NextSpring

Two Programmes Written in Almost the Same Words, No Income Threshold in Either, and a Language Test Nobody Mentions

Answer

The general rule applies to you

No exception is recorded for citizens of Jamaica on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.

172 exceptions recorded across 63 countries · none match Jamaica to Malta · Residency on passive income

Malta's route for someone living on income rather than a job is a pair of near-identical tax programmes: the Residence Programme Rules, S.L. 123.160, for an EU, EEA or Swiss national who is not Maltese, and the Global Residence Programme Rules, S.L. 123.148, for a third-country national who is not a long-term resident. Read side by side they are the same instrument with the nationality clause flipped. Both charge a non-refundable €6,000 on application, reduced to €5,500 where the qualifying property is owned and situated in the south of Malta. Both require a qualifying property - bought for at least €275,000 in Malta or €220,000 in Gozo or the south, or rented at €9,600 or €8,750 a year on the same split - occupied as the applicant's primary residence, with nobody else living there except dependants and declared household staff. Both tax foreign income received in Malta at 15%, with a floor of €15,000 a year payable whatever the income is, and everything else at 35%. Neither states an income figure: the test is "stable and regular resources which are sufficient to maintain himself and his dependants without recourse to the social assistance system in Malta", assessed by the Commissioner. And both carry a condition that gets left out of almost every summary: the applicant must be able to communicate adequately in one of the official languages of Malta. Since English is one of them under article 5(2) of the Constitution, that is a low bar for most applicants - but it is a condition, and it is not in the Malta Retirement Programme.

Verified with official sourceStable2026-10-11

At a glance

Which programme applies
Residence Programme for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals; Global Residence Programme for third-country nationals

Rule 4(a) of S.L. 123.160 and rule 4(a) of S.L. 123.148. The Global Residence Programme additionally requires that the applicant is not a long-term resident.

Income threshold
None stated in either instrument

Rule 4(d) of S.L. 123.160 and rule 4(d) of S.L. 123.148 both require only "stable and regular resources which are sufficient to maintain himself and his dependants without recourse to the social assistance system in Malta". Neither rule, and no schedule to either, names a figure.

Application fee
€6,000, non-refundable; €5,500 where the qualifying property is owned and in the south of Malta

Rule 3(1) of S.L. 123.160 and rule 3(1) of S.L. 123.148, in identical terms.

Qualifying owned property
€275,000 in Malta, or €220,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta

Rule 2 of both S.L. 123.160 and S.L. 123.148.

Qualifying rented property
€9,600 a year in Malta, or €8,750 in Gozo or the south of Malta

Rule 2 of both S.L. 123.160 and S.L. 123.148.

Tax on foreign income received in Malta
15%

Rule 5(1) of both instruments, with relief for double taxation under article 74(a) and (b) of the Income Tax Act.

Minimum tax
€15,000 a year

Proviso to rule 5(1) of both instruments, payable in full in the year the status is granted and in the year it ends. This is double the €7,500 floor under the Malta Retirement Programme.

Language
Able to communicate adequately in one of the official languages of Malta

Rule 4(g) of both instruments. Maltese and English are both official languages under article 5(2) of the Constitution, so the condition can be met in English.

Who may live in the property
Only the beneficiary, dependants, and household staff the Commissioner has been told about

Rule 2 of both instruments, in the definition of "qualifying property holding".

Losing the status by being elsewhere
More than 183 days in any other single jurisdiction in a calendar year

Rule 6(1)(f) of both S.L. 123.160 and S.L. 123.148. Unlike the Malta Retirement Programme, neither sets a minimum number of days in Malta.

Duty to report losing eligibility
Within 4 weeks of becoming aware

Rule 6(2) of both instruments, on a form the Commissioner requires.

Requirements

  • Be an EU, EEA or Swiss national who is not Maltese (Residence Programme), or a third-country national who is not a long-term resident (Global Residence Programme)
  • Hold a qualifying property, owned or rented at the threshold for its location, and occupy it as your primary residence
  • Stable and regular resources sufficient to maintain yourself and your dependants without recourse to social assistance - no amount is stated
  • Sickness insurance covering all risks across the whole of the European Union normally covered for Maltese nationals
  • Be able to communicate adequately in one of the official languages of Malta
  • Be a fit and proper person, and apply through an authorised registered mandatary
  • Not be a beneficiary of any of the other Maltese special tax programmes at the same time

What applies to you

Nothing changes for a citizen of Jamaica

We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.

