How to become a citizenship by investment in Malta

Malta has a citizen by investment program that has been in place since 2013. The program allows individuals who want to benefit from the privileges of being a Maltase citizen to acquire second citizenship in Malta under the grounds of investment.
 
Advantages of a Maltase Citizenship
Citizenship by Investment in Malta, as approved by the EU has a lifetime validity and can be passed to descendants. Your application can extend to cover parents and spouses. A Maltese citizenship will grant you access to investment opportunities within Malta, the EU, and the Schengen area. As an EU citizen, you will have the right to take part in work or study activities and even reside in any of the member states with greater ease.
 
Taxation of New Citizens
The tax regime implemented in Malta only considers the domicile or residency status of the contributor, not the citizenship. Acquisition of residency status for taxation requires proof of intent to live in Malta indefinitely or a guaranteed stay for at least 183 days. Tax for residents is on income and capital gains received or remitted to Malta. Non-resident citizens will only be taxed on Malta sourced income.
 
Eligibility
Citizenship by investment is governed by the Malta Individual Investor Programme (MIIP). This program is supported by the legislature that allows for affluent and reputable people to be awarded Maltese citizenship on the basis of a financial contribution and investment in Malta. An applicant has to be 18 years of age to be eligible for this program. A clean criminal record will be needed thus a police certificate must be submitted to certify this. A clean bill of health is also required.
 
Required Investments
As the main applicant, you will be required to contribute a minimum of €650,000 to Malta once your citizenship has been approved. The contribution is split between a government established fund run by a board of trustees and a consolidated fund. Partners and children below 18 years of age on the application are required to contribute €25,000. Other family members like unmarried children between the ages of 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each. 
The government requires candidates under this program to make regular investments in bonds and shares considered helpful to Malta. These investments are to be held for a minimum of 5 years. An investment in property worth €350,000 in value also falls under the requirements. Alternatively a rental on the property of €16,000 p.a. can be considered an equivalent investment for this purpose.
 
Process
The complete process to acquire citizenship under this program will take a period of 12 months. Your citizenship will be approved following a 4 month processing period. The next stage will include fast track residence cards which take from 1 to 3 weeks to process. A passport issue will take 12 months from the initial date of residency to be processed.
 
Residence Status
A continuous link with Malta incubated over a period of 12 months is required for citizenship to be approved. An approved agent may solicit ate written confirmation from Identity Malta on the genuine nature of vetted links on behalf of the applicant. The applicant is also required to adhere to the set minimum physical presence requirement on the Island.
 
Professional Assistance
For more insights on Malta’s citizenship by investment, you may contact SIGTAX. Our invaluable team, which consists of expert lawyers, accountants and consultants will give you detailed information and counsel during each step.  Our lawyers can provide you with finer details on the legal aspects pertaining to Malta’s citizenship by investment so that you don’t skip any necessary steps.