Malta Digital Nomad Visa

The Malta Digital Nomad Visa is a legal framework designed for digital nomads, freelancers and remote workers. The Nomad Residence Permit is suitable for third-country nationals who enjoy living in Malta and are looking for the opportunity to travel freely within the Schengen Area. The main eligibility requirement is a legal source of income that is not tied to a specific jurisdiction or to Maltese clients or employers.

The main advantage of the jurisdiction is complete transparency combined with a very high reputation. National legislation rules out any ‘grey’ schemes, so you will be able to work remotely in a comfortable environment tailored to today’s digital realities. There is no language barrier in the country. English is used on a par with Maltese everywhere – in dealings with government bodies, public services, in everyday life and in interpersonal communication.

Applications for Malta’s Digital Nomad visa are submitted remotely via the portal of the Residency Malta Agency (RMA). However, legally speaking, you are not applying for a Malta Digital Nomad visa, but directly for a residence permit, namely the Nomad Residence Permit. To renew your residence permit via the Nomad Residence Permit scheme, you must provide documentary evidence that you have physically been present in Malta for a total of at least five months over the course of a year.

For the first 12 months, the preferential Nomad Residence Permit Rules apply, with full exemption from tax on income from remote work. The period is calculated from the date you actually receive your residence permit for remote work. The main condition for approval relates to foreign income – at least €42,000 per year (from €3,500 per month). Typical sources include a contract with a foreign employer, freelance clients or a business abroad. Other important requirements for the Malta Digital Nomad scheme relate to accommodation and comprehensive health insurance.

Who is the Malta Digital Nomad visa suitable for?

The Nomad Residence Permit is most commonly chosen by remote employees of foreign companies, owners of foreign companies, partners or shareholders, and freelancers with overseas clients. The Malta NRP programme is aimed at third-country nationals.

Examples of eligible professions and working arrangements:

• IT specialists and digital professionals. Developers, DevOps, Data Science, QA. This is the category with the fastest compliance process, as their contracts and bank statements are transparent to the RMA.
• Freelancers and independent contractors. Designers, marketers, copywriters, consultants. Generally speaking, this includes anyone working on project-based contracts with several foreign clients. If you are applying for a Maltese Digital Nomad visa, ensure that none of these clients are based in Malta.
• Remote employees. Full-time specialists at overseas companies whose employment contract or supplementary agreement specifies the right to work remotely from anywhere in the world.
• Online business owners and start-up founders. Founders, co-founders and co-owners of foreign companies in the fields of e-commerce, SaaS and media, who manage operations remotely and receive dividends or a salary.
• Content creators and media professionals. Bloggers, media managers, producers and experts who monetise their work via overseas platforms. It is important that income is verified by official statements and tax documents.

Generally speaking, Malta’s Digital Nomad Visa will appeal to anyone wishing to move to a safe, developed and open European country with high-quality education and healthcare. Another common option is to use it as a legal point of entry into the Schengen Area. The visa allows you to stay in Schengen countries for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.

However, it is important to bear in mind that the Malta Digital Nomad visa cannot be regarded as the first stage of an immigration route aimed at obtaining permanent residence or citizenship. The main reason is that the Nomad Residence Permit is limited to four years. Once this period has expired, you must either leave the country or switch to a different immigration route. For example, the MPRP investor programme or a work visa. However, in this case, the time you have spent in Malta will not count towards the mandatory naturalisation period.

Key requirements

Obtaining a residence permit for remote work is simpler than for other immigration routes. However, this does not mean that the Digital Nomad Malta permit is granted automatically. Compliance with the basic requirements is mandatory in all cases. These cover financial conditions, health insurance and a basic eligibility check. To minimise the risk of refusal, please check the current requirements at the time of submitting your application for a Malta Digital Nomad visa.

Financial threshold

The minimum verified income is €42,000 per year, which is equivalent to €3,500 per month. Supporting documents include bank statements and/or payslips showing your gross income, all deductions and taxes / social security contributions (Tax / Deductions) and the amount that is actually credited to your bank account (Net income). You must also provide documentary evidence that the source of income has been active for at least 5 months, counting from the date of application. A mandatory requirement is that the income must not be linked to Malta through clients, employers, contractors or customers.