What the law says

Text layer - verbatim verifiedResidence Programme Rules · Rule 4(a)
«(a) he is an EU, EEA or Swiss national but is not a Maltese national;»

The whole of what separates this programme from the Global Residence Programme.

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About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedGlobal Residence Programme Rules · Rule 4 and rule 4(a)
«4. A beneficiary is an individual who is not a long-term Amended by: resident and who proves to the satisfaction of the Commissioner L.N. 267 of 2014. that: GLOBAL RESIDENCE PROGRAMME [ S.L.123.148 5 (a) he is a third country national and is not a Maltese, EEA or Swiss national;»

"Beneficiary. Amended by: L.N. 267 of 2014." is the margin note and "GLOBAL RESIDENCE PROGRAMME [ S.L.123.148 5" the running head of page 5, both interleaved by the extraction.

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About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedResidence Programme Rules · Rule 4(c) to (h)
«(c) he holds a qualifying property holding; (d) he is in receipt of stable and regular resources which are sufficient to maintain himself and his dependants without recourse to the social assistance system in Malta; (e) he is in possession of a valid travel document; (f) he is in possession of sickness insurance in respect of all risks across the whole of the European Union normally covered for Maltese nationals for himself and his dependants; (g) he can adeq»

The quotation stops mid-word at a page break in the stored reading. Paragraph (g) is quoted in full from the Global Residence Programme Rules below, where the same words run on.

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About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedGlobal Residence Programme Rules · Rule 4(f), (g) and (h)
«(f) he is in possession of sickness insurance in respect of all risks across the whole of the European Union normally covered for Maltese nationals for himself and his dependants; (g) he can adequately communicate in one of the official languages of Malta; and (h) he is a fit and proper person.»

The language condition, in the same words in both programmes. The insurance has to be European Union-wide, not Maltese.

Read it at the source
About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedResidence Programme Rules · Rule 3(1)
«by paying a non-refundable administrative fee of six thousand euro (€6,000) upon application: Provided that in applications in respect of which the qualifying property is a qualifying owned property situated in the south of Malta, the non-refundable administrative fee shall be that of five thousand and five hundred euro (€5,500) to be paid upon application.»

The €500 discount applies only to an owned property in the south, not to a rented one and not to Gozo.

Read it at the source
About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedGlobal Residence Programme Rules · Rule 2, definitions of "qualifying owned property" and "qualifying rented property"
«"qualifying owned property" means an immovable property purchased at a consideration of not less than: (a) subject to the provisions of paragraph (b), two hundred and seventy-five thousand euro (€275,000) for a property situated in Malta; or (b) two hundred and twenty thousand euro (€220,000) for a property situated in Gozo or in the south of Malta»

The companion definition reads: "qualifying rented property" means a property taken on at lease of not less than: (a) subject to paragraph (b), nine thousand and six hundred euro (€9,600) per annum for a property situated in Malta; or (b) eight thousand and seven hundred and fifty euro (€8,750) per annum for a property situated in Gozo or in the south of Malta. S.L. 123.160 carries the same figures.

Read it at the source
About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedGlobal Residence Programme Rules · Rule 2, definition of "qualifying property holding"
«Provided that the persons who reside in the qualifying property are not persons other than (a) the beneficiary, and (b) persons that qualify as his dependants or household staff, provided that the Commissioner has been notified that such dependents or household staff will be so residing;»

The property cannot be shared with anyone else, and staff have to be declared. "dependents" and "dependants" are spelled both ways in the same sentence by the publisher.

Read it at the source
About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedResidence Programme Rules · Rule 5(1)
«Provided that the minimum amount of tax payable in terms of these rules in respect of the income arising outside Malta of the persons referred to in this sub-rule shall be fifteen thousand euro (€15,000) for any year of assessment. Such minimum amount is payable in full in both the year when the special tax status was granted and in the year when the individual ceases to possess the said special tax status.»

A floor, not a rate: €15,000 is due whether or not 15% of the remitted income comes to that much, and it is due in full in a part year at each end.

Read it at the source
About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedGlobal Residence Programme Rules · Rule 5(1)
«the rate of fifteen cents (0.15) on every 15% rate. euro shall apply on any income arising outside Malta in the year Amended by: L.N. 267 of 2014. immediately preceding the year of assessment which is received in Malta»

"15% rate. Amended by: L.N. 267 of 2014." is the margin note, interleaved by the extraction. The rate applies to foreign income received in Malta, not to foreign income as such.

