Maltese Citizenship by Marriage

Excluding investment citizenship, the primary way to become a citizen of Malta is to marry a Maltese national. Prior to February 2000, anyone who married a citizen of the country could immediately apply for citizenship. These days however, foreign spouses are not eligible to apply for citizenship until they have been married to a Malta national for at least five years. EU citizenship is now an extremely hot commodity, and these changes to the country's Marriage Act help minimize immigration fraud. In addition to identity cards from both parties, before the government will issue citizenship by way of marriage the foreign spouse must provide a birth certificate. The couple must also provide witnesses to the marriage, as well as basic information related to the wedding such as where it took place and the name of the priest who performed the ceremony.

If a foreign national marries a Malta citizen who then dies before their 5th year of marriage, the individual is still entitled to apply for citizenship in the country five years after their marriage date provided they were living on the islands at the time of death. It is also possible for a divorced or legally separated individual to apply for citizenship in Malta as long as they were married to and lived with a Maltese citizen for more than five years.

Maltese Citizen by Adoption

Children adopted by Maltese citizens when they are under the age of 10 will automatically become citizens of the nation.

Additional Methods of Obtaining Citizenship in Malta

For high net worth individuals across the world including in China, Russia, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the easiest way to obtain second citizenship in Malta may be through the Malta citizenship program. If a person is not interested in Maltese citizenship by investment, but would like to be a resident of a Schengen Area country, the Malta residency program is one of the most affordable European investor visas (also called a Europe Golden Visa). For individuals who have a parent or grandparent who was born in Malta, the country also allows citizenship by ancestry.