What ended in 2025?
The Maltese government announced that the Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment program was discontinued and associated transactional references and agents were removed from the framework.
What is citizenship by merit?
The current framework considers exceptional service, contribution or interest in fields such as science, technology, sport, entrepreneurship and job creation, culture, the arts or philanthropy. It starts with a detailed proposal, independent evaluation and due diligence.
The Minister's decision is discretionary. Wealth or a donation by itself should not be represented as a predictable entitlement to Maltese or EU citizenship.
What does the MPRP grant?
The Malta Permanent Residence Programme is a residence route for qualifying third-country nationals who satisfy its property, contribution, donation, asset and due-diligence rules through a licensed agent. Its legal outcome is permanent residence, not citizenship.
How should a Malta brief be framed?
Ask first whether the goal is a Maltese residence status or whether the person has a genuine exceptional-merit case. Then verify the correct authority, current requirements and evidence for that distinct route.
Key points
- The old direct-investment citizenship program is discontinued
- Merit naturalisation is case-specific and discretionary
- MPRP grants permanent residence, not citizenship
- Do not mix the authorities, agents or legal outcomes