can matter even after naturalisation.
This path makes sense only where there is a substantive case for merit. If the family needs a predictable right to live in Europe, the correct move is to assess Malta's residence programmes separately — see the MPRP block — and not to mix them up with citizenship. For Indian applicants that separation is doubly useful: a Maltese residence permit leaves the Indian passport untouched, while Maltese citizenship, like any other, would replace it under India's single-citizenship rule.
| Citizenship by merit (art. 10(9)) | MPRP permanent residence | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | EU citizenship and a Maltese passport | A permanent right to live in Malta |
| Test | Exceptional contribution, service or interest to Malta | Payments, property, assets |
| Amount | None set; agency fees | EUR 60,000 fee + EUR 37,000 contribution + EUR 2,000; home from EUR 375,000 or EUR 14,000 a year |
| Residence | At least 8 months before the main application | Not required |
| Family | Spouse and children up to 28; parents not included | Up to four generations, including parents and grandparents |
| Indian passport | Surrendered — India allows no dual citizenship | Untouched — residence, not citizenship |
| Decision | The Minister on the board's recommendation, final, no reasons | The agency with the Approvals Board's authorisation, on fixed conditions |
Conditions as verified on 6 October 2026 under Cap. 188, S.L. 188.06 and S.L. 217.26; citizenship by merit is under legal review.
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Who the programme may suit, based on its terms.
The Act names job creation expressly as a form of exceptional contribution. This means a real business in Malta with a plan to develop it after naturalisation, not a one-off payment.
Recognised specialists whose work significantly advances Malta's interests: the evaluation board draws on experts in science, technology and research and may require an endorsement from a designated competent body.
Exceptional achievement in sport, the arts and culture is on the statutory list. What counts is not celebrity but a description of the contribution to Malta and a plan to continue it.
If the goal is the right to live in Europe rather than a contribution to Malta, the honest answer is to look at MPRP permanent residence, not citizenship by merit — and for Indian families residence also keeps the Indian passport. The two routes should not be mixed.
Citizenship by merit extends to the applicant's close relatives under the definition of 'dependant' in regulation 3 of S.L. 188.06. Below are the 2025–2026 conditions from the regulations, without generic phrases. The family composition is fixed at the time of the proposal letter.
A spouse in a monogamous marriage or a partner in a relationship with the same or similar status: civil union, domestic partnership, common-law marriage. 'Spouse' is gender-neutral, and the Minister may recognise other relationships case by case. The spouse goes through the same due diligence and takes the oath together with the applicant.
Children of the applicant or spouse, including adopted children: under 18 at the time the proposal letter is accepted — no conditions; aged 18 to 28 — if unmarried and wholly maintained or largely supported by the applicant; adult children with a disability — if maintained, at any age. Age is counted on the date the agency accepts the proposal letter.
The parents and grandparents of the applicant are not included in S.L. 188.06 — unlike the MPRP permanent residence programme. If moving the older generation matters to the family, a separate route is needed: MPRP admits dependent parents and grandparents of both spouses.
There are no fixed sums: the 2025 regulations removed all contributions, investments and former fees. The agency's administrative fees are set at each stage and, on the wording of the regulations, may be charged for each included family member; they can be stated only once Community Malta Agency's tariffs are received. Every adult goes through four-tier due diligence and takes the oath. Indian citizens surrender the Indian passport on naturalisation.
The family is included in the proposal letter and goes through due diligence together with the applicant; the approval in principle and the letter of approval are issued to the applicant and the named dependants. Documents of each family member are checked against the regulations before filing: a refusal for one family member delays the whole application. Verified on 6 October 2026 against S.L. 188.06 as amended by L.N. 159 of 2025.
Maltese citizenship by merit is naturalisation under article 10(9) of the Citizenship Act as amended by Act XXI of 2025 and under S.L. 188.06. The Minister may grant citizenship to a person who renders exceptional services or makes an exceptional contribution to Malta or to humanity, or whose naturalisation is of exceptional interest to the country. The decision is discretionary, taken on the recommendation of an evaluation board after due diligence by Community Malta Agency, and neither amounts nor timelines are written into the law.
The basis suits people with genuine achievements and a plan to develop them in Malta: entrepreneurs creating jobs, scientists and technologists, athletes, artists, philanthropists. The family — spouse and children up to 28 — is included with the applicant; parents are not covered by these regulations.
It does not suit anyone looking for a ‘passport for a fixed sum’: no such route has existed in Malta since July 2025, and the agency expressly prohibits promoting naturalisation by merit as a programme. For Indian citizens there is a prior question: India does not allow dual citizenship, so a Maltese passport would replace the Indian one. If the family needs a predictable residence status in the EU, MPRP permanent residence and the GRP tax regime are assessed separately — and never mixed with citizenship.
