Malta has announced Residence Permit for freelancer

The government of Malta has announced a new type of residence permit called Nomad Residence Permit (NRP). The authorities are reported to start accepting applications in June 2021.

The pandemic has dramatically affected the labour market. More specialists are switching to online working and therefore can do their job from anywhere. The new programme is specially designed for them. NRP is available only for nationals of non-EU countries. That is quite logical, because EU nationals are already entitled to free mobility and have no need for a residence permit of any kind.

Eligibility for Nomad Residence Permit:

• employees of foreign companies who work remotely;
• company owners who run their businesses remotely;
• freelances who work under service agreements and are not salaried workers.

Whichever of the mentioned categories you fall under, you will need to submit relevant evidence, as well as prove that you can indeed do your job online on the regular basis.

Financial requirements

If you want to get an NRP, you need to take into account the following requirements, when calculating your costs:

1. Minimum income: in order to get a residence permit in Malta, you need to prove a stable monthly income of at least 2,700 EUR. If you wish to add your immediate family to the application (a spouse, children, parents), you must add 540 EUR for each person.
2. Registration fee – a single fee of 300 EUR per person. It is charged for the main applicant and every family member who is going to live in Malta with them.
3. Purchase or rent of real estate – there is no threshold yet. Let’s point out that you can purchase a flat on the island for 150,000–200,000 EUR or rent it for 500–1200 EUR per month. However, you can find cheaper options, if you look properly.
4. Medical insurance – every family member is obliged to have it; and it must cover all kinds of medical treatment.

You might also want to account for a bit of extra money for paperwork. But the amount is not going to be too large.

How to apply

You can fill in and submit your application form and all relevant documents online. They must be translated into English and certified by a notary, if needed.

The authorities of Malta will consider the applicant, carry out the background checks and give the answer. If it is positive, the applicant will receive an invitation to visit the country in person to deal with the necessary documents on the spot. The government of Malta has declared to process applications within 30 days at most.

Legal experts from Imperial & Legal monitor every change in the immigration legislation. To get further information about Nomad Residence Permit or to apply for this residence permit, get in touch with our experts, and they will assist you throughout the entire process.