Malta Relocation Checklist — Europe Unlocked

Phase 1 · 12–18 months out

Decide with real numbers

Take a scouting trip — you get 90 days visa-free per rolling 180 (EES has been counting your days since October 2025; ETIAS ~€20 expected late 2026) Pick your route: Retirement Programme (15% tax, pension-led), MPRP (permanent, ~€99,000 fees), GRP, or the Nomad Permit (€42,000/yr income) — compare all four Shortlist areas with the Where to Live guide — Sliema and Gozo rents differ by up to €1,000/month, and south/Gozo carry lower programme property thresholds Build a monthly budget from the Cost of Living data, not from YouTube optimism Book a cross-border tax consultation — the remittance basis rewards planning done before residency (clean-capital accounts, IRA/RRSP timing, Canadian departure tax) Get private health insurance quotes at your actual age — €100,000 minimum coverage applies to most permits, and some insurers won't start new policies past 70–75

Phase 2 · 6–12 months out

Build the paper foundation

Engage the required intermediary: an Authorised Registered Mandatory (MRP/GRP) or a Residency Malta licensed agent (MPRP/Nomad) — none of these can be filed by yourself Open your clean-capital account structure before tax residency: pre-move savings, post-move income, and realised gains in separate accounts (why this matters) Request FBI (US) or RCMP (Canada) criminal record checks and apostilles — they expire, so time them against your filing date Gather source-of-funds and income evidence: pension award letters, brokerage statements, MPRP asset declarations (€500,000/€650,000 tiers) Line up the qualifying property: MPRP buy ≥€375,000 or rent ≥€14,000/yr; MRP/GRP buy ≥€275,000 (€220,000 south/Gozo) or rent ≥€9,600/yr (€8,750) — 12-month minimum leases Buy the health insurance policy itself — full-year premium paid up front (monthly-pay policies are rejected for the Nomad Permit)

Phase 3 · 3–6 months out

Apply, then plan the physical move

File the application with fees: MRP €2,500 · GRP €5,500–6,000 · MPRP €15,000 first instalment · Nomad €300/person While due diligence runs, plan the move — see Living for pets, shipping, and the customs transfer-of-residence relief paperwork Pets: ISO microchip → rabies shot ≥21 days before travel → EU health certificate endorsed by USDA-APHIS or CFIA → dogs: tapeworm treatment 24–120 hours before arrival (Malta-specific) MPRP approval in principle: pay the €45,000 balance, the €37,000 contribution, and the €2,000 NGO donation within the deadlines Non-EU property buyers: apply for the AIP permit unless buying in a Special Designated Area (Housing guide) Book travel once approval letters are in hand — not before

Phase 4 · Arrival & first 90 days

Become a resident, properly

Attend biometrics; receive your eResidence card from Identità Register with the tax authority (MTCA) and diarise the annual return — MRP/GRP status carries a yearly minimum tax (€7,500/€15,000) and conditions to re-confirm Transfer the ARMS utilities account into your name and register on the Residential tariff — the default Domestic rate is the classic new-arrival overpayment Get your personalised tallinja card — bus travel is free for residents Start the Maltese driving-licence process now: US and Canadian licences cannot be exchanged, and your home licence only covers the first 12 months (Living guide) Diarise the day-count rules: MRP needs 90+ days/year in Malta (5-year average) and never 183+ days in any other single country; 183+ days in Malta makes you tax resident on any route

The rules moved twice in eighteen months — the MPRP price rewrite (Legal Notice 146, applying from January 2025) and the citizenship-by-investment shutdown after the CJEU ruling (April–July 2025). The newsletter below is how we tell you when this page changes.

The whole move,in order.

Decide with real numbers

Build the paper foundation

Apply, then plan the physical move

Become a resident, properly

This checklist updates. So should you.

The whole move,
in order.