Accommodation in Malta

The standard solution is a long-term rental agreement that fully covers the duration of the initial residence permit for remote work. Options utilising global and national services such as Booking.com, Airbnb, Agoda, Expedia, Trip.com, Hotels.com and other aggregators are not acceptable; the RMA does not recognise such tenancies. The reason is that you will not have a standard Rental Agreement. A property purchase agreement would also be suitable, but such an arrangement involves significant costs and is not used very often in practice, although it is entirely legal.

The issue of accommodation for holders of a Maltese Digital Nomad visa is usually resolved in two stages. In the first stage, whilst your application is under consideration, you must demonstrate to the immigration authorities that you will have accommodation in Malta. Any budget options for 14–30 days will suffice here, including booking services such as Booking.

Once you have received Approval in Principle, the RMA begins a 30-day countdown; in rare cases, this period may be extended. During this time, you need to sort out your long-term accommodation in Malta. The tenancy agreement must be registered with the Housing Authority of Malta.

Health insurance

A standard tourist insurance policy will not suffice. You will need a fully comprehensive health insurance policy with cover of at least €100,000 for each person listed on the Malta Digital Nomad visa application. The policy must cover outpatient and inpatient care, hospitalisation, emergency care, medical evacuation and repatriation, as well as treatment for infectious and viral diseases.

The area of cover is Malta, European Union countries and the United Kingdom. The minimum validity period is 12 months. Policies with monthly instalment payments are not accepted. The best option is a zero or minimal excess — no more than €100–€250.

International insurance companies such as SafetyWing (Nomad Health), Cigna Global, Allianz Care, Genki and Swisscare would be suitable for you. With these providers, you can often take out a policy online in 15–20 minutes. Make sure that the policy clearly states a cover amount of at least €100,000, the policy’s geographical scope (Malta, the EU and the UK) and that there are no critical exclusions. Also check for any footnotes regarding policy cancellation if you stay in your country of residence for more than 90 days.

An alternative is local insurance companies. For example, Atlas Insurance, GasanMamo Insurance, Elmo Insurance and Mapfre Middlesea. Their policies resolve any issues with the RMA, but in some cases you’ll need a Maltese address to take out a policy, or you must be physically present in the country.

Background check

The main requirement is a Police Conduct Certificate. This must be obtained for the main applicant and all dependants listed on the application, provided they are aged 18 or over at the time of application. The certificate must be requested in the country of citizenship and current tax residence or actual residence (where the period exceeds six months). The document must not be more than six months old. Requirements regarding an apostille or full legalisation depend on the specific country and consulate. Documents in Maltese or English are accepted. If this is not the case, a certified and notarised translation is required.

The due diligence check includes an assessment of sanctions risks, negative media coverage (Adverse Media), and a history of visa refusals. Your passport must be valid for at least 12 months at the time of application, as the Nomad Permit is issued for exactly one year. A practical requirement is that your passport must have at least 2–3 blank pages. You will also need to provide high-quality scans of all pages, even if they are blank. Requirements for additional documents depend on the specific situation. Examples include birth and marriage certificates, a CV (or biographical data), and a motivation letter or application form.

Applying for a Malta Digital Nomad visa

The procedure is carried out online. The standard application form and scanned copies of all documents must be uploaded to the official RMA portal. Once you have received in-principle approval, you will have 30 days to organise your move, sort out accommodation, and visit the RMA / Identità offices to provide biometric data and obtain your plastic residence permit card for remote work. The estimated waiting time is between 30 and 60 days. Delays are possible, so it is best to allow extra time.

Estimated costs:

• RMA administrative fee – €300 for the main applicant and each dependant;
• Residence Card issuance fee – €100; for certain categories of applicants – €27.5;
• insurance — €400–€1,200 per person per year;
• registration of the tenancy with the Housing Authority — €15; this is the landlord’s responsibility.

Initially, the residence permit for remote work is issued for one year. Provided all eligibility criteria are met, it may be renewed three times, each for one year.

If you require further information on the Nomad Residence Permit, please contact our specialists in any way that suits you.