Malta has a popular Golden Visa program, and so when it announced big changes were coming in 2025, investors worldwide were interested.
What are those changes, and how will they affect those who have already applied or will apply soon?
Below is everything you need to know—along with crucial deadlines—so you can plan your application (or finalize your existing one).
What Is the MPRP?
Malta has two ways that investors can pay their way into the country.
- The Golden Passport: The first is the much more controversial citizenship-by-investment scheme. This gives you direct access to citizenship, and you can learn more about the Malta Golden Visa program here.
- The Golden Visa: The second and much less controversial scheme is the Malta Permanent Residence Program (MPRP), which has a significantly lower barrier to entry but only gives you legal residence in the country.
The MPRP (or Golden Visa) lets you live and work in Malta under legal residence—as long as you meet the investment requirements. The time you spend here in the country can contribute to the residency requirements for naturalization, so it is technically also a pathway how to get Maltese citizenship.
While Malta’s Golden Passport has been facing legal challenges as of late (more on that below), it’s the Golden Visa program that’s getting a revamp.
What Exactly Is Changing?
On November 19, 2024, the Maltese government published Legal Notice 310, which included a range of changes to the MPRP program.
1. Raising Fees
- Administrative Fee Increase: From €40,000 to €50,000.
- Main Applicant’s Financial Contribution:
- €30,000 (if you purchase a qualifying property) vs. the current €28,000.
- €60,000 (if you rent a qualifying property) vs. the current €58,000.
- New Dependant Fee: €10,000 per dependant, divided into a €5,000 non-refundable administrative fee and a €5,000 financial contribution.
2. Property Thresholds on the Rise
- Minimum Purchase Value:
- From €300,000–€350,000 (depending on location) to a flat €375,000 (applies anywhere in Malta and Gozo).
- Minimum Annual Rent:
- From €10,000–€12,000 (depending on location) to a flat €14,000 per year.
This is important. There are no more location-specific distinctions for lower-cost property in the south of Malta or Gozo—all regions now share the same higher threshold.
3. Revised Eligibility Criteria
- New Financial Eligibility Option
- Previously, applicants had to show €500,000 in assets, with at least €150,000 in financial assets. Now, can also qualify if you prove at least €650,000 in total assets, €75,000 of which must be in financial assets. This effectively widens who can apply—those with a higher total net worth but perhaps less liquidity in financial assets get a new path to eligibility.
- Age Limit for Dependent Children
- Must be under 29 if unmarried, financially dependent, and included in the application.
Timeline: What’s Changing, and When?
- December 31, 2024:
- The Residency Malta Agency (RMA) continued to accept MPRP applications under old rules until this date.
- January 1, 2025:
- All new MPRP applications submitted on or after this date are automatically subject to the updated (and more expensive) regulations.
- March 28, 2025:
- If you have an application processing under pre-310 rules, you need to finish sending over any outstanding documentation for those applications by this date.
Why Is Malta’s MPRP Golden Visa Changing?
Since Malta introduced its various citizenship-by-investment (so-called “Golden Passports”) and residence-by-investment (so-called “Golden Visa”) programs, there’s been pressure to make them harder to qualify for.
The pressure has mostly come from EU commissions wanting to keep citizenship in the bloc secure. This kind of pressure led to waiting times in the first place—Malta used to grant citizenship immediately after making a qualifying investment.
Though these changes have made both the citizenship and residence by investment programs a bit more difficult to navigate and complete, Malta presents the easiest way for wealthy foreigners to gain access to an EU country.
But in October 2024, the European Commission agreed that Malta’s “Golden Passport” program does not violate its rules.
That’s big news.
So, why did Malta announce only one month later that it would change its rules for the much less controversial Golden Visa program?
There seem to be two major reasons. The first is that the cost of qualifying investments needs to be raised periodically to reflect inflation. That’s a common theme for updates of this kind around the EU.
The second broadens the appeal by allowing you to structure your qualifying financial assets in two different ways.
The changes that stand out the most are the adjustments to dependents—with a cap set on the age of child dependents and new fees imposed for each included on your application. This seems to de-emphasize families.
Am I Still in Time to Apply Under the Current Rules?
No. The new rules are now fully in effect for anyone applying to the MPRP.
Malta’s Golden Visa in 2025 and Into the Next Decade
Did Malta end the Permanent Residence Programme in 2025? No.
Really, the recent news suggests that the program (along with its much more attention-grabbing sibling, the Golden Passport) is here to stay.
But the program has definitely changed its emphasis. Those wanting to qualify with large families are facing much higher costs. But those with less liquid financial assets? They might find they qualify now when they couldn’t before.
Whatever your situation looks like, we advise you to have an expert look over the details. Malta’s multiple investment programs offer you a lot of options, and it might be worth pushing for full citizenship by investment versus legal residency. To see how Legal Notice 310 changes your path to Malta, schedule a free call with one of our team members today.
