Staying in Malta: five grounds of residence, and a partner who must prove two years

Yes, as a Dutch national you may live in Malta without a permit: your right of residence comes from EU law. Whoever stays longer than three months does register with Identità, and that costs nothing — the first registration, the renewal and updating your details are free. The find in Identità's frequently asked questions: you can only apply once you actually live in Malta, and proving your identity at a Maltese embassy abroad is not possible. The trap lies with couples: a partner you are not married to must bring two years of proof of a durable relationship.

On what ground may I stay?

Your right of residence after three months hangs on one of these grounds, and that determines what Identità wants to see:

Ground	What you must show
Employee	an employment contract no older than six months, or your Jobsplus work history
Self-employed	Jobsplus history as self-employed, VAT, tax and social security certificate
Economically self-sufficient (for example retired)	means at least at social assistance level, and comprehensive health insurance or an S1
Student	letter of acceptance, means and insurance
Family member	the residence document of the EU citizen you join, and proof of the tie

Working is possible without a residence card too, Identità writes, but your employment must always be registered with Jobsplus. Whoever stays longer than three months must apply for the card.

What does "sufficient means" mean?

For those who do not work, Identità sets the bar concretely: proof of means — a pension, bonds, a statement from the tax authority or bank statements — that is at least equal to the minimum at which a Maltese national is entitled to social assistance. Which amount that is, Identità does not state there; so make sure your pension statement or your bank statements show the means unmistakably.

The European health insurance card does not count as insurance. Whoever stays living in Malta without paying Maltese contributions and without an S1 cannot use the EHIC as proof of health cover. That card is for temporary stays. With a Dutch pension or benefit, the S1 from the CAK is the solution; an S1 does not need to be translated. Whoever has neither takes out a private policy covering hospital admission and outpatient care in Malta.

Who may come with me?

Your spouse or registered partner, your children under 21, and a durable partner with whom you have been in a relationship for at least two years. You prove those two years in the application. Children over 21 and parents or parents-in-law can come too, if you show they are fully dependent on you — financially or for serious health reasons. If a child's parents do not live at the same address, Identità asks for a custody arrangement, and with shared custody a signed declaration from the other parent.

Documents in a language other than English or Maltese must be officially translated by a recognised translator. Certificates from an EU country need no apostille. Whoever registers as a family member of someone who is economically self-sufficient must also show comprehensive insurance or an S1 of their own.

How long is it valid, and what comes after five years?

The residence document is generally valid for five years, or shorter if you stay for less time; for family members the validity follows that of the main person. You can renew online as soon as the card expires within three months.

After five years of legal and uninterrupted residence you acquire the right of permanent residence, and with it a card valid for ten years. You apply with a letter stating your date of arrival and all your absences over the past five years, and you must show that you were in Malta for at least six months in every twelve-month period. Absences of up to six months a year do not count against you, nor does one absence of at most twelve months for an important reason, such as illness or childbirth. You only lose permanent residence with an absence of more than two consecutive years.

When does it lapse again?

Your registration ends if you leave Malta — you then hand in the card, with a signed letter — and if you become a Maltese citizen, if you knowingly gave false information, or if you become an unreasonable burden on social assistance. If your ground changes, for example from employee to economically self-sufficient, you submit a new application on that ground. If you lose your job, you register with Jobsplus as a jobseeker.

How the registration itself works — the portal, the biometrics, the card and the eID — is in the e-Residence document and the eID. What a pension means for tax in Malta is in AOW, pension and tax in Malta, and how it fits into your sequence in the step-by-step plan for Malta.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Malta or go straight to step 1.1 in the open plan.