Malta digital nomad visa (2026)

Who can apply

Only non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals; Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, DR Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen, Venezuela, Russia and Belarus are currently ineligible.

• Aged 18 or over and able to work remotely using telecoms
• Employee of a foreign employer, partner or shareholder in a foreign company, or freelancer with foreign clients
• Guaranteed income at the threshold for at least 5 months from the application date
• Health insurance, rental or purchase agreement, police conduct certificate and background check

Income requirement

You need to show at least €42,000 per year (gross) (about US$3,915 a month at rates from 11 Nov 2026). Minimum gross annual income for applications made from 1 April 2024 (earlier applicants keep €32,400); any extra amount for family members was not confirmed.

Documents you need

• Application form N4 for each person and a signed letter of intent
• Copy of every passport page
• CV with work and education history
• Last 3 months of official bank statements showing income
• Employment contract, company incorporation papers, or service contracts
• Police conduct certificate less than 6 months old

How to apply, step by step

1. Submit the application and documents through the Residency Malta online portal
2. Pay the €300 per person fee by bank transfer from the main applicant's account
3. After approval in principle, send proof of housing and health insurance within 30 working days
4. Get an entry visa if needed, then book biometrics in Malta and collect the residence card

Where and how to apply

Everything runs through Residency Malta Agency, a government agency that decides the permit; there is no consular application. You create an account on the agency's online portal and upload the whole file there, either from abroad or while already in Malta on a valid visa or visa-free stay (if you are in Malta, your permitted stay should still have at least 30 days left when you apply, and you should tell the agency its end date). A representative may act for you if both of you and a witness sign a declaration uploaded through the portal. A compliance officer first checks that the file is complete, then issues a receipt with payment instructions, and processing only starts once the agency's finance department confirms the fee has arrived. If you need a Schengen entry visa, the Central Visa Unit at Identita contacts you after approval and guides you through that step. Biometrics and card collection happen at the agency's office in Qormi. Decisions are discretionary and final: there is no appeal, and reasons for refusal are not given.

Timeline

1. Online submission and completeness check Day 0 onward
   Upload the forms and documents to the portal. An officer checks the file and sends a receipt with payment instructions.
2. Pay the application fee After the receipt
   Pay by bank transfer from the main applicant's own account. Processing starts only once the payment is confirmed.
3. Processing and background checks About 30 working days
   Covers checks on the main applicant and dependants. Entry visa time is not included. The agency may raise questions in a report.
4. Approval in principle Then 30 working days to respond
   Submit proof of accommodation and the health insurance policy within 30 working days of the letter's date, then wait for the letter of final approval.
5. Entry visa, if required Enter within the visa's 90-day window
   The Central Visa Unit at Identita contacts visa nationals; applicants needing a visa must have booked at least 15 nights of accommodation.
6. Biometrics after arrival Book by email once in Malta
   Write to nomad.residencymalta@gov.mt to get an appointment.
7. Residence card About 3-4 weeks after biometrics
   You are notified by email and collect it in person with your passport; the card fee is paid by card only.
8. Renewal 2-3 months before expiry
   Overstayers are refused, and the submission receipt does not extend your stay.

Proving your income

Proof is built around the main applicant's last three months of bank statements. They must be official statements downloaded as PDF from the bank's online portal or app, show every transaction, carry no masked details, be in the main applicant's own name, and show the income credited directly into that account; screenshots or other formats are refused. Employees add an employment contract that sets out duties and states that the work may be done remotely from any location. Business owners and partners add the company's certificate of incorporation and share register (or the local equivalent) and three months of statements showing self-employment income. Freelancers add service contracts setting out duties and the payment rate, plus statements showing the matching payments coming in. Every applicant must show a guaranteed income source meeting the threshold for at least five months in total counted from the application date, and the agency may ask for further evidence. The threshold is gross, so salary before tax counts. No currency rule is published, but any document not in English needs an English translation and every file must be a PDF. Passive income such as dividends from unrelated investments is not listed as a qualifying source; the categories are employment, business ownership and freelance work.

Bringing your family

The main applicant can include a spouse, a de facto partner in a stable unmarried relationship of more than two years, minor children of either partner, unmarried adult children who mainly depend on the main applicant, and adult children who cannot live independently because of a medical condition or disability. Parents cannot be included. A de facto partnership is shown through a declaration signed by both partners, dated photos and two further documents, such as shared bills, leases, joint bank accounts, flight tickets or affidavits from people who know the couple. For children, the agency needs birth certificates and consent forms signed by both parents, plus custody papers where relevant; if the main applicant lacks sole custody and both parents are not applying, prior approval is needed. No extra income per dependant is published, but every dependant needs a police certificate where the issuing country provides one, and must be covered by the health policy. Dependants cannot be added after the fee has been paid or the application approved; they can join at renewal, except newborns, who can be added by email with Forms N2 and N4, a passport copy and the birth certificate. Neither the holder nor the dependants may work for or do business with employers or companies based in Malta; questions about local work permits go to Identita.

