Retiring in Malta: the visa situation
EU citizens: no visa required (freedom of movement)
If you hold citizenship of an EU member state, you generally do not need a visa to retire in Malta. Under EU freedom of movement you may live here; you can stay up to three months without registering, and for longer stays you register your residence with the local authorities. Confirm the current steps with the official source before you rely on this.
Source: europa.eu, last checked 2026-07-04. The visa route below is for non-EU citizens.
For non-EU citizens
As of our last check, Malta offers a dedicated retirement route: the Malta Retirement Programme (MRP).
The income requirement is on the high side, so check carefully that your income clears it. No fixed monthly income figure, but the programme carries a minimum annual tax of 7,500 euro per beneficiary plus 500 euro per dependant, plus a qualifying property (purchase from 275,000 euro in Malta / 220,000 euro in Gozo or South Malta, or rent from 9,600 euro/year in Malta / 8,750 euro/year in Gozo or South Malta), which effectively places the practical income need in the high band.
The Malta Retirement Programme is a Maltese national special tax status for pensioners (open to EU and non-EU nationals), not EU freedom of movement. A pension must form at least 75 percent of chargeable income and be remitted to Malta, a qualifying property must be held (purchase or rent minimums), and Malta- and EU-compliant health insurance is mandatory.
Verified against csbgroup.com, last checked 2026-07-03.
The verified fields
No fixed monthly income figure, but the programme carries a minimum annual tax of 7,500 euro per beneficiary plus 500 euro per dependant, plus a qualifying property (purchase from 275,000 euro in Malta / 220,000 euro in Gozo or South Malta, or rent from 9,600 euro/year in Malta / 8,750 euro/year in Gozo or South Malta), which effectively places the practical income need in the high band.
The Malta Retirement Programme is a Maltese national special tax status for pensioners (open to EU and non-EU nationals), not EU freedom of movement. A pension must form at least 75 percent of chargeable income and be remitted to Malta, a qualifying property must be held (purchase or rent minimums), and Malta- and EU-compliant health insurance is mandatory.
Before you act on this
Visa rules, income thresholds and processing practice change, sometimes with little notice. This page reflects what we could verify on the dates shown, nothing more. Always confirm the current requirements with the official immigration authority or a licensed immigration adviser before making plans, and treat the linked source as the authority, not us.
See how Malta scores overall
The visa is one of six axes. RetireScore 74/100, ranked 19 of 40 countries on the default weights.