Malta Citizenship Programme
The Malta Citizenship by Investment programme or Individual Investor Programme offers citizenship within the European island of Malta after one year of sustained connections with Malta, concurrently with the maximum of 4 months’ processing time.
EU-approved Malta Citizenship
Malta has long pursued a policy of running a financial centre that is respected for its rule of law and recognised for its marked compliance with its European and international treaty obligations. It is in this light that Malta can boast of the only public approval of any citizenship programme by the European Commission after thorough scrutiny at domestic and European parliamentary levels.
Risk-free
In my experience handling applications from beginning to approval, the Identity Malta Agency grants prior approval of proposals submitted by approved citizenship agents laying down the various connections that the applicant proposes to put in place to demonstrate his/her genuine connection with Malta. This entirely eliminates the risk of an applicant discovering he has failed to comply after the year has passed, losing more time. And this in line with Malta’s tradition of legal certainty and reliability.
In Principle Approval of Malta Citizenship
November 2014 saw the first applicants (clients of Chetcuti Cauchi) emerge from the first cycle of applications as approved applicants. It is only at this stage that the significant investment needs to be made and not before. This further eliminates the perceived risk and allows the applicant to invest with the comfort of a final ‘in principle’ approval in hand.
On making the contribution to the Malta Social & Economic Development Fund (€650k) and investments in Government bonds (€150k) and renting / buying property in Malta (€16k p.a. / €350k), applicants are entitled to receive their Maltese passport within their entitlement period. This period is of 6 months from citizenship application date for applicants who have been resident in Malta already a year to date. Others need to wait for the passing of this one year in compliance with their pre-approved residence criteria.
The Maltese Passport
We have seen our first client family take its oath of allegiance and receive its passports during the second week of February 2015. The process takes approximately 2 days between the taking of the oath of allegiance and the actual issue and collection of the passports. Thereafter, applicants are citizens of Malta for all intents and purposes.
The Benefits of Malta Citizenship
At the end, applicants emerge as citizens of an economically sustainable, politically stable Island of Malta, enjoying the full effects of European Union citizenship and the identity of a culturally rich and diverse nation. The Maltese passport is dubbed ‘one of the most powerful passports in the world’, enjoying over 160 visa-free destinations for Maltese nationals, including the UK, US and Canada.
The Author
Malta Citizenship lawyer Dr Jean-Philippe Chetcuti is one of the founding partners of Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates. With Kenneth Camilleri and Dr Priscilla Mifsud Parker, Dr Chetcuti heads the firm’s Private Client practice, specialising in private client tax planning, wealth structuring and citizenship and residency planning.
Dr Chetcuti is a key advisor on the Malta Citizenship by Investment, the Cyprus Citizenship by Investment, the Malta Global Residence Programme and buying property in Malta and, holding licence IIP 001, he was the first to be licensed by the Identity Malta Agency and to directly file citizenship by investment applications under the Malta Individual Investor Programme.
About Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates
- Largest specialised Immigration practice over 2 islands.
- Head count across both offices: 180+
- Immigration lawyers across Malta & Cyprus: 50+
- Immigration partners: 5
- Secret: Small firm personal touch + big firm expertise.
