Malta

Naturalisation by residence. Ordinary Maltese naturalisation after 5 years of legal residence.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Naturalisation by residence

Maltese citizenship on approval.

Twelve months of continuous legal residence immediately before applying, plus an aggregate of 4 further years of legal residence within the preceding 6 years.
Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188), Art. 10(1)
Good conduct, no serious criminal record, and evidence of integration.
Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188), Art. 10(1)

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Ordinary Maltese naturalisation after 5 years of legal residence.

Not legal advice.

Time: 1–2 years for the naturalisation decision once residence requirements are met.
Cost: About $1,000–2,000 in fees and translations.
The hard part: Malta’s citizenship-by-investment scheme (which offered citizenship in 12–36 months for a direct payment) was struck down by the CJEU in Case C-181/23 on 29 April 2025 as incompatible with EU law, so ordinary 5-year residence is now the only option; there is no shortcut left.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
Residence begins
No permit term of its own; the clock runs on legal residence.
2032
Permanent residence
Five years of legal, continuous residence (no absence over 6 months at a time or 10 months in total), the 100-hour ‘I Belong’ integration course passed at 75%, and a Maltese language certificate at MQF Level 2 with at least 65%. Student, seasonal and some family permits do not count.
2032
Apply for citizenship
With a language test.
2033
Citizenship

Language: An adequate knowledge of Maltese or English.
Time away: Living in Malta for the whole 12 months right before applying, and for at least 4 of the 6 years before that. The minister may count older residence in special cases.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Not a permit: five years of living in Malta (the last 12 months unbroken, 4 of the 6 before), then a discretionary grant.
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.

The law behind these dates

Time you must spend there: The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax: Naturalisation itself has no tax effect; ordinary Maltese tax residence rules apply based on days present and domicile.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Apply to Community Malta Agency once the residence requirement is met.Open komunita.gov.mt ↗

The official application forms, submission and recovery specification are not complete. Postern cannot run this application yet.

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