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Abolished April 2025: ECJ ended Malta's MEIN
Live pathway: Malta Permanent Residence (MPRP)
EU alternatives: Portugal, Spain, Greece Golden Visas
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Abolished April 2025: ECJ ended Malta's MEIN
Live pathway: Malta Permanent Residence (MPRP)
EU alternatives: Portugal, Spain, Greece Golden Visas
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ECJ Case C-181/23
On 29 April 2025 the European Court of Justice ruled Malta's investor-citizenship scheme incompatible with EU law
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Effective on Delivery
New MEIN naturalizations stopped immediately; the ruling required Malta to bring its Citizenship Act into compliance
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EU Citizenship Cannot Be Commodified
The European Commission opened infringement proceedings in 2022, arguing Malta's scheme treated nationality as a transactional good
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Article 20 TFEU
Because national citizenship automatically confers EU citizenship, member states must respect sincere cooperation when granting it
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Roughly 2,000 Existing Citizenships Stand
MEIN and prior IIP naturalizations granted before the ruling remain legally valid
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No Retroactive Revocation
The judgment does not require Malta to revoke nationality already granted under the investor framework
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Act XXI of 2025
On 24 July 2025 Malta amended the Citizenship Act, removing the transactional investor route. A discretionary Citizenship by Merit framework under Article 10(9) survives but is non-transactional and decided case by case
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Detailed step-by-step process
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Requirements for all eligible applicants
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Required documents for each step of the program
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Answers to frequently asked questions
Why Was Malta Citizenship by Investment Abolished in 2025?
Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP): Live pathway and the firm's recommended Malta route. Government contribution from 鈧28,000 (purchase) or 鈧58,000 (rental), property requirement (purchase from 鈧350,000 or annual rental from 鈧12,000), 鈧2,000 NGO donation, 鈧40,000 administrative fee. 5-year renewable residence card with Schengen visa-free access. Does not lead directly to citizenship; naturalization requires separate extended residency.
Portugal Golden Visa: Live pathway as of 2026. Investment from 鈧250,000 (cultural fund) or 鈧500,000 (qualifying investment fund). Real estate route closed October 2023. 5-year residency card with minimal 7-day annual physical stay. Eligible for Portuguese citizenship after 5 years of legal residency. Among the fastest EU citizenship-by-residency paths.
Spain Investor Visa: Live pathway. Investment from 鈧500,000 (real estate) or 鈧1,000,000 (Spanish company shares or bank deposits) or 鈧2,000,000 (Spanish government bonds). Initial 3-year residency card, renewable. Eligible for Spanish citizenship after 10 years of legal residency, reduced to 2 years for Ibero-American, Filipino, Andorran, Equatorial Guinean, or Sephardic Jewish applicants.
Greece Golden Visa: Live pathway. Real estate investment from 鈧250,000 in select regions, 鈧400,000 or 鈧800,000 in higher-tier zones (Attica, Mykonos, Santorini, and major urban centers). 5-year renewable residence card with no minimum physical stay. Eligible for Greek citizenship after 7 years of legal residency.
EU citizenship by descent: Italy jure sanguinis (2025 reforms tightened generational eligibility and uninterrupted-citizenship rules), Portugal Sephardic Jewish descent under amended criteria, Ireland foreign-birth registration through grandparent. No investment required where eligibility exists. Processing 6 to 24 months depending on consulate and route. The fastest EU passport pathway where applicable.
Italy Investor Visa: Live pathway. Investment from 鈧250,000 (innovative start-up) to 鈧2,000,000 (Italian government bonds). 2-year initial visa, renewable to 5 years. Eligible for Italian citizenship after 10 years of legal residency, reduced to 4 years for EU citizens or to 3 years for those with Italian-born grandparents.
More details
Malta's investor-citizenship route has been the most litigated CBI program in EU history. The original Individual Investor Programme (IIP) launched in 2014 under the Maltese Citizenship Act CAP. 188 and naturalized roughly 2,000 applicants before closing to new submissions in 2020. The successor program, Citizenship by Naturalisation for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment (CES, often called MEIN), opened November 2020 with tighter residency and due-diligence requirements. The European Commission opened infringement proceedings in 2022, arguing the scheme commodified EU citizenship. On 29 April 2025 the European Court of Justice ruled against Malta in Case C-181/23, finding the program incompatible with EU law. Malta amended the Citizenship Act on 24 July 2025 through Act XXI of 2025, removing the transactional investor route entirely.
