EU Court Rules Malta's Citizenship-for-Investment Scheme Illegal

The Court of the European Union has ruled that Malta's Golden Passport programme is in breach of European law and outlined key problems. The programme offers passports without any real requirements for integration into the country and poses security risks due to insufficient vetting of investors.

It is likely that new conditions will be introduced to the Maltese scheme. The government has already announced that it will update citizenship rules to comply with EU law. It is possible that similar schemes in other countries will change over time.

Those considering residency or citizenship for investment should hurry. It is also worth looking at residency programmes that focus on integration, such as the Talent Passport in France or similar options in the EU, where a real connection to the country is important.

Kseniia Nass Head of Migration Department at Tranio