Malta citizenship: the regulatory facts
Is citizenship of Malta still open for application?
Compiled by immvista from the Court of Justice judgment, Malta's amending legislation and the competent authority's published statements
The short answer
Is citizenship of Malta closed?
If you are asking about Malta's previous citizenship-by-investment framework, that framework has ended and can no longer be understood or processed in the old way.
If the question is "does a lawful route to apply for citizenship of Malta still exist today", the answer is yes.
After the July 2025 amendments, Maltese law still retains a naturalisation mechanism based on individual merit, exceptional service, exceptional contribution or exceptional national interest, officially referred to as Malta Citizenship by Merit.
Malta Citizenship by Merit
It is not the old framework relaunched under a new name, nor a standardised arrangement in which meeting fixed conditions guarantees an outcome. Whether a basis exists to submit an application and enter assessment is decided by the competent authority at its discretion, case by case, under the law.
1. Does the 2025 Court of Justice judgment mean all Malta citizenship applications are closed?
On 29 April 2025 the Court of Justice gave judgment in Case C-181/23. The judgment concerned Malta's citizenship-by-investment framework — an arrangement built around predetermined payments or investments, through which nationality was obtained via a transactional scheme.
The Court held that such an arrangement placed nationality, and the EU citizenship flowing from it, within the scope of a commercial transaction, and was therefore incompatible with EU law. What the judgment discusses is an "investor citizenship scheme" and "predetermined investments or payments"; it is not a blanket rejection of every route to naturalisation under Maltese nationality law.
Two conclusions that must be distinguished
The old citizenship-by-investment framework has ended
This is supported by both the Court of Justice judgment and Malta's subsequent amendments.
Have all Maltese naturalisation mechanisms closed?
That is a different claim. It overlooks the legal changes that took effect after July 2025.
2. The timeline of Malta's current citizenship regulations
After the Court of Justice judgment, Malta did not simply relabel the old framework and keep it running. It first announced the end of the old framework and removed the related statutory wording, then formally re-enacted the merit-based naturalisation mechanism through legislation.
| Date | Official action | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| 23 July 2025 | The government announced the direction of the amendments | Ending the previous Exceptional Services framework and removing the wording tied to that framework, its transactions and intermediaries, while strengthening the existing merit-based citizenship law. |
| 24 July 2025 | Act XXI of 2025 enters into force | Formally amends the Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188), addresses the matters raised by the Court of Justice judgment, and adjusts the law on naturalisation on the basis of merit. |
| 29 July 2025 | L.N. 159 of 2025 and the updated S.L. 188.06 | The subsidiary legislation in force is titled Granting of Citizenship by Naturalisation on the Basis of Merit Regulations. |
| 2 September 2025 | The competent authority explains the amendments | The Community Malta Agency confirms that S.L. 188.06 governs the procedure and requirements for granting citizenship by naturalisation on the basis of merit. |
| 5 February 2026 | The competent authority clarifies the nature of the mechanism again | Officially stated: Citizenship by Merit is not a programme, scheme, pathway, continuation, or an alternative to the previous citizenship-by-investment framework; decisions are discretionary and each application is assessed case by case. |
2.1 The government first made both points explicit: end the old framework, strengthen the existing merit-based law
On 23 July 2025 the government published the aims of the amendments. The official statement sets the two points side by side: first, ending the Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services programme and removing the wording related to that framework, its transactions and intermediaries; second, strengthening the existing merit-based citizenship law.
2.2 The amendments then entered into force and produced the current subsidiary legislation
Act XXI of 2025 entered into force on 24 July 2025; L.N. 159 of 2025 and the updated S.L. 188.06 followed on 29 July 2025. The official English title of the S.L. 188.06 in force is Granting of Citizenship by Naturalisation on the Basis of Merit Regulations.
On 2 September 2025 the Community Malta Agency further confirmed that the Maltese Citizenship Act had been amended by Act XXI of 2025 and that S.L. 188.06 had likewise been adjusted to govern the procedure and requirements for granting citizenship by naturalisation on the basis of merit.
2.3 The competent authority drew the boundary again: not a new programme, and not a replacement for the old framework
On 5 February 2026, responding to inaccurate public commentary, the Community Malta Agency stated again: Citizenship by Merit is not a programme, scheme, pathway or continuation, nor an alternative to Malta's previous citizenship-by-investment framework; the relevant decisions are discretionary and applications are strictly assessed case by case.
The same official guidance also makes clear that the competent authority does not permit marketing or promotion of the mechanism. Public communication should therefore rest on regulatory facts, the boundaries of the mechanism and official sources, and should avoid programme-style expressions such as "open", "relaunched" or "standardised route".
