Citizenship

In 2014, the Government of Malta introduced the Individual Investor Programme (‘IIP’) which allows foreigners to obtain Maltese citizenship by naturalization. The IIP targets high net worth individuals wishing to acquire Maltese citizenship for themselves and their families by contributing to the economic and social development of Malta.

Benefits of IIP

For a reasonably modest capital outlay, the IIP grants the applicant and his family a notable return inter alia:

• A passport within one year and in the interim Schengen residence status;
• The right to freely live and work in Malta or in any other European Member State;
• Visa-free travel to 163 countries including European Member States, the USA, Switzerland and South Africa.

Who may apply

To qualify for citizenship, the main applicant must:

• Be over 18 years of age;
• Satisfy a fit and proper test and;
• Satisfy the statutory requirements required under the Individual Investor Programme of the Republic of Malta Regulations.

The main applicant may add his/her spouse, dependants under 27 years of age (under certain conditions) and dependants over 55 years of age to his citizenship application.

Requirements to benefit from the IIP

In order to benefit from the IIP, the following requirements must be satisfied:

• The main applicant must make a minimum monetary contribution of €650,000 and an additional €25,000 for his/her spouse and each and every child under 18 years of age An additional monetary contribution of €50,000 for every unmarried financially dependent child aged between 18 and 26 and every dependant adult aged over 55;
• There must be the rental or acquisition of immovable property in Malta at an annual rate of €16,000 or a value of €350,000 respectively;
• There must be proof of residence in Malta for a year;
• Liquid investments at a minimum of €150,000 in qualifying classes of bonds and/or stocks;
• There must be evidence of a global health insurance policy for the applicant and dependants as well as a declaration that they are in a position to retain such a policy indefinitely.

For further information about the IIP, please download our brochure here. Alternatively, you may contact us with any queries on info@dfadvocates.com.