Q: Can I still buy Maltese citizenship in 2026?
A: No. Malta closed its citizenship-by-investment
route to new applicants in 2025, following the ruling of the Court
of Justice of the European Union in April 2025. There is no lawful
way to purchase Maltese or EU citizenship in 2026. Citizenship by Merit (CBM) — a discretionary,
case-by-case grant under the Maltese Citizenship Act — is based
on exceptional contribution to Malta, not on a fixed financial
investment.
Q: Why was the Malta citizenship by investment program closed?
A: In April 2025 the Court of Justice of the
European Union ruled in Commission v Malta (Case C-181/23)
that granting nationality in exchange for predetermined payments or
investments, without a genuine link to the country, is incompatible
with EU law. Malta subsequently ended the investment-based route.
Separately, the merit provisions of Maltese law were revisited
through statutory processes.
Q: What replaced Malta citizenship by investment?
A: Nothing replaced it like-for-like. The
investment framework was repealed; separately, Maltese law provides
for Citizenship by Merit (CBM) under the Maltese Citizenship Act
(Cap. 188), by which citizenship may be granted for exceptional
contributions — in science, innovation, entrepreneurship,
culture, or philanthropy — that bring lasting benefit to
Malta. Komunità Malta emphasises that CBM is neither a
programme nor a scheme, pathway, continuation, or alternative to
the former investment framework: there is no price, grants are
discretionary, and every case is assessed on its merits after a
residency stage.
Q: Is the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) still open?
A: Yes. The MPRP — often called the Malta
Golden Visa — was not affected by the 2025 ruling, which
concerned citizenship, not residency. It remains open in 2026 and
grants permanent residence to non-EU nationals through a government
contribution, administration fee, philanthropic donation, and a
qualifying property purchase (from €375,000) or rental (from
€14,000 per year).
Q: Does Malta residency lead to citizenship?
A: Not automatically. MPRP permanent residence
does not convert into citizenship after a set period.
Naturalisation on the basis of long residence exists under the
Maltese Citizenship Act but is discretionary and assessed case by
case. Anyone promising that Malta residency guarantees a passport
is misrepresenting the law.
Q: An agency is offering me a Maltese passport for an investment. Is that legitimate?
A: Treat it as a serious warning sign. No agent,
licensed or otherwise, can lawfully sell Maltese citizenship in
2026, and no agent can guarantee approval of any Maltese
application. Verify any firm before engaging it: ask for its
license number and confirm it with Komunità Malta, the
government agency responsible for citizenship.
