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Malta · digital nomad visa · 2026

Malta's digital nomad visa

48months
Nomad Residence PermitOpen · checked 2026-08-18 · nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt

Malta runs the Nomad Residence Permit, an initial 48 months for remote workers earning €42,000 a year.

Next step

One email when the app can count this stay for you.

How we know

Every figure here is as nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt publishes it, checked 18 August 2026. Where a number is our own arithmetic rather than a printed figure, the row says so.

Status
Open
Visa
Nomad Residence Permit
Initial stay
48 months
Renewal
Yes. "A Nomad Residence Permit is valid for one (1) year" and "may be renewed three times, for a total stay of a maximum of four (4) years", renewal being at the discretion of Residency Malta and conditional on the applicant still meeting the eligibility criteria.
Income required
€42,000 a year — "Applicants must have a minimum gross yearly income of EUR 42,000". This threshold applies to applications submitted on or after 1 April 2024; applicants who submitted before that date "will still retain the same annual gross income requirement of EUR 32,400". The figure is gross and stated per year. Income is evidenced by the employment contract, shareholding documents, or client contracts, as applicable to the eligibility category.
Fee
€300 — "a non-refundable application fee of EUR 300 per person, to be paid to Residency Malta Agency via bank transfer" — charged for each applicant and each family member, and again on every renewal. Separately, "a fee of EUR 100 for the issuance of a residency card by Identità per person, to be paid in person".
Processing
"Application processing is expected to take 30 working days starting from the issuance of the receipt of funds."
Who qualifies
Third-country nationals who can prove they work remotely using telecommunications technology, and who fall under one of three categories: "(1) work for an employer registered in a foreign country and have a contract of work; (2) conduct business activities for a company registered in a foreign country and of which applicant is partner/shareholder; or (3) offer freelance or consulting services, to clients whose permanent establishments are in a foreign country." Applicants must hold a valid travel document; hold health insurance covering risks in the European Union (including Malta) and the UK, specified in the FAQs as "a minimum coverage of EUR 100,000" and "full pre-paid for 1 full year"; hold a valid property rental or purchase agreement; provide a police conduct certificate; and pass a background verification check. Explicit exclusion: "Persons contracted by a foreign company and giving services to the company's Maltese subsidiary are not eligible."
Family
Eligible dependants are the spouse; minor children; adult children who are not married and are principally dependent on the main applicant; and adult children unable to cope independently due to a medical condition or disability. Each family member attracts the same EUR 300 non-refundable fee and the EUR 100 card fee. Dependants cannot be added after payment of the application fee, but may be added at renewal — newborns being the sole exception to that rule.
Where to apply
"The application must be made through our online application system" at portal.residencymalta.gov.mt, with the EUR 300 fee per person paid to Residency Malta Agency by bank transfer; processing starts on issuance of the receipt of funds. The residence card is subsequently issued by Identità against a EUR 100 per-person fee payable in person.
Checked
18 August 2026

Sources are listed further down the page.

What to know before you apply

Malta was the best-documented of the four: every field except the tax rate came from official Residency Malta pages. The often-quoted 10% flat rate on chargeable income from authorised work, and the reported exemption for the first 12 months, could NOT be verified: the Malta Tax and Customs Administration guidelines PDF returned HTTP 403 to every fetch attempt, and legislation.mt serves S.L. 123.210 only through a JavaScript single-page app that yielded no document text. The rate is therefore omitted rather than repeated from secondary sources. Two source disagreements worth flagging. First, secondary sources state a EUR 50 residence-card fee; the official Residency Malta pages state EUR 100, and the official figure is recorded. Second, a widely repeated claim that applicants must show funds for five months equal to EUR 17,500 appears on secondary sites but on no official Residency Malta page reached, so it is excluded. The two-tier income threshold is a genuine live distinction, not an artefact: pre-1 April 2024 applicants are grandfathered at EUR 32,400 on renewal, so any consumer-facing display should say which cohort EUR 42,000 applies to.

What it means for your tax days

Governed by S.L. 123.210, the Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules. Residency Malta is explicit that the permit confers no automatic tax outcome: "In respect of nomads, tax considerations and obligations might arise under both foreign and Maltese legislation", holding the permit "does not necessarily mean that the applicant is entitled to be subject to Maltese tax", and the agency "does not provide tax advice nor assumes any responsibility for an applicant's tax compliance and interpretation of applicable tax laws". Applicants are directed to the Malta Tax and Customs Administration guidelines and to independent advice. No tax rate is asserted here — see notes. A visa is permission to stay; tax residency follows the days you actually spend. Check Malta's tax authority for the day test that applies to you — and count the days either way.

Sources

Questions people ask about Malta

Does Malta have a digital nomad visa?

Yes. Malta runs the Nomad Residence Permit, which grants an initial stay of 48 months (yes. "a nomad residence permit is valid for one (1) year" and "may be renewed three times, for a total stay of a maximum of four (4) years", renewal being at the discretion of residency malta and conditional on the applicant still meeting the eligibility criteria.). Checked 18 August 2026 against nomad.residencymalta.gov.mt.

How much do you need to earn for the Malta digital nomad visa?

€42,000 a year — "Applicants must have a minimum gross yearly income of EUR 42,000". This threshold applies to applications submitted on or after 1 April 2024; applicants who submitted before that date "will still retain the same annual gross income requirement of EUR 32,400". The figure is gross and stated per year. Income is evidenced by the employment contract, shareholding documents, or client contracts, as applicable to the eligibility category.. That is the figure as published; check the official page for the current amount before you apply.

How long can you stay on the Malta digital nomad visa?

48 months on the initial permission; yes. "a nomad residence permit is valid for one (1) year" and "may be renewed three times, for a total stay of a maximum of four (4) years", renewal being at the discretion of residency malta and conditional on the applicant still meeting the eligibility criteria.. Stretch counts the days either way and tells you the date you must be out.

Does a digital nomad visa in Malta make you tax resident?

Governed by S.L. 123.210, the Nomad Residence Permits (Income Tax) Rules. Residency Malta is explicit that the permit confers no automatic tax outcome: "In respect of nomads, tax considerations and obligations might arise under both foreign and Maltese legislation", holding the permit "does not necessarily mean that the applicant is entitled to be subject to Maltese tax", and the agency "does not provide tax advice nor assumes any responsibility for an applicant's tax compliance and interpretation of applicable tax laws". Applicants are directed to the Malta Tax and Customs Administration guidelines and to independent advice. No tax rate is asserted here — see notes.

How does Stretch help with the Malta digital nomad visa?

Log the day you land and Stretch counts the days against the permission you are on, shows the date you must be out, and reminds you at 14, 7, 3 and 1 days. It also tallies the days that count towards tax residency, so the 183-day question answers itself. The counting and the alerts are free, forever.

Other digital nomad visas

Malta, the rest of it

Stretch is a tracker, not legal advice, and this is not tax advice. Visa and tax rules change and are applied by the authority, not by an app — every figure here shows its source and the date we checked it. Checked 2026-08-18; confirm on the official page before you apply or file.