Before the oath the applicant confirms in writing that they will continue to fulfil the continuing obligations in the application and the letter of approval. The agency monitors compliance and may request proof; for a material breach the Minister deprives the person of citizenship.
After the oath the family receives certificates of naturalisation and then applies for passports. Children born later and a new spouse follow the general rules of the Citizenship Act, not these regulations. An Indian-origin family now holds Maltese passports only and switches to OCI for its ties to India.
The regulations do not include parents or grandparents in the definition of dependant. For them a separate route applies — for example MPRP permanent residence, where they are included in the application.
Malta's residence routes — MPRP (permanent residence) and GRP (tax status) — give the family the right to live on the island without a discretionary assessment of merit and without touching the Indian passport. Naturalisation by residence may be possible later on the general terms.
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Applications under the merit route (naturalisation for exceptional services or contribution under article 10(9)) are submitted by the applicant to Community Malta Agency: the 2025 reform removed references to agents from the law, and the agents' licensing regime was repealed by L.N. 58 of 2026. The applicant's contribution is endorsed by a designated competent body appointed by the Agency. Garant IN does not publicly market this route; this page is provided for information only.
No. Act XXI of 2025, in force from 24 July 2025, removed the direct-investment route from the Citizenship Act after the Court of Justice of the EU's judgment in case C-181/23. What remains is naturalisation by merit under article 10(9). Any offer of a 'Maltese passport for a fixed sum' describes an abolished model.
An exceptional service or contribution to the Republic of Malta or to humanity, or an exceptional interest of your naturalisation to the country. The Act defines 'exceptional' as manifestly superior or adding value and names scientists, researchers, athletes, artists, entrepreneurs (including job creation), philanthropists and technologists — 'amongst other persons of interest to the Republic of Malta'.
There is no fixed sum: S.L. 188.06 as amended in 2025 contains no contributions, no investment thresholds and no property minimum. There are non-refundable agency administrative fees at each stage, whose amount is not published in the regulations, and the cost of living in Malta for at least 8 months. No figures can be stated without the agency's tariffs.
Yes. The main application must be accompanied by proof of residence in Malta for at least 8 months in the period before filing, and by title to adequate residential property by ownership or lease. The Minister may waive the property requirement only for a family member without means of their own who remains in the applicant's household.
Two stages. First, a proposal letter to Community Malta Agency, due diligence of at least four tiers, evaluation by an independent board and the Minister's approval in principle. Second, after at least 8 months of residence, the main application with proof of the home, the contribution (endorsed by the designated competent body), language and ties, updated due diligence, a second board evaluation and the Minister's final decision. Then the oath within 6 months and the certificate.
There are no statutory deadlines: the regulations only require evaluation 'within a reasonable period'. The minimum is set by the residence requirement — at least 8 months before the main application — and the 6 months for the oath after approval. 'Within a year' should not be counted on: this is a discretionary procedure.
Yes. Under the regulations the Minister takes the final decision and is not obliged to give reasons. A complaint about the application process that led to a refusal may be investigated by the Regulator under article 25A of the Act, who presents conclusions to the Minister — but that is not a review of the decision on its merits.
Yes. Malta allows dual citizenship (article 7 of the Citizenship Act), but India does not: acquiring Maltese citizenship means surrendering the Indian passport and switching to OCI for your ties to India. OCI is not dual citizenship. For families whose main need is a European base, MPRP residence solves the task without that trade-off — both options should be compared before committing.
Before the oath the applicant confirms in writing that they will continue to fulfil the obligations in the application and the letter of approval. The agency monitors compliance. For a material breach, a threat to national security or conduct seriously prejudicial to Malta's interests, the Minister may deprive the person of citizenship under the procedure in article 14 of the Act.
Anyone who, or whose dependants, appear on sanctions lists or Interpol or Europol databases, have faced charges for terrorism, money laundering, war crimes or offences against the family and minors, have a conviction or charge for an offence punishable by more than 1 year in prison, or pose a threat to security — and anyone refused a visa by a country with visa-free travel with Malta who has not since obtained one, unless the agency is satisfied the refusal was unrelated to security.
Because they are not in the law. Community Malta Agency states plainly that citizenship by merit is neither a programme nor a scheme, that marketing of this legislation is not permitted, and that decisions are taken case by case. Figures from intermediaries' presentations are not transferred to this page and should be treated with the same caution.
Adult children — yes: aged 18 to 28 if unmarried and wholly maintained or largely supported by the applicant, and children with a disability at any age. Parents and grandparents are not included among dependants under S.L. 188.06. For the older generation a separate route applies, for example MPRP permanent residence.
There is no fixed sum for the applicant or the family: the 2025 regulations contain no contributions or investments. Non-refundable agency administrative fees apply, which on the wording of the regulations may be requested at each stage and in respect of each dependant. Fees can be stated only from Community Malta Agency's tariffs — until they are received no figures are given.
Figures and conditions on this page are checked against legislation and official pages. Last verified: .
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