Benefits of the HIghly Qualified Persons Rule
1. Qualify for a 15% flat tax rate on any income earned in Malta.
2. Tax-free income on any income exceeding €5 million per annum.
3. Extend the 5-year scheme to 10 years (for EU/EEA/Swiss nationals).
4. Extend the 4-year scheme to 8 years (for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals).
Requirements
To qualify for Malta’s Highly Qualified Persons Rules, you need to meet all the below conditions:
- Receive a minimum annual taxable income of €98,436 in Malta (as of 2024).
- Obtain an employment contract subject to the laws of Malta.
- Have at least five years of professional work experience.
- Hold sufficient professional qualifications related to the field of work.
- Prove that you can perform duties sufficiently for the “eligible office” (more information below regarding what qualifies as ‘eligible office’).
- No previous benefit from the special income tax provisions relevant to Investment Services and Insurance Expatriates.
- Receive regular and stable income of a sufficient level to support yourself and any dependents without needing the assistance of the social security system in Malta.
- Reside in suitable accommodation in Malta.
- Not be domiciled in Malta.
- Have a valid travel document.
- Hold European health insurance coverage for yourself and your family.
Employment positions
‘Eligible office’ in the financial services and gaming sectors (and undertakings holding an air operators’ certificate) includes employment in one of the following positions:
- Actuarial Professional
- Aviation Continuing Airworthiness Manager
- Aviation Flight Operations Manager
- Aviation Ground Operations Manager
- Aviation Training Manager
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Commercial Officer
- Chief Insurance Technical Officer
- Chief Investment Officer
- Chief Operations Officer (including Aviation Accountable Manager)
- Chief Risk Officer (including Fraud and Investigations Officer)
- Chief Technology Officer
- Chief Underwriting Officer
- Employment in the Assisted Reproductive Technology sector:
- Embryologist
- Responsible Person
- Lead Quality Manager
- Head of Investor Relations
- Head of Marketing (including Head of Distribution Channels)
- Head of Research and Development; (including Search Engine Optimisation [SEO] and Systems Architecture)
- Portfolio Manager
- Senior Analyst (including Structuring Professional)
- Senior Trader/Trader
- Odds Compiler Specialist
Successful application for the Highly Qualified Persons Rules Malta would be entitled to a 15% flat rate on all employment income.
The tax benefits for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals are available for a consecutive period of 5 years. This period starts from the first year the applicant is subject to tax. Applicants can also apply for a one-time extension of 5 years (a total of 10 years).
Non-EU citizens can apply for a maximum period of 4 years with a one-time extension of 4 years, a total of 8 years benefit from the programme.
Exclusions from the Scheme
Malta has also recently introduced two new programs, the Malta Permanent Residence Program (MPRP) and the Naturalisation for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment. Being an excellent place to live strategically located with excellent airlinks, Malta is a great choice for a second residence or dual-citizenship for numerous reasons.
Other Residence and Tax programs of Malta are the Malta Retirement Program the Global Residence Program and The Residence Program.
