How to get a Maltese Citizenship
With Malta’s warm Mediterranean climate, EU membership, easy travel distances throughout Europe, thriving business community and largely English-speaking population, many who come to visit the Maltese islands choose to stay on and become an official citizen.
Here is how Maltese citizenship may be obtained via naturalisation, registration, or purchase.
How to get Citizenship through Naturalisation
To become a citizen of Malta by naturalisation, you must either be a former citizen of Malta; have been born abroad to Maltese parents who are returned migrants; have been born in Malta but hold foreign citizenship and at least one of your parents is a Maltese citizen; have been born to non-Maltese parents who subsequently acquired Maltese citizenship; or have been born abroad but are of Maltese descent.
You must also have resided in Malta for the 12 months immediately preceding your application, and for up to four years in total during the six years before that.
To start the application process, submit a residence certificate to Identity Malta, which can be issued by providing the Principal Immigration Officer at the Police General Headquarters in Floriana, with your current passport and all expired passports for the periods of your residence in Malta.
Once this certificate has been approved, you may proceed with your citizenship application. Along with it you may be asked to supply various documents as evidence where appropriate, such as your birth certificate, parent’s birth and marriage certificates, your passport and identity card, or marriage certificate. Your application should also include a letter explaining your reasons for becoming a citizen of Malta, a police conduct certificate and three passport-size portrait photographs.
To apply for naturalisation as a citizen of Malta, you should present all documents to Identity Malta, and also find two sponsors, who are not relatives, to complete part of the application form. The first sponsor should hold an official public services position such as a notary, doctor or parish priest, and the second should be any Maltese citizen to serve as witness. Once the completed form has been submitted, you will then need to take the necessary oaths of allegiance to Malta and pay an application fee. Read more about the process of moving to Malta.
How to Register for Citizenship
You may apply for registration as a citizen of Malta if you are or have been married to a citizen of Malta for at least five years; are a widow or widower of a citizen of Malta with whom you had been married for at least five years; are a widow or widower of a person who died before Malta’s Independence on 21st September 1964 but whose circumstances meant they would have become a citizen of Malta; are the son or daughter born prior to 21st September 1964 of a female citizen of Malta; are the son or daughter born outside of Malta between 21st September 1964 and 1st August 1989 to a female citizen of Malta; are a former citizen of Malta who does not qualify for dual citizenship since you did not spend six years living abroad or were formerly a citizen by registration or naturalisation; or are the second or third generation descendent born abroad of a person born in Malta to parents who were also born in Malta.
To support your application, you may need to supply other documents as evidence of your eligibility, such as your birth or marriage certificate, your parents’ or grandparents’ birth and marriage certificates, and any pertaining to your spouse. As with naturalisation, with your application, you will also need to provide your passport and identity card, and those of your spouse where necessary, and three passport-sized portrait photographs.
The required documents should be submitted to Identity Malta, where an official will oversee the completion of the application form by yourself and your spouse (where appropriate), and then guide you through the oath of allegiance to Malta and process your application fee. You may also be asked to go to the Police Immigration Office in Floriana for an interview. Read more about the difference between Maltese residency and citizenship.
How to apply for the Individual Investor Programme (MIIP)
It is also possible to apply for citizenship by investment, if you are not eligible to apply via naturalisation or registration, provided you can prove that you have been resident in Malta for a minimum of 12 months before the application, that you intend to purchase property and invest in Malta, and that you are in good health with a clean police record.
In this case, applications should not be made directly to the Malta Individual Investor Programme Agency, but through any accredited agent which that has been licensed to do so in the terms of the Malta Individual Investor Programme (MIIP). Applicants obtaining citizenship in this way are considered naturalised Maltese citizens for life and may have dual citizenship with another country.
To purchase Maltese citizenship, the contribution to be paid towards the National Development and Social Funds (NSDF) under the IIP starts at €650,000 for the main applicant, of which €10,000 is a non-refundable deposit, then is €25,000 for your spouse, €50,000 for every unmarried child between the ages of 18 and 26, and €50,000 for every dependent parent over the age of 55.
Additional Due Diligence Fees that are payable to Identity Malta include €7,500 for the main applicant, €5,000 for your spouse, €3,000 for every child between the ages of 13 and 18, €5,000 for each unmarried child between the ages of 18 and 26, €5,000 for every dependent parent over the age of 55, and €500 per passport. There is also a bank charges fee per application of €200.
In a process that takes several months to complete, due diligence checks are carried out to verify your situation and that the necessary funds are in place to support the application.
Conclusion
Malta has been taken by storm by investors from several industries and sits perfectly located for travel and business and is an ideal place for well-to-do individuals that are not only looking for a second home but a place where they can live a luxury lifestyle that is in an English speaking environment that has all the amenities that one would look for in a home of residence. Discover RE/MAX Malta’s wide range of available properties for sale in Malta and Gozo ideal for any type of property investor relocating and acquiring Maltese citizenship.