Residency-by-investment is a fantastic – and often very cost-effective – alternative to citizenship-by-investment.
Take Malta. Malta offers both programmes but the Malta Residence and Visa Programme, MRVP, is enduringly popular.
The MRVP is especially relevant if your home nation restricts dual nationality, or if you simply don’t need second citizenship. If you’re happy waiting and applying for citizenship-by-naturalisation later this is also a good choice for you.
Here’s why the MRVP deserves your consideration.
7 reasons the Maltese residency programme is fantastic
There are plenty of benefits to Maltese permanent residency that have nothing to do with a new passport. Like these.
1. Live indefinitely in Malta
Build a new life for you and your family in Malta.
The MRVP is ideal if you’re planning to relocate. Malta is a fabulous place to spend time, with year-round sunshine, stunning beaches, an intriguing culture and fabulous food. Malta receives close to three million visitors annually.
Malta isn’t just for holidaymakers. Boasting the fastest-growing economy in the European Union, record-low unemployment, stable political landscape and robust infrastructure, Malta attracts expats from across the world.
Your Maltese residency visa means you can avail yourself of those benefits indefinitely, or whenever you need to.
2. Get a Schengen Residence Card
Travel visa-free across all 26 Schengen countries, together with Monaco, the Vatican and San Marino.
One of the biggest advantages to the MRVP is Schengen residency.
The Schengen zone consists of 26 European countries (including most EU members) that have abolished border controls at their mutual borders. That means nationals and residents of Schengen countries can cross into other Schengen countries visa-free.
Which includes you. You’ll get your Schengen Residence Card when you get your Maltese residency permit, which unlocks visa-free travel across the whole 26-state zone, together with Monaco, the Vatican and San Marino.
That’s especially valuable if your current passport makes entry into these countries difficult. Schengen residency means you can easily visit Germany for business, for example, or meet a potential investor in Italy, or indulge a last-minute holiday whim in Switzerland.
The point is, the MRVP doesn’t just unlock Malta. It unlocks almost a whole continent.
3. Go Beyond a Golden Visa
Unlike temporary residence programmes, commonly known as golden visas, the MRVP provides for immediate and Lifetime Permanent Residency. This means that the certificate is issued for life and is not subject to renewal every 5 years.
Another great advantage the programme offers you is the “EU Long-Term Residency“, which gives you many benefits of the Maltese citizenship. This residency is granted once you physically live in Malta for 5 years.
What’s more is that the status can be passed on to your spouse, unmarried and financially dependent children (up to any age), as well as parents and grandparents. Dependent children of the main applicant can also add their spouse and future respective children subject to an additional contribution. In this way it saves them having to reapply in their own name saving both time and money.
4. Progress to full citizenship
Apply for citizenship-by-naturalisation and unlock even greater mobility benefits.
Maltese residency is a powerful investment in its own right but it’s also an alternative route to full citizenship, as you become eligible for citizenship-by-naturalisation after a certain period physical residence and by satisfying some additional requirements.
The major benefit is improving your travel prospects on the global – not just Schengen – stage.
Malta is a member of the EU, and Maltese passport holders enjoy exceptional global mobility. Maltese citizens can travel to 183 countries on visa-free or visa-on-arrival terms, to put that into context. It’s the 4th most powerful passport globally.
5. Broaden your children’s horizons
Maltese residency could be a truly life-changing inheritance.
If you’ve got children (or you’re thinking about it), you’ll naturally be concerned with what inheritance you can leave them.
Maltese residency is an inheritance they can take advantage of now, when they’re young enough to truly enjoy it. Young enough that it could be life-changing.
It’s a question of broadening horizons. If you gift Maltese residency (and of course, the possibility of citizenship-by-naturalisation) to your children, you gift them possibilities. Think about the different people they could meet, places they could go, opportunities they could seize.
That’s a compelling benefit of the MRVP.
6. Leverage an advantageous tax system
Taxation is a broad subject; however, Malta is renowned for its advantageous tax system.
Unless you intend to physically spend more than 183 days annually and take active steps to become also domiciled in Malta, you have very little to worry about since you would only pay tax on income generated in Malta.
This means that for the rest of your global income generated and retained outside of Malta together with any global capital gains, you are not further taxable in Malta.
This means that for the rest of your global income generated and retained outside of Malta together with any global capital gains, you are not further taxable in Malta.
As a result, you can rest assure that by taking up Permanent Residency through the MRVP, you are not increasing your tax exposure. To the contrary, it means you can avail yourself from a preferential tax treatment to help you further protect your wealth.
The MRVP can be coupled with other solutions to also achieve a preferential fixed tax rate on foreign source income remitted to Malta.
7. Proven, secure process
Secure huge returns for little outlay, through a trusted and secure process.
You can trust the MRVP because it’s an established, popular programme with an exceptional reputation and transparent process.
Your registered agent will represent your interests and guide you through each step until you receive your residency card in just 9 months.
A big benefit of the MRVP is its tripartite investment structure, which means your capital is diversified and well-protected. Plus, the vast majority of your investment is refundable.
Here are the investment criteria:
First, EUR 30,000 non-refundable donation, which includes your spouse and any dependent children. (This compares favourably to the EUR 650,000 contribution for investors seeking full citizenship.) You can add other dependents like your parents onto your application easily for only EUR 5,000 each.
Then you buy property for EUR 320,000 (EUR 270,000 in South Malta or Gozo) or rent for EUR 12,000 per year for five years (EUR 10,000 in South Malta or Gozo). You can sell after five years.
Finally, you invest EUR 250,000 into Malta stock exchange listed securities, also for five years.
New citizenship and residency-by-investment programmes spring up constantly – it can be difficult to know which best suits you and your family. The seven benefits above show that Malta deserves your serious consideration.
Next Generation Equity is a government-approved provider of second citizenship and residency programmes tailored to the individual needs of discerning clients across the globe. To learn more about our programmes, please sign up for a free consultation via the form below.
