Malta Startup Residence Programme (MSRP)

Year establishedPublished

2022

Governing lawPublished

Subsidiary Legislation 217.26 of the Immigration Act (Malta Startup Residence Programme Regulations)

Responsible authorityPublished

Residency Malta Agency, jointly with Malta Enterprise

What the program providesPublished

Incorporate an innovative startup in Malta with at least EUR 25,000 tangible investment or paid-up capital and hold a renewable, Malta-Enterprise-monitored residence permit for founders, co-founders and family

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Minimum agePublished

18 years

Clean criminal record requiredPublished

Yes

Local health insurance requiredPublished

Yes

Nationality restrictionsPublished

Yes

Basic eligibilityPublished

Be a third-country national (not from a sanctioned country) founding or co-founding (max 6 co-founders) a startup under 7 years old in an eligible sector, with an approved business plan and at least EUR 25,000 tangible investment/paid-up capital (plus EUR 10,000 per co-founder beyond the fourth)

Employment statusPublished

Self-employed

Generational limitPublished

Not applicable

Family sponsorshipPublished

Yes

Spouse includedPublished

Yes

Children includedPublished

Yes

Child age limitPublished

18 years

ChildrenPublished

Spouse, de-facto partner, minor children and financially-dependent adult sons/daughters of founders, co-founders and core employees are all eligible and must be named in the first application

No governed customer claim is present for this section.

Processing timePublished

12.9–21.7 weeks

Can apply without travelingPublished

No

How you applyPublished

Online business-plan submission to Malta Enterprise, then online residence-permit application through Residency Malta Agency

Required in-person stepPublished

Startup must be fully incorporated and the founder(s) resident and registered as company employees in Malta before residency cards are collected

What the processing time measuresPublished

Third-party relocation-agent estimate of about 90 days to about 3-5 months from business-plan submission to card issuance; no single official processing-time figure published

Official application routePublished

https://startup.residencymalta.gov.mt/

Minimum investmentPublished

$29,250

Minimum passive investment (July 2026)Published

None required

Minimum active investment (July 2026)Published

$29,250

Processing feePublished

$878

Application feeUnknown

Unknown

Total cost to applyPublished

$878

Monthly income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly pension income requiredPublished

None required

Monthly rental income requiredPublished

None required

Savings requiredUnknown

Unknown

Proof of sufficient fundsPublished

Yes

Local bank deposit requiredPublished

No

Minimum local bank depositPublished

None required

Fees paidPublished

Before approval

Cost notesPublished

EUR 750 application fee per adult applicant/dependant (~USD 878) for the 3-year programme, plus EUR 300 residence card issuance fee and EUR 690 Jobsplus employment licence fee per founder/co-founder/core employee (official fee schedule, Aug 2025)

Stay required to keep statusUnknown

Unknown

Physical presence requiredPublished

Yes

In-country visit requiredPublished

Yes

Move-in windowUnknown

Unknown

Length of residencyPublished

36 months

Residency is lifetimePublished

No

RenewablePublished

Yes

Maximum durationPublished

96 months

Maximum duration is lifetimePublished

No

Stay rule (Sept 2026)Published

Founders and co-founders must have a physical, tangible presence in Malta and must live and pay taxes there; the official eligibility document (v4.2, Aug 2025) does not state a day-count, though several relocation-agent sources cite Malta's standard 183-day tax-residence test

Tax residency rulePublished

Residence is determined based on various factors including permanent home, regular course of life, and locality of income

Personal income taxPublished

range between 0%-35%

Time to permanent residencyPublished

5 years

Time to citizenshipPublished

5 years

Work for a local employerPublished

No

Start a businessPublished

Yes

Remote or freelance workUnknown

Unknown

Local healthcare accessUnknown

Unknown

University accessUnknown

Unknown

Can buy landUnknown

Unknown

Local bankingUnknown

Unknown

Permanent residence timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Citizenship timeline basisPublished

Years stated

Plan B note (Sept 2026)Published

The official eligibility document requires founders to actually live in Malta and pay Maltese taxes but does not itself state a day-count; the 183-day figure quoted by several relocation firms is Malta's standard tax-residency threshold, so per this brief's rule it was not used as the immigration presence figure -- recorded as 'presence required, day-count not found' instead, which conflicts with the list's own '183 days' claim.

Official program websitePublished

https://startup.residencymalta.gov.mt/

Plan B sources (Sept 2026)Published

https://startup.residencymalta.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Malta-Startup-Residence-Programme-Eligbility-and-Requirements-V4.2-August-2025.pdf | https://residencymalta.gov.mt/contact/ | https://www.csbgroup.com/services/malta-residency-for-non-eu-nationals/malta-startup-residence-programme/ | https://investmentpolicy.unctad.org/investment-policy-monitor/measures/4126/malta-launches-a-start-up-programme-targeted-at-foreign-entrepreneurs

Every fact on this page comes from the CitizensOS Mobility Asset Database (Sep 21, 2026 edition). A blank is shown as Unknown.