Malta Government launches New Nomad Residence Permit

The government has launched a new residence permit, referred to as the Nomad Residence Permit, to attract remote workers to the country. The Secretariat for Citizenship and Communities noted that the new permit was a joint initiative between Residency Malta Agency and Identity Malta Agency.

The permit allows holders to retain their current employment-based in another country whilst legally residing in Malta. The permit is eligible to individuals who can work remotely and independent of location, using telecommunications technologies.

The Nomad Residence Permit offers a six-month visa and an option of obtaining a one-year ‘Nomad Residence Permit’ and costs €300. Potential applicants must prove that they are either:

• Contracted to work remotely by a company based overseas;
• Run their own business; or
• Offers freelance service to clientele based abroad.

The CEO of Residency Malta, Charles Mizzi, stated that applicants would go through a comprehensive due diligence process whereby applicants will need to show that they have “a good reputation and police conduct”. They must also be in possession of a valid passport and prove that they live in a residential property in Malta.

The new scheme comes into effect in June 2021 and can be applied online at the following link.

Parliamentary secretary for citizenship Alex Muscat said that Malta already has a community of roughly 1,000 digital nomads who already lived and worked from Malta. The government hopes to attract between 1,000 to 1,200 applicants a year. Muscat also stated that the majority of local nomads were European citizens. With the boom in remote working due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they sought to expand the opportunity to third-country nationals.

Applicants can rest assured that Malta is an ideal safe and secure destination to live and work in. As a small Mediterranean island, Malta has a lot to offer as a country, from its desired climate, exceptional healthcare system and the fact that English is commonly spoken throughout the country.

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