Malta's 15% tax residency, with a December 31, 2026 cutoff
Rent a home from about $10,900 a year or buy from about $250,900, then pay a flat 15% on the foreign income you bring into Malta.
This route suits Americans living on pensions, dividends or investment income from outside Malta. You get a one-year residence card that renews as long as you keep the conditions, in an English-speaking EU country. It's September 2026, so the timing matters more than usual.
The window shuts December 31, 2026
Malta's Legal Notice 195 of 2026 replaces the GRP from January 2027. Firms advising on the notice say an application submitted by December 31, 2026 keeps today's terms until the end of 2031, even if approval comes later. The successor status asks for a lot more: about $798,200 to buy (€700,000), about $16,000 a year to rent (€14,000) and a minimum tax of about $39,900 (€35,000). Review alone takes months, so start now.
Global Residence Programme (GRP)
A residency program for non-EU nationals, including US citizens, requiring property purchase or rental, proof of financial means, and health insurance. Does not lead to permanent residency.
- Government cost
- $275,000
- Processing time
- ~120 days
- Timeline
- 4–6 months
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Key requirements
- Purchase property (min €275,000) or rent (min €9,600/year)
- Financial self-sufficiency
- Valid health insurance
Who it fits
Built for money earned somewhere else
Malta taxes only the foreign income you bring onto the island, at a flat 15%. Money you leave abroad isn't taxed in Malta; neither are foreign capital gains. Anything you earn in Malta is taxed at 35%.
Who should skip it
Remote workers on a salary fit Malta's Nomad Residence Permit better. If you want permanence, the GRP never turns into permanent residence or come with an automatic right to work.
What it costs, in dollars (€1 = $1.14, September 2026)
$313,600
Minimum home purchase
Malta sets it at €275,000
$250,900
Purchase in Gozo or the south
Malta sets it at €220,000
$10,900
Minimum yearly rent
€9,600; €8,750 in Gozo and the south
$6,800
Administrative fee
€6,000, non-refundable; €5,500 for a southern purchase
$17,100
Minimum tax, every year
€15,000 for you and qualifying family
15%
Tax on foreign income you bring in
35% on income earned in Malta
The process
What happens between now and your residence card
You can't file this one yourself. Every application goes to Malta's tax commissioner through an Authorised Registered Mandatary, a licensed local firm that stays on your file for as long as you hold the status.
The order of things
- Your firm checks eligibility and builds the file, including EU-wide health insurance and proof of steady income.
- The application goes in with the fee. That submission date is the one that counts for the deadline.
- Review takes about 3 to 4 months, then you get approval in principle.
- Only then do you buy, or sign a lease of at least 12 months.
- You apply to Identità for the residence card (€100, about $114) and renew it each year.
Buying? Plan for a second permit
Americans need an Acquisition of Immovable Property permit to buy in Malta. The fee is €233 (about $266) and processing takes about 35 days. Your GRP home also has to be your main residence anywhere in the world, and you can't sublet it.
If the GRP isn't your route
Nomad Residence Permit
For remote employees, freelancers and business owners earning at least €42,000 gross a year (about $47,900) from outside Malta.
Malta Permanent Residence Programme
Permanent residence on approval. The government takes a €37,000 contribution plus a €60,000 admin fee (about $110,600 together) before you buy or rent.
Global Resident Status, from 2027
The GRP's successor under the Individual Tax Programme. Same 15% rate on foreign income, a much higher entry price, and a renewal every five years.
The U.S. side
Your 1040 still comes with you
Malta's 15% doesn't replace your U.S. return. You still file every year, and the Foreign Tax Credit lets tax paid in Malta offset U.S. tax on the same income. FBAR kicks in once your foreign accounts pass $10,000. There's no U.S.-Malta Social Security agreement.
Family and travel
Your spouse and minor children share your 15% rate and the one €15,000 minimum. The card also lets you spend 90 days in any 180 elsewhere in the Schengen Area.
Citizenship later
Naturalization takes 12 months in Malta right before you apply plus four of the previous six years, and the minister decides. Malta allows dual citizenship.
People who can help with the GRP
Tim Percival
Malta Local Guide
Tim Percival is our Malta local guide. Ask him how Gozo and the south feel as places to live, since that's where the lower GRP thresholds apply.
Holborn Assets
Portugal Golden Visa
Jason at Holborn advises on residence and investment programs in Europe and beyond, Malta's among them.
MyExpatTaxes
U.S. Expat Tax Service
MyExpatTaxes prepares U.S. returns for Americans abroad, including the foreign tax credit and FBAR filings a Malta move adds.
Moneycorp
Currency Exchange
Moneycorp converts and sends dollars abroad. Handy when a fee, a lease or a purchase price is set in euros.
Hunter Schultz
Healthcare Coach
Hunter Schultz is a healthcare coach who helps people plan their care and coverage before a move.
ExpatInsure
Global Health Insurance
ExpatInsure brokers international health insurance, including plans that cover you across the EU as the GRP requires.
GRP questions from Americans
What if my GRP application is submitted but not approved by December 31, 2026?
Firms advising on Legal Notice 195 of 2026 say an application submitted by December 31, 2026 keeps the current GRP terms until December 31, 2031, even if approval comes later. Processing usually takes a few months, so file well before December.
Do Americans on the GRP still file U.S. taxes?
Yes. U.S. citizens file every year wherever they live. The Foreign Tax Credit lets Maltese tax offset U.S. tax on the same income, and FBAR applies once foreign accounts pass $10,000. There's no U.S.-Malta Social Security agreement.
Does the GRP lead to permanent residence or Maltese citizenship?
No. It never becomes permanent residence. Citizenship means naturalizing on the standard route: 12 months of residence right before applying plus four of the previous six years, at the minister's discretion. Malta's citizenship-by-investment route was struck down by the EU Court of Justice in April 2025.
Do you have to live in Malta full time on the GRP?
No. There's no minimum number of days in Malta. The rule is that you can't live in any other single country for more than 183 days in a calendar year, and you sign a yearly declaration confirming it.
Can you work in Malta on the Global Residence Programme?
Not automatically. GRP status is a tax status with a residence card and doesn't include a work permit. It's built for people living on income from outside Malta, and any Maltese earnings are taxed at 35%.
Can you rent out the property you buy for the GRP?
No. The home must be your main residence anywhere in the world, and it can't be sublet. Americans also need an Acquisition of Immovable Property permit to buy in Malta, with a €233 fee.
Can Americans still apply for Malta's Global Residence Programme?
Yes, until December 31, 2026. The GRP is open to people who aren't EU, EEA or Swiss nationals, so U.S. citizens qualify. From January 1, 2027, Malta's Individual Tax Programme replaces it, with much higher property and minimum-tax thresholds.
How much tax do you pay on Malta's Global Residence Programme?
A flat 15% on foreign income you bring into Malta, with a minimum of €15,000 a year (about $17,100 in September 2026). Income earned in Malta is taxed at 35%. Foreign income you leave abroad and foreign capital gains aren't taxed in Malta.
Get your GRP file in before the year runs out
Speak to an Expatsi advisor about Malta and whether the GRP beats your other options.
Why not you?