Retire in Malta
To retire in Malta from outside the EU you use the Global Residence Programme: a qualifying home, health insurance and a flat 15% tax on income you bring in, at least €15,000 a year.
What it takes, what it costs, and where retirees settle, from Malta's law and official data. Checked on Oct 8, 2026.
- Retiree visa
- No fixed minimum The rules set no income figure: you need stable and regular resources enough to keep yourself and your dependants without Malta's social assistance. You must also buy a home for at least €275,000 (€220,000 in Gozo or the south of Malta) or rent one for at least €9,600 a year (€8,750), and pay at least €15,000 a year in Maltese tax. GRP Rules; Identità; Identità Form K. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Price level
- ~69% of the US Household consumption, 2025. World Bank. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
- Tax on a foreign pension
- 15% if remitted 15% on income brought into Malta. PwC Tax Summaries; GRP Rules; MRP Rules. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Travel advisory
- Level 1 of 4 Exercise Normal Precautions. US State Department. Updated Jul 8, 2026.
- Health spending
- $3,623/person Per year; US $13,473. World Bank. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
- US tax treaty
- Yes An income tax treaty with the US is in force. IRS. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
Do you qualify?
Retirees from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland settle in Malta through the Global Residence Programme: you buy or rent a qualifying home, live on your own means, pay a flat 15% tax on foreign income you bring into Malta, and hold a residence permit on the basis of economic self-sufficiency.
Global Residence visa: documents and feesRetiring in Malta, topic by topic
Visa
Global Residence visa requirements
Documents, government fees and the other routes to residency.
Healthcare
Healthcare for retirees
The hospitals retirees use, what insurance covers, and Medicare abroad.
Money
Banking, pensions and tax
How US, UK and Canadian pensions reach a local bank, and what you report at home.
Budget
Cost of living
Official prices and a budget built from your own rent.
What it costs
Household prices in Malta run at about 69% of US levels. Rent is the line nobody publishes officially, so the cost of living page builds your budget from your own rent.
Build your budgetOfficial poverty line, person living alone, per month, 2025 survey
Eurostat. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Where retirees settle
Valletta
- Capital, 5,197 people (2021), 56 m above sea level
- Nearest listed hospital: Saint James Capua in Sliema
Sliema
- Harbour town across from Valletta, 22,730 people (2024)
- Saint James Capua Hospital, 24-hour emergency
Marsaskala
- Seaside town in the south, 18,714 people (2024)
- Lower programme minimums: €220,000 to buy, €8,750 a year to rent
- Nearest listed hospital: Saint James Hospital Żejtun
Victoria, Gozo
- Capital of Gozo, 7,524 people (2024), 90 m above sea level
- Lower programme minimums: €220,000 to buy, €8,750 a year to rent
Wikidata; Saint James Hospital; GRP Rules. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Visiting Malta first
Most people spend a few weeks in Malta before they apply for anything. Two things to sort out for that trip:
Kiwi.com
Flights to Malta
Compare routes and dates before a scouting trip.
Airalo
eSIM for Malta
Mobile data from the day you land, without a local SIM.
Partner links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you. How this works.
Retiring in Malta: questions
Is Malta safe for retirees?
The US State Department rates Malta Level 1, exercise normal precautions.
Do I pay tax in Malta on my pension?
Yes, if you bring it into Malta. On the Global Residence Programme a foreign pension received in Malta is taxed at a flat 15%, and you pay at least €15,000 a year whatever you bring in. Foreign income kept abroad is not taxed in Malta. US citizens still file a US return.
Can I retire in Malta as an American citizen?
Yes, through the Global Residence Programme. It sets no fixed income but asks for stable resources, a home bought for at least €275,000 or rented for at least €9,600 a year, health insurance, a €6,000 fee and at least €15,000 a year in tax.
Where do retirees live in Malta?
In Valletta and Sliema around the harbours, in southern seaside towns such as Marsaskala, or on Gozo around Victoria. Gozo and the south have lower programme minimums for buying or renting a home.
Is the Malta Retirement Programme open to non-EU retirees?
No. It serves EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, with a pension that is at least 75% of chargeable income, taxed at 15% (minimum €7,500 a year). Retirees from elsewhere use the Global Residence Programme.
