The Revised Malta Residence and Visa Programme

The recent amendments effected to the Malta Residence and Visa Programme (‘’MRVP Malta’’ or ‘’the Programme’’) have made the Programme even more attractive Programme than it was when the Programme was initially released. By means of Legal Notice 189 of 2017, published on the 4^th of July 2017, the MRVP has experienced amelioration in its substantive requirements in such a way that it now enables the applicant and his/her dependants to obtain and retain their residence permits in Malta in a more simplified and appealing manner. The purpose of this article is to highlight the changes now in place and how these changes have contributed to the Programme’s improvement.

The first amendment to be dealt with is the one which has abolished an age restriction from the Programme itself. With Legal Notice 288 of 2015, the main applicant’s adult dependants or the dependants of their spouse could only benefit from such Programme if they were unmarried and economically dependent on main applicant, until they turned 27. This age restriction has now been removed and although the dependant must still be economically dependent on the main applicant and unmarried, he/she will not lose residency and visa rights once they turn 27. Also, should an adult dependant decide to get married after his/her own eligibility has been confirmed, the spouse of the dependant and his/her biological or adopted children can also be included with the main applicant’s residency certificate. With these recent amendments, the main applicant may also include his/her spouse or his/her spouse’s children who are born or adopted after the approval date. Children of the main applicant and/or spouse or of the previously approved dependant child’s spouse can now also be included. Naturally, these additions would be subject to successful due diligence checks as well as an additional non-refundable contribution fee of Eur5,000 per person.

The second amendment involves the removal of yet another restriction – the non-allowance to reside in Malta for an indefinite period of time. In fact, under 2015’s Legal Notice, the main applicant and dependants had to spend either 6 consecutive months or an aggregate period of 10 months, during a four-year period, abroad. This meant that if either the main applicant or his/her dependants resided in Malta for a continuous period of 5 years, they would have been deemed long-term residents and under the 2015 regulations, this would amount to a breach in the MRVP Programme and the forfeiture of their residency rights. With the 2017 amendments, this restriction is no longer in place and the main applicant and dependants can now obtain long-term residence in Malta, subject to the respective requirements being satisfied.

Another amendment includes the incorporation of an additional Eur5,000 contribution fee  for every parent or grand-parent of the main applicant or spouse to be paid during application stage.

While the Malta Residence and Visa Programme has an already established success, there is no doubt that the recent amendments will make this Programme even more successful than it was before, allowing third country nationals to reside, settle and stay in Malta indefinitely more easily, while at the same time enjoying a vast range of benefits including amongst others visa-free travel within the Schengen area, safety and a Mediterranean quality of life.

For more information on the MRVP Programme, contact us by email at [email protected]