Malta Budget 2027 adds €400 non-EU residence permit levy

Malta's Finance Minister Clyde Caruana unveiled Budget 2027 on 26 October 2026, introducing a EUR 400 infrastructure contribution on non-EU nationals for new residence permit applications and renewals (minors exempt) while raising the application fee for bringing new third-country nationals into Malta to EUR 800 (as of October 2026), MaltaToday and Times of Malta reported. Under the separate Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) administered by Residency Malta Agency, statutory outlays as of October 2026 remain EUR 99,000 in non-refundable fees alongside a five-year property lease of at least EUR 14,000 per year (EUR 169,000 over five years) or a EUR 375,000 property purchase.

Caruana also announced that third-country nationals who have lived in Malta for fewer than five years will lose access to free public transport and, from 2027, free childcare unless at least one parent is an EU national. In addition, non-EU driving licences will be valid for only 12 months, paired with a new EUR 83 monthly licence fee (as of October 2026) from which professional transport drivers are exempt, while Prime Minister Robert Abela confirmed that non-EU residents will keep healthcare and energy subsidies.

As of October 2026, MPRP applicants pay a EUR 60,000 administrative fee, a EUR 37,000 government contribution, a EUR 2,000 NGO donation and EUR 500 per residence card. Neither budget report specifies whether the EUR 400 infrastructure levy or upcoming Identità fee revisions apply to MPRP permanent residence cardholders or solely to ordinary work and temporary permits.