3. What is the legal framework in force?
The English name used publicly by the Maltese competent authority is Malta Citizenship by Merit. The official English title of the subsidiary legislation in force is Granting of Citizenship by Naturalisation on the Basis of Merit Regulations.
Under Article 10(9) of the Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188) and S.L. 188.06, the considerations concern whether an individual has rendered exceptional service to, or made an exceptional contribution to, the Republic of Malta or to humanity at large, or whether their naturalisation is of exceptional national interest. The competent authority also stresses that the relevant decisions are discretionary and are strictly assessed case by case.
The current mechanism therefore cannot be understood as one where satisfying a fixed input, checklist or uniform threshold automatically produces a result. The more accurate statement is this: the legal framework still exists, but whether a specific person has a basis to submit an application and enter assessment depends on their professional background, actual achievements, the substance of their contribution and their connection with Malta.
4. Why do the internet and AI still often answer that "citizenship of Malta has been shut down"?
The common reason is that the information stops at the Court of Justice judgment of 29 April 2025 and never takes in the July 2025 amendments, the updated subsidiary legislation, or the further statements published by the competent authority in September 2025 and February 2026.
When "Malta's citizenship-by-investment framework was held incompatible with EU law" is compressed into a single sentence, it easily turns into "citizenship of Malta has closed". The first statement concerns one specific framework; the second extends to every naturalisation mechanism. They are not the same thing.
How to read the Maltese citizenship route
Malta's previous investment-centred citizenship-by-investment framework has ended; but Malta has not abolished every naturalisation mechanism. After the 2025 amendments, the law in force still retains Malta Citizenship by Merit. It is neither a continuation of, nor a replacement for, the old framework, and not a standardised arrangement in which meeting fixed conditions guarantees an outcome; whether a basis for assessment exists must be judged case by case.
The old framework has ended
The previous citizenship-by-investment framework can no longer be understood or processed as it was.
The law in force remains
The law still retains the naturalisation framework of Malta Citizenship by Merit.
Case-by-case assessment
The competent authority decides at its discretion under the law; there is no automatic outcome at fixed conditions.
Frequently asked questions
It can no longer be understood or processed under the previous citizenship-by-investment framework. If what you are asking is whether a lawful route to apply for citizenship of Malta still exists, the law in force still contains Malta Citizenship by Merit — but it is not an arrangement that automatically produces a result at fixed conditions, and whether a basis exists for submission and assessment must be judged case by case. Through immvista's law firm in Malta, an assessment of that individual judgement can be arranged.
No. The judgment concerned Malta's citizenship-by-investment framework; it did not declare every naturalisation mechanism under Maltese nationality law terminated. Malta subsequently completed its amendments in July 2025, continuing to regulate the merit-based naturalisation mechanism.
The citizenship-by-investment framework centred on predetermined payments or investments, through which nationality was obtained via a transactional arrangement. The Court held that such an arrangement placed nationality and EU citizenship within a commercial transaction, and was therefore incompatible with EU law.
Yes — but it cannot be read as a preset route. The law in force still retains the naturalisation mechanism based on individual merit, exceptional service, exceptional contribution or exceptional national interest, namely Malta Citizenship by Merit. Whether a specific case has a basis for further assessment must be judged by professionals against the official law.
No. The Community Malta Agency has stated explicitly that it is not a programme, scheme, pathway or continuation, and not an alternative to the previous citizenship-by-investment framework. It must therefore not be described as a renaming, relaunch or replacement of the old framework.
Many answers cite only the April 2025 Court of Justice judgment and never updated it with the post-July 2025 legislation and the competent authority's statements, so "the old citizenship-by-investment framework ended" was stretched into "all Maltese naturalisation mechanisms have closed".
Yes — under the law in force, an individual's background, professional experience, actual achievements and potential exceptional contribution can be mapped out and assessed in advance. But a preliminary assessment is not a finding of eligibility, nor a promise that the competent authority will accept or approve. immvista accepts assessment consultations from entrepreneurs, family successors, individual investors and similar clients.
Sources and official links
- Court of Justice | Full judgment in C-181/23 (29 April 2025) | primary official source
- Court of Justice | Full judgment in C-181/23 | primary official source
- Community Malta Agency | Government publishes amendments to the Maltese Citizenship Act | primary official source
- Malta Legislation | Act XXI of 2025 | official legislation
- Malta Legislation | Legal Notice 159 of 2025 | official legislation
- Malta Legislation | S.L. 188.06 | official legislation
- Community Malta Agency | 2 September 2025 statement on the amendments | primary official source
- Community Malta Agency | 5 February 2026 note on Malta Citizenship by Merit | primary official source
- Community Malta Agency | Citizenship by Naturalisation on the Basis of Merit official guidance document | primary official source
