Malta · Citizenship by naturalisation
Granting of Citizenship by Naturalisation on the Basis of Merit
Malta's answer to the CJEU ruling. Act XXI of 2025 kept the Article 10(9) exceptional services power but stripped out every transactional element. It is governed by the Granting of Citizenship by Naturalisation on the Basis of Merit Regulations, Subsidiary Legislation 188.06, as amended by Legal Notice 159 of 2025. There is no set sum. The responsible Minister confirmed that applicants will no longer have to pay a fixed amount of money to acquire citizenship.
This is not a repackaged golden passport, and it should not be sold to clients as one. Financial investment alone does not count as merit. Each file goes to an independent Evaluation Board, which makes a recommendation to a Minister who retains full discretion. For the overwhelming majority of UHNW families, the honest answer is that Malta no longer offers a purchasable citizenship at any price.
Qualifying routes
Falls under the Article 10(9) ground. An independent Evaluation Board assesses each case.
Scientists, researchers, athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, technologists.
A residual, discretionary ground. It is assessed against Malta's Vision 2050 priorities.
The facts
- Total landed cost
- There is no published fee schedule or contribution amount. The only cost is professional and due-diligence fees. Do not model this as a priced product.
- Route type
- By residence
- Timeline
- 1–2 years (Indicative only. This is a discretionary process with no service standard, so treat it with caution.)
- Physical presence
- Not published as a fixed figure in the merit regulations. This route is not a substitute for the residence-based naturalisation track.
- Family
- Assessed case by case. There is no published dependant schedule
- Permanent residency
- Not applicable. If granted, this route confers citizenship directly.
- Citizenship
- This is a discretionary grant. There is no entitlement at any point.
- Language test
- Not published for this route.
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- Demonstrable exceptional service, contribution or interest under Article 10(9) of the Maltese Citizenship Act.Assessment by the independent Evaluation Board, which may interview the candidate and take expert sectoral advice.A clean criminal record and full due diligence.Alignment with Malta's national interest and its Vision 2050 development priorities.
- There is no quota, no fixed criteria, no fee schedule, no guaranteed pathway and no appeal. It is a discretionary ministerial act dressed in regulations, and it is unsuitable as the anchor of a relocation plan.
- Intermediaries are already repositioning MEIN marketing under the merit label, with implied price points attached. There is no price point. Any adviser quoting one is inventing it.
- The route is deliberately narrow, built to survive C-181/23 scrutiny. Volume approvals would invite a fresh Commission infringement action, so Malta has a structural incentive to keep grants rare.
- The timelines and eligibility detail here come from Maltese law firms, not from a published government service standard.