Malta Citizenship Law Reform

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Malta Citizenship Law Reform

Originally introduced in Maltese Citizenship Law in 2017 and recently amended in 2025, Citizenship by Merit is a formal route to Maltese nationality granted to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary value to Malta or humanity. This may come in the form of achievements, innovation, service, or philanthropy that is of exceptional interest to the Maltese nation. The July 2025 amendments strengthen Maltese merit-based citizenship and aligns Maltese law with European legal principles.In Maltese law, the merit-based route to citizenship is grounded in the Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188 of the Laws of Malta), as amended by the Maltese Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2025 (Act No. XXI of 2025), and implemented through the Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services by Merit Regulations, 2025 (Legal Notice 159 of 2025).

The core enabling provision is found in Article 10 of the Citizenship Act, which empowers the Minister to grant citizenship by naturalisation:
“The Minister may, in his discretion, grant a certificate of naturalisation as a citizen of Malta to any alien or stateless person who makes application therefor in the prescribed manner and satisfies the Minister that he is of full age and capacity and is of good character:
Provided that the Minister may also grant a certificate of naturalisation to any person who has rendered exceptional services to the Republic of Malta or whose naturalisation is otherwise of exceptional interest to the Republic of Malta.”
Article 10(9), Maltese Citizenship Act (Cap. 188)
This discretionary power was further refined by the 2025 amendments, which clarified the scope of “exceptional services or contributions” and introduced the Evaluation Committee mechanism. The detailed procedures and eligibility criteria are now governed by Legal Notice 159 of 2025, which sets out the residence, application, and assessment framework for Citizenship by Merit applicants.