Malta citizenship by investment: closed in 2025
Malta no longer grants citizenship in exchange for an investment. The EU's highest court ended the scheme in April 2025, and Malta rewrote the law that summer.
Information checked 4 October 2026
The ruling
What the EU court decided
On 29 April 2025 the Court of Justice of the European Union, sitting as a Grand Chamber, ruled in Commission v Malta (case C-181/23) that Malta had failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law by running its investor citizenship scheme. The case documents are on the Court's own site, curia.europa.eu.
The court found that granting nationality in exchange for predetermined payments or investments amounts to commercialising citizenship of the Union, because a Maltese passport is also an EU passport.
Malta's law today
What replaced it
The Maltese Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2025 removed the investor route and replaced it with naturalisation by merit, for people who render exceptional services or make an exceptional contribution to Malta, with no investment amount attached.
Still open
Programmes that are still open
None of them is in the EU. Each figure is the government minimum for its main route.
| Programme | Main route | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Donation to the National Transformation Fund (Fundo Nacional de Transformação) | From USD 90,000 |
| Nauru | Contribution to the Treasury Fund | From USD 90,000 |
| Vanuatu | Development Support Program (DSP, Honorary Citizenship) | From USD 130,000 |
| Dominica | Economic Diversification Fund | From USD 200,000 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | National Development Fund (NDF) | From USD 230,000 |
| Grenada | National Transformation Fund contribution | From USD 235,000 |
| Saint Lucia | Saint Lucia National Economic Fund (NEF) | From USD 240,000 |
| St Kitts and Nevis | Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) | From USD 250,000 |
| Türkiye | Real estate purchase (Art. 20(2)(b)) | From USD 400,000 |
Government minimum. Agent and professional fees are additional.
Find a programme that is still open
Tell us your nationality, family and goals. You receive a shortlist of the open programmes that fit, and apply through a licensed partner agent we name before sharing your details.
Sources and last checked
- São Tomé and Príncipe CIU (cip.gov.st) — Donation to the National Transformation Fund, checked 4 October 2026
- RONLAW - Extension of the Designation of the Special Project for the Iruwa Initiative, SL 28 of 2026, GN 570/2026, Gazette 197/2026 (5 June 2026), checked 4 October 2026
- Vanuatu Citizenship Office & Commission — Fees and Charges page, checked 4 October 2026
- Commonwealth of Dominica Citizenship by Investment Regulations, 2024 (S.R.O. No. 8 of 2024, gazetted 28 June 2024), checked 4 October 2026
- Antigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) Regulations 2024, Statutory Instrument 2024 No. 50 (made 25 July 2024), hosted by CIU, checked 4 October 2026
- Grenada Citizenship by Investment (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, SRO 15 of 2024 (gazetted 28 June 2024, in force 1 July 2024), checked 4 October 2026
- Citizenship by Investment (Amendment)(No. 2) Regulations, S.I. No. 106 of 2024 (in force 1 July 2024), checked 4 October 2026
- St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Substantial Investment Regulations, 2024 (SRO No. 20 of 2024), checked 4 October 2026
- Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi — Türk Vatandaşlığı Kanununun Uygulanmasına İlişkin Yönetmelik (consolidated, Art. 20), checked 4 October 2026
- Court of Justice of the EU, Press Release No 52/25, Luxembourg, 29 April 2025, Judgment of the Court in Case C-181/23 | Commission v Malta (Citizenship by investment), checked 5 October 2026
- Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 29 April 2025, European Commission v Republic of Malta, Case C-181/23, EU:C:2025:283 (CELEX 62023CJ0181, EU Publications Office); also at https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-181/23, checked 4 October 2026
- Maltese Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act No. XXI of 2025), legislation.mt (Laws of Malta, official), checked 4 October 2026