Acquisition of citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment

Malta launches new laws on acquisition of Maltese citizenship by Naturalisation for Exceptional Services

At the end of November, 2020, the Government introduced new and far-reaching changes to Malta’s citizenship laws. Since Independence in 1964, the Maltese Citizenship Act, Chapter 188 (both in its original form and as subsequently amended over the years) had already stipulated a number of instances by which foreign nationals could acquire Maltese citizenship by naturalisation, namely, by descent, registration in certain scenarios or after marriage, birth and also residence.

The new rules on naturalisation enhance the existing residence regime by setting out clearly defined circumstances that may lead to the acquisition of Maltese citizenship by naturalisation on account of exceptional services to the Republic of Malta.

These services may take the form of exceptional contributions to the Republic of Malta in various fields (such as science, technology, sport, art and culture); or constitute services that by merit deserve recognition because of their contribution to humanity or because the services are of exceptional interest to the Republic of Malta; or if the contribution made consists of an exceptional direct investment in the economic and social development of the Republic of Malta.

In this regard, we are duly authorised to act as a licensed agent in terms of the Agents (Licences) Regulations, 2020 (L.N. 435 of 2020) and bound by the “Licence Agreement and Code of Conduct and Ethics for Agents” entered into with Community Malta Agency. Our official licence number is AKM-EQUI-21.

If you think this brief introduction was useful as a quick and general overview of the updated laws governing naturalisation procedures in Malta, please click here  for a more detailed exposition on the acquisition of citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment where we will describe the amending laws and their major features and legal requirements, outline the procedures and main steps of the process as well as give our insights on the heightened emphasis being placed on due diligence processes. We will also describe the nature of the investment, the quantum thereof and the applicable administrative fees.

Click here to view Investment Quantum and Administrative Fees