Read it at the source
About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedGlobal Residence Programme Rules · Rule 6(1)(e) and (f)
«(e) if the individual’s stay is not in the public interest, or (f) if the individual stays in any other jurisdiction for more than one hundred and eighty-three days in a calendar year.»

S.L. 123.160 rule 6(1) carries the same two limbs in the same words. Neither programme sets a minimum presence in Malta.

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About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Text layer - verbatim verifiedConstitution of Malta · Article 5(2)
«The Maltese and the English languages and such other language as may be prescribed by Parliament (by a law passed by not less than two-thirds of all the members of the House of Representatives) shall be the official languages of Malta and the Administration may for all official purposes use any of such languages:»

What "one of the official languages of Malta" in rule 4(g) means.

Read it at the source
About this source

The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

Standing: Maintains the text in force

Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

Practical notes

There is no income figure to meet, and that is the finding rather than a gap. Both sets of rules were read in full and both put the test as stable and regular resources sufficient to live without social assistance, assessed by the Commissioner for Revenue. What is fixed is the tax floor: €15,000 a year regardless of how little is remitted, which in practice sets the lower bound on what the programme costs.

The two programmes are the same rules with the nationality clause flipped, so the comparison a reader usually wants - is the EU route easier? - has the answer no. The fee, the property thresholds, the rate, the minimum tax, the language condition and the 183-day rule are identical.

The language condition in rule 4(g) is in both instruments and is absent from the Malta Retirement Programme Rules, which carry no language test at all. Anyone choosing between the retirement programme and these should know that the retirement route is the one without it.

The €15,000 minimum tax here is twice the €7,500 minimum under the Malta Retirement Programme, and the application fee of €6,000 is more than twice the retirement programme's €2,500. The property thresholds are the same in all three.

These are tax statuses. The residence permit that accompanies one is applied for separately from Identità, which states that it accepts economic self-sufficiency applications only from beneficiaries of a programme of this kind.

This record rests on the two sets of rules as consolidated and on the Constitution. No guidance from the Commissioner for Revenue was read for it, and both instruments leave the assessment of resources to him.

Sources3 · all accessed 2026-10-10
  • consolidates
    Residence Programme Rules, S.L. 123.160

    Laws of Malta

    About this source

    The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

    Standing: Maintains the text in force

    Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

    We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

  • consolidates
    Global Residence Programme Rules, S.L. 123.148

    Laws of Malta

    About this source

    The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

    Standing: Maintains the text in force

    Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

    We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source

  • consolidates
    Constitution of Malta

    Laws of Malta

    About this source

    The Government of Malta's statute book, published on the internet by the Minister responsible for the Law Commission under article 12 of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 (Act XL of 2021). It carries the Constitution, every Chapter of the revised edition with amendments incorporated, every piece of subsidiary legislation under them, and Acts and Legal Notices as enacted. Addresses follow a stable ELI shape: /eli/cap/<n>/<lang>/pdf for a Chapter, /eli/sl/<chapter>.<n>/<lang>/pdf for subsidiary legislation, /eli/act/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf and /eli/ln/<year>/<n>/<lang>/pdf for instruments as made, and /eli/const/<lang>/pdf for the Constitution. Both official languages are served at the same address with eng or mlt substituted. Article 12(4) of the 2021 Act gives the text on this site a statutory presumption: unless proof is brought to the contrary it is deemed to be a true representation of the law, incorporating all amendments up to the date indicated on the site.

    Standing: Maintains the text in force

    Cannot be cited for: It is not the authentic text. Under article 10(2) of the Statute Law Revision Act, 2021 the authentic text is the revised edition itself, which is the sole and only proper text in all Courts of Justice; the internet publication carries only the rebuttable presumption in article 12(4), so the site is official but defeasible. Two consequences follow for citation. First, the presumption runs only up to the date indicated on the site, and that date appears on the HTML page rather than inside the PDF, so a PDF taken on its own states no cut-off and none should be invented for it. Second, where the Maltese and English texts conflict the Maltese prevails - article 74 of the Constitution for any law, article 10(3) of the 2021 Act for a revised edition - so an English quotation here is the subordinate text and should not be relied on against a Maltese one. It cannot be cited for administrative practice at all: who may apply, what documents are wanted and what a programme currently charges in processing terms are matters for Identita, the Residency Malta Agency and the Commissioner for Revenue, and the instruments repeatedly delegate them to guidelines those bodies may issue.

    We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source