Malta’s Permanent Residence Programme to increase in cost

Malta’s Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) will undergo significant changes starting 1st January 2025, with one of the changes being a rise in costs.

The other amendments will affect eligibility criteria and application deadlines. The upcoming amendments will introduce stricter financial requirements, higher costs, and modifications to qualifying property criteria.

The main changes:

Increased administrative fees

• The administrative fee for the main applicant will rise from €40,000 to €50,000.
• Dependants will now incur a €10,000 fee each, consisting of a €5,000 non-refundable administrative fee and a €5,000 financial contribution.
  

Higher financial contributions

• Main applicants opting for owned property will contribute €30,000, up from €28,000.
• For rented property, the contribution increases to €60,000, compared to the current €58,000.
  

Revised property requirements

• Minimum property purchase value will increase to €375,000 for both Malta and Gozo, standardising the threshold. Previously, the requirement was €300,000 for properties in the South of Malta or Gozo, and €350,000 for properties in other areas of Malta.
• Annual rental requirements will rise to €14,000 across all regions, eliminating distinctions between areas.
  

New dependant eligibility rules

• Dependent children must be under 29 years old, unmarried, and financially reliant on the main applicant. Previously, no age limit applied.
  

Updated financial eligibility

• Applicants can now qualify by proving total asset ownership of €650,000, with a minimum of €75,000 in liquid financial assets. This supercedes the existing criterion of €500,000 in assets, with €150,000 in liquid form.

These changes primarily impact applicants submitting their applications from 1st January 2025 onward. Applicants looking to benefit from the current, less costly regulations must act quickly to meet submission deadlines.

To accommodate the transition, applications under the current regulations must be submitted by 31st December 2024. Applicants can submit a partial application with essential documents initially, provided the full documentation is completed by 28th March 2025.

Missing these deadlines will result in the application being considered withdrawn, requiring resubmission under the new, stricter regulations.

The changes will make Malta’s Permanent Residence Programme significantly more expensive:

• For a sole main applicant, costs will rise by at least €32,000, from €150,000 to €182,000.
• For a family of four, costs will increase by a minimum of €62,000, from €150,000 to €212,000.

These figures exclude additional expenses such as professional agent fees, document legalisation, health insurance, and logistical costs.