Nomad Watch
MT

Nomad Residence Permit

Active Special rate Schengen

Malta · Permess ta' Residenza Nomadi · Formal dn visa · apply online · processing 30+ days

Minimum income $3,915/month $46,981/year
Stay 12 → 48 months, renewable
Application fee $324 plus $324 per dependent
Tax 10.0% Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules

Path to staying

  1. Visa12 months
  2. Renewup to 48 months
  • Leads to residency
  • Leads to citizenship

Overview

Country
Malta
Visa name
Nomad Residence Permit
Local name
Permess ta' Residenza Nomadi
Program type
Formal dn visa
Status
Active
Initial duration
12 months
Max duration
48 months
Income requirement
$3,915/month ($46,981/year)
Application fee
$324
Tax status
Special rate

Requirements

  • Health insurance required
  • Criminal record check required
  • Proof of accommodation required
  • Proof of employment or clients required
  • University degree not required

What you can do

  • Work for local companies
  • Freelancers eligible
  • Employees eligible
  • Work permit included no
  • Bring dependents
  • Multiple entry
  • Travel in Schengen
  • Open a local bank account

Family and dependents

Dependents allowed
Yes
Dependent fee
$324

Tax

Tax status
Special rate
Tax rate
10.0%
Tax regime
Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules
Regime duration
4 years
Foreign income taxed
Yes
Tax residency trigger
183 days

How to apply

Application method
online
Processing time
30+ days
Can apply in-country
Yes
Multiple entry
Yes
Schengen access
Yes
Can open bank account
Yes
Renewable
Yes (12 mo cooldown)

Notes

Residency Malta Agency issues this permit to third-country nationals, aged 18 or over, who work remotely for an employer, company or clients outside Malta. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals cannot apply. Nationals of Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen and Venezuela are ineligible, as are applicants from Russia and Belarus, and people the Agency treats as closely tied to those countries. New applications need gross income of €42,000 a year. €3,500 a month is that yearly figure divided by 12; the Agency publishes the year, not a separate monthly test. Applications submitted before 1 April 2024 keep €32,400. The income must be guaranteed for five cumulative months from the application date. Qualifying work is employment with a foreign employer, business for a foreign company of which the applicant is a partner or shareholder, or freelance or consulting contracts with clients established abroad. Services to anyone in Malta, including a foreign employer's Maltese subsidiary, are not allowed. The permit lasts one year from the day the residence card is issued and may be renewed three times, four years in total, at the Agency's discretion. A renewal needs at least five cumulative months in Malta during the previous twelve, shown by transactions in Malta, and should be filed two to three months before expiry. If the permit ends without a renewal, a renewal is refused, or an application is rejected, the next application waits twelve months. Earlier time on this permit still counts toward the four-year cap. It does not lead to long-term residence, citizenship, or the Malta Permanent Residence Programme. The administrative fee is €300 per person, non-refundable, by bank transfer from the main applicant's own account. Identità charges €100 per person for the residence card, paid by card at Residency Malta. A national visa, where one is required, is extra. Changing address or replacing a card costs €50. The checklist also requires the application fee on a renewal; no different renewal amount is published. The USD fee fields convert the €300 only. Apply on the Residency Malta portal. Processing is expected to take 30 working days from the receipt of funds, not counting a visa. There is no published maximum. After approval in principle, insurance and accommodation are due within 30 working days. Insurance must cover at least €100,000 in the EU, including Malta, and the UK, for a full year paid in advance. Travel insurance is not accepted. The card needs a residential lease or purchase of at least twelve months. A prepaid temporary stay of fifteen days to one month can cover arrival, but the card is not issued for a hotel stay, hostel, boat, marina, caravan or PO Box. The card then takes three to four weeks. While it is valid, travel in the rest of the Schengen area is limited to 90 days in any 180-day period. Someone already in Malta on a valid visa or residence permit may apply, and must not overstay while waiting. A spouse, minor children, unmarried adult children who are principally dependent, and adult children who cannot live independently because of a medical condition or disability may be included. No extra income amount is published for them. They cannot be added after the fee is paid, except at renewal. A newborn can be added in between. Authorised-work income is taxed at 10% under the Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules, S.L. 123.210, after twelve months from the later of the permit issue date and 1 January 2024. That first year is not taxed unless the holder tells the Agency the stay is not merely casual. Foreign tax of at least 10% on the same income can settle the Maltese charge for that year. The permit does not itself make the holder tax resident. Other income follows the Income Tax Act. More than 183 days in Malta in a year is residence under the ordinary rules, and ordinary residence can also arise from ties without reaching 183 days. The four-year tax-regime figure is the permit cap, not a separate sunset in the tax rules.

Also in Malta

Malta also offers these long-term residency programs

Last verified Oct 9, 2026 Last changed Oct 10, 2026 Source

Change history

    • Income monthly (USD) 4450 3915
    • Income annual (USD) 44500 46981

    pointed the application link at the Residency Malta portal and the source link at the current FAQ. The published administrative fee remains €300 per person, with a separate €100 card fee, so the stored dollar fees were left Source

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