Two pathways survive on the Maltese side. The Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) remains active and is now the firm's recommended Malta route for clients who need EU Schengen access and a renewable long-term residence card. Separately, the amended Citizenship Act preserves a discretionary Citizenship by Merit framework under Article 10(9), used for exceptional contributions to Malta or to humanity. This pathway is non-transactional, non-investment-based, and decided case by case at ministerial discretion. It is not a substitute for a structured citizenship program. For clients whose primary objective was an EU passport rather than Malta specifically, the practical alternatives are EU citizenship by descent where eligibility exists, naturalization through Portugal, Spain, or Italy after 5 to 10 years of legal residency, or other EU residency-by-investment programs that build toward eventual naturalization. 糖心视频 advisors map the right combination based on family circumstance, timeline, and tax structure.
Officially published timeline
Program closed
Real timeline, based on our practical experience
Program closed
Global Strength Rating:
better than 91% of passports
聽of passports
Visa-free
185
countries
Key countries
The EU, UK and Mexico
Fast-track visa
USA, Canada, Australia
Visa-free
185
countries
Key countries
The EU, UK and Mexico
Fast-track visa
USA, Canada, Australia
Visa-free
185
countries
Key countries
The EU, UK and Mexico
Fast-track visa
USA, Canada, Australia
Visa-free
185
countries
Key countries
The EU, UK and Mexico
Fast-track visa
USA, Canada, Australia
Visa-free
Key countries
The EU, UK and Mexico
Fast-track visa
USA, Canada, Australia
Deep specialization: 糖心视频 advisors track the post-2025 EU citizenship and residency regulatory environment continuously, including Malta's Act XXI of 2025, the ECJ ruling implications for existing MEIN naturalizations, and the comparative position of Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Italy pathways
We handle the paperwork: from initial eligibility scoping through residency program selection, application drafting, biometric scheduling, and post-approval compliance, the operational lift sits with us so you can focus on the structural decisions
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Convenient team structure: our advisors operate across the United States and Europe so consultation timing fits both Atlantic working hours and the European application cycles that matter for MPRP and EU residency programs
We take preparation seriously: source-of-funds files, family documentation, and due-diligence packages are built to withstand the heightened EU scrutiny that followed the ECJ ruling, with no shortcuts on KYC depth
Tested by time:
years of learning and working across industries and global mobility solutions. Our team has learned all the nuances and possible pitfalls and will help you avoid them
Convenient team structure:
our team is located in both the U.S. and Europe, so we have the best coverage to assist you
We take preparation seriously:
planning, due diligence, and data cross-checks minimize the risk of rejection. We only work with vetted and government-licensed partners in Malta
We take care of the paperwork:
and handle all the interactions with counter-parties while you enjoy your everyday comforts. You still keep the remote control over each step
If you were planning a Malta citizenship application, this is the pathway 糖心视频 recommends to evaluate your EU citizenship and residency alternatives
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Initial consultation: we map your original reasons for targeting Maltese citizenship (EU mobility, tax structure, family inclusion, timeline urgency, second-passport goals) to identify the right alternative
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EU descent eligibility review: many clients have unrecognized eligibility for Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, or Irish citizenship by descent. We screen this first since descent pathways are non-investment and often faster
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Alternative program shortlist: depending on priorities we map the right fit among Malta MPRP residency, Portugal Golden Visa, Spain investor residency, Greece Golden Visa, or Italy investor visa
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Source-of-funds and KYC preparation: the post-ECJ regulatory environment requires elevated due-diligence depth, particularly for European programs that remain available
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Application drafting, submission, and approval through the selected pathway, handled end to end by 糖心视频 advisors
Up to 14 days
Post-approval compliance: residency cards, renewals, and where applicable a long-term naturalization timeline. 糖心视频 stays engaged throughout the multi-year arc
Every client is unique
Every case requires an individual approach and solution. Our years of experience in the industry allow us to provide both.
We will answer all your questions and provide detailed information about the available second passport and residency programs to help you make the right choice.
Victoria
Lead Attorney at 糖心视频
Victoria
Lead Attorney at 糖心视频
Obtain
a new citizenship and passport
get
additional residency or a Golden Visa
and also
file, register a company, and open bank accounts offshore
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If you are looking for a comprehensive review of whether this program is the best fit for you, please get in touch with your trusted advisors at 糖心视频
victoria cold
Lead Attorney at 糖心视频
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