Employed abroad
You have an employment contract with a company registered outside Malta, and the contract says the work can be done from anywhere.
Malta · Nomad Residence Permit
Malta's Nomad Residence Permit lets non-EU remote workers, freelancers and company owners live on the island for up to four years while keeping their foreign income. Here is exactly what it takes — and how I get your file through it.
Figures verified against Residency Malta Agency · Last checked 2 Jan 2026
60-second check
Residency Malta reviews every file on its own merits, but these five conditions are non-negotiable. Answer honestly — a rejection costs you €300 and a 12-month wait before you can reapply.
One more filter. Nationals of a short list of countries — currently including Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Venezuela and the DR Congo — are not accepted, and Residency Malta can revise that list at any time. Check your nationality with me before you pay anything.
Three ways in
Your evidence pack is completely different depending on how you earn. Picking the wrong category is the most common reason a first submission gets sent back.
You have an employment contract with a company registered outside Malta, and the contract says the work can be done from anywhere.
You run business activity through a company registered abroad in which you are a partner or shareholder. Incorporation papers and a share register are required.
You invoice clients whose permanent establishments are outside Malta, under signed service contracts that state your duties and your rate.
Application route
The order matters: Malta approves you in principle first, and only then asks for your home and insurance. Start four to six months before the date you want to land.
Form N4 for every applicant, a letter of intent, every page of your passport, your CV, three months of official bank statements and an original police conduct certificate less than six months old.
2–6 weeks, mostly waiting on the police certificateEverything goes in as PDFs. A client relations officer checks the file for completeness before any money is requested.
By bank transfer from the main applicant's own account, per person, non-refundable. Processing only begins when Finance confirms receipt.
Residency Malta runs security and adverse-media checks and may come back with a report of queries.
30 working daysNow you prove where you will live and how you are insured: a lease or purchase agreement covering the permit, plus a fully prepaid year of health cover of at least €100,000 for the EU and the UK. Travel insurance is not accepted.
You have 30 working days to respondThe Central Visa Unit at Identità contacts you directly. Once issued, you have 90 days to enter Malta.
Email the agency on arrival to book your appointment, then collect the card in person with your passport and the €100 card fee.
Card issued in 3–4 weeksChecklist
Everything goes through the online portal as PDFs. The agency checks the file for completeness before it asks you for money, so a missing page costs you time rather than the fee — but it still costs you weeks.
Straight from the source
These open the Government of Malta website. Read the official list before you start — this page summarises it, it does not replace it.
Money and deadlines
| Item | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee, per applicant | €300 | After the completeness check, before processing |
| Residence card issuance, per applicant | €100 | In person in Malta, card payment only |
| Change of address or replacing a lost card | €50 | If it happens |
| Minimum health cover | €100,000 | Prepaid for a full year, after approval in principle |
| Minimum gross income | €42,000 | Proven over the last 3 months, guaranteed 5 months ahead |
| Entry visa fees | Varies | Only for nationalities that need a visa |
Under the Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules, S.L. 123.210, qualifying permit holders pay a flat 10% on income from authorised work instead of Malta's progressive rates, which reach 35%. A 12-month exemption applies first, running from the later of the permit issue date or 1 January 2024.
Holding the permit does not automatically put you inside these Rules — you have to meet their conditions too. Residency Malta does not give tax advice, and neither do I. Get an independent opinion for your own situation.
To renew, you show a bank statement with Maltese transactions proving you spent at least five cumulative months in Malta over the previous twelve. Submit two to three months before your current permit expires — overstayers are refused outright.
Second and third renewals also need a tax compliance declaration from a local practitioner.
Work with me
I am a remote worker who has been through European residency paperwork myself. I prepare and track your file so nothing gets sent back for a missing signature. I am not a law firm — for legal or tax opinions I refer you to a licensed Maltese practitioner.
€149 excluding VAT
For people who want a straight answer before spending anything.
€1450 excluding VAT
Everything from blank page to Letter of Final Approval.
€500 excluding VAT
For families and anyone who wants the arrival handled too.
How representation works. Malta lets you appoint a representative by filing a declaration signed by you, me and a witness. The agency then treats my instructions as yours and copies me on all correspondence. You stay in control of the account and every decision.
Questions
Budget four to six months. Background checks alone take 30 working days from the moment your fee clears, the card takes another three to four weeks after biometrics, and the police certificate at the start is often the slowest piece.
Yes — spouse, minor children, and unmarried adult children who depend on you can be included. Unmarried partners need two years of documented relationship history. Dependants must be on the file from the start: you cannot add anyone after payment, except a newborn. Everyone else waits for renewal.
The €300 is not refunded, the agency does not disclose its reasons, and there is no appeal. You can submit a fresh application 12 months after the rejection letter. This is exactly why the file is worth preparing properly the first time.
No. Neither you nor your dependants may work for or supply services to anyone based in Malta. Doing so can get the permit revoked. If you want Maltese clients, you need a different permit based on employment or self-employment in Malta.
Only temporarily. A hotel or short-let booking of 15 days to one month gets you through the approval stage, but the residence card is issued against a 12-month lease at a real residential address. Hostels, caravans and boats are not accepted.
No. The Nomad Residence Permit is capped at four years and is a separate programme from the Malta Permanent Residence Programme. If you switch to MPRP you have to give this permit up.
Send me your nationality, how you earn, and your last three months of income. I'll tell you within two working days whether the file is worth building — and what's missing if it isn't.
Tell me your nationality, how you earn and roughly what you earn. If you used the checker above, your answers are attached automatically — you can see exactly what is being sent below.
Your eligibility answers, sent with this message
I reply within two working days. Your details are used to assess your application and nothing else — no list, no forwarding.
Sources
This page is general information, not legal, immigration or tax advice, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Government of Malta or the Residency Malta Agency. Fees, thresholds and eligible nationalities change — always confirm the current position with Residency Malta Agency before you act. Package prices are for application preparation and administrative support only; legal and tax opinions are referred to licensed practitioners.