Health insurance

The policy is submitted after approval in principle, within 30 working days, not with the first application. It must be a comprehensive health policy covering the main applicant and every dependant in Malta and across the EU and the UK, with at least EUR 100,000 of cover per person, and it must meet the agency's table of minimum benefits, including medical assistance and hospital treatment. It has to be fully paid in advance for a full year; monthly-premium plans and travel insurance are refused. The policy must also last at least as long as the residence card, so if the card runs past the policy you will need to extend it. Along with the policy you send the purchase receipt, the benefits table and a signed declaration that you will pay any medical costs it does not cover. Permit holders have no right to free public healthcare in Malta.

Cost and processing time

The fee is €300 per person application fee plus €100 per person for the residence card. Processing takes about 30 working days after the fee is received. Budget extra for translations, certified copies and health insurance.

After you arrive

• Email nomad.residencymalta@gov.mt to book biometrics once you are in Malta; the residence card follows in about 3-4 weeks and must be collected in person with your passport (card payment only).
• Keep long-term housing in order: the card needs a lease or deed covering at least 12 months, with Housing Authority registration approval, a declaration of floor area and bedrooms, a recent ARMS utility bill and outside photos; hostels, boats, marinas and caravans are not accepted.
• Report any change of address to the agency within 10 working days with Forms N3 and K and the new lease; the change costs EUR 50, and not reporting it can lead to revocation.
• Tax registration is automatic: after the card is issued, the main applicant is registered with the Malta Tax and Customs Administration.
• Spend at least five months (cumulative) in Malta in each 12-month period and keep bank records of local card payments, because these are the evidence used at renewal.
• Tell the agency about any change of employer or work arrangement; moving to a Malta-based job means giving up the nomad permit and applying for a local permit.
• While the permit is valid you can travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180.

Tax

The Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules (S.L. 123.210), in force since 1 January 2024, set a separate regime for the main applicant's authorised work, meaning work for an employer or clients that are not resident in Malta and have no fixed place of business there. Income from that work is not taxed in Malta for the first 12 months after the later of the permit issue date or 1 January 2024. After that, it is taxed at a flat 10%. You can choose to be taxed from the start by filing a declaration with Residency Malta by 31 January of the following year stating that your residence is not casual. If you can prove with official documents that you paid at least 10% foreign tax on the same income, you do not need to file a Maltese return for it, provided the proof reaches the agency by 31 March of the following year; foreign tax below 10% is credited only through a Maltese return. Any other income is taxed under the normal Income Tax Act rules. Holding the permit does not by itself make you tax resident: under general rules you become resident by spending more than 183 days in a year or by coming with the intention to settle, and people who are not domiciled or not ordinarily resident are taxed on foreign income only when it is remitted to Malta. Employers are not required to run Maltese payroll withholding (FSS). From the second renewal, a tax compliance declaration from a local practitioner is required. Permit holders are not entitled to a Maltese pension or social benefits.

Does it lead to permanent residence?

The nomad permit is not a route to settlement. Residency Malta states that it does not lead to permanent residence or citizenship, and the permit itself stops at four years in total (the first year plus three renewals); earlier periods on the permit count toward that cap even after a break. Someone who wants to stay longer must qualify for a different status. The agency notes that a holder may apply for the separate Malta Permanent Residence Programme through a licensed agent, but must give up the nomad permit if that application succeeds.

Why applications get refused

• Background check findings: criminal records, adverse media reports or earlier Schengen visa refusals (the agency names these as possible grounds but does not disclose the actual reason).
• Bank statements that are not official portal or app PDFs, are masked, are not in the main applicant's name, or do not show the income being paid in.
• Work that serves Malta-based employers or clients, including being contracted by a foreign company to work for its Maltese subsidiary.
• Unacceptable housing or insurance after approval in principle: unregistered leases, hostels or boats, travel insurance or monthly-paid policies, or missing the 30-working-day deadline.
• At renewal: overstaying before filing, or failing to show at least five months of residence in Malta in the previous 12 months.
• After any refusal you must wait 12 months from the refusal letter before reapplying, and there is no appeal.

Cost of living in Sliema / St Julian's (Malta's main nomad area, near Valletta)

1-bedroom rent

EUR 800-1,560 per month in central areas; EUR 700-1,100 outside central areas (Numbeo country data for Malta, updated 8 November 2026)

Coworking desk

From about EUR 239 to EUR 399 per month for an open-space desk at Regus and Signature centres in Swatar and St Julian's (workin.space listings, viewed November 2026)

Numbeo puts unlimited broadband of 60 Mbps or more at about EUR 25-42 per month (November 2026); the lease must be registered with the Housing Authority for the permit, which rules out many informal rentals.

Good to know

• Renewal requires bank evidence of at least 5 months' residence in Malta in the previous 12 months
• Spouse and children can be included in the first application; others can be added only at renewal

Visiting first? Entry rules for popular passports

93 passports can enter Malta visa-free for a short stay, a common way to try the country before applying. Check Malta visa requirements for your passport.

Official source

Residency Malta Agency – Nomad Residence Permit

Not yet confirmed on an official source: income details. Check these with the consulate before you apply.