Malta’s or Cyprus’ Golden Visa Program?

Which is the better country for residency? Malta or Cyprus golden visa program? This is one of the frequently asked questions among investors.

Cyprus and Malta are both sought after islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Both countries are safe and have great Mediterranean climate, great culture and great food.

Here are some fun facts on Cyprus and Malta.

Both countries offer residency as well as citizenship through an investment in their economy. Which country offers the best deal for residency ? Please note that this article is about permanent residency(PR) through investment. It is not about citizenship through investment.

Here are the some basic demographics comparisons:

Cyprus and Malta facts sheet:
 

CYPRUS

MALTA

Land size

9251 km2

316 km2

Population

860,000

461,000

Official Languages

Greek & Turkish

Maltese & English

GDP

22B

13B

Currency

EUR €

EUR €

Cyprus’ economy and population are almost twice that of Malta’s and both countries have excellent education system as well as great healthcare system. 

In comparing Malta and Cyprus golden visa programs, each of the residency program differences are as below:

 
Differences between Cyprus and Malta’s Residency Programs:
  CYPRUS MALTA
Investment Buy € 300,000+VAT in property

·         €250,000 in bonds for 5 years; and

·         Buy a $270,000+VAT property or rent a property at €10K/year; and

·         Donate €30,000 to State Fund

Time to approval 2 months 3-4 months
Visit requirements 1 day/ year Once every 2 years
Family included Spouse, children, grandparents Spouse, children, grandparents
Approval rates High Moderate
Schengen member Applying Yes

As you can see, both countries’ programs differ. Cyprus golden visa program is straight forward – just invest €300K into properties. Upon receiving the investment, the Cypriot government will grant you and your family permanent residency.

In comparsion, Malta’s golden visa applicants have a choice of either purchasing real estate or rent a property as part of the visa requirements. In addition, the applicant will also need to invest €250K in bonds for 5 years as well as making a non refundable donation of €30K to the Maltese government.

Having said the above, Cyprus applicant is required to hold on his main property (and not rent out) as long as he holds the visa. On the other hand, Malta allows you to sell your property after 5 years.

As a bonus, both programs do not have stay requirements for investors. That means that the investor does not have to emigrate to their host country, if they do not want to. They are able to hold the residency while staying put at their home country.

Overall, Malta does have a stricter due diligent process. As a result, Malta’s approval rate is not as high as Cyprus.

Cyprus golden visa program is the fastest among the EU’s golden visa programs. It just takes 2 short months and you will have your residency.

Malta or Cyprus?

Should you do not want to make any donations to the authorities and want to have full control on your property selection, Cyprus may be your choice.

If bond investments appeals to you more, perhaps Malta would be the way to go.

In short, both programs are great vehicles to bring you relatively fast residency into the EU and both countries are great to invest and/or live in.

We welcome you to contact us for more information on Malta & Cyprus golden visa PR programs.

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