Trade Amsterdam’s grey skies and eye-watering rent for the Mediterranean, and you don’t lose a thing that matters: your EU rights travel with you, and so does the euro in your wallet. Moving to Malta from the Netherlands is about as low-friction as a relocation gets, no visa, no work permit queue, just a passport and a plan. Here’s what to expect once you start looking seriously at property for sale or your next rental.
You keep every right your Dutch passport and EU citizenship give you, just with better weather and a lower cost of living attached. It’s Europe without the compromise many people expect when moving somewhere warmer, and getting home isn’t a hassle either: Amsterdam Schiphol keeps you well connected, with KM Malta Airlines, easyJet and KLM all running non-stop routes to Malta, so you’re looking at just over three hours in the air.
There’s no dedicated Dutch expat society in Malta the way there is for some nationalities, but you won’t be starting from zero either. Roughly a fifth of Malta’s population is made up of foreign nationals from over 150 countries, and general networks like Internations Malta, Malta Social and the usual expat Facebook groups make it easy to meet people quickly, Dutch or otherwise.
Malta is small, low-crime and politically stable, and everyday life moves at a noticeably gentler pace than Amsterdam’s packed streets and competitive housing market.
Malta’s iGaming, fintech, financial services and technology sectors are used to hiring across the EU, so plenty of Dutch professionals move here for the job itself rather than just the lifestyle.
The Netherlands and Malta are both EU member states, so freedom of movement applies in full. You can enter and live in Malta for up to three months on nothing more than a valid Dutch passport or ID card. Once you’re past that three-month mark, you’ll need to register for an eResidence Document with Identità (formerly Identity Malta), Malta’s residency agency, based on one of the routes below.
Work in Malta for EU citizens is simple: you don’t need a work permit at all. Once you’ve got a job lined up, registering your eResidence Document is the only formality, a much shorter process than the one non-EU applicants face through routes like the Key Employment Initiative.
You can set your self up as self-employed or launch your own business in Malta. You’ll need to register with Jobsplus and for VAT (if your turnover requires it) as well. Identità will want to see evidence that you’re actively trading when you apply for residence, so hang onto invoices or signed contracts as you go.
If you’re retiring to Malta, you don’t need a special immigration route – your EU citizenship already covers your right to live here, so registering an eResidence Document under the self-sufficiency or pension-income basis is enough. If you’re drawing a foreign pension and want a lower tax rate on it, the Residence Programme is worth a look: it offers a flat 15% rate on qualifying foreign income remitted to Malta, for those who meet the property and income conditions. It’s a nice-to-have for the tax benefit, not something you need in order to retire here.
If you’re moving for university, enrolment plus proof of sufficient funds is enough to register as a student. The University of Malta in Msida is the main option, and it’s an appealing one for anyone looking to study somewhere considerably warmer than home.
If you live in Malta lawfully and continuously for five years, you can apply for permanent resident status on the same terms as any other EU national.
This is different from the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) you may see advertised online. That’s a paid, investment-linked scheme aimed at wealthy non-EU applicants, and it doesn’t apply to Dutch citizens.
Becoming a Maltese citizen through naturalisation is a separate, longer route. Once you’ve built up enough years of lawful residence, you can apply. You’ll need to show you’re properly integrated into life in Malta by having made a home here, provided you can point to good conduct and a genuine footprint here, a home you’ve settled into, plus family or work connections that show you’re properly established. If citizenship is the long-term goal rather than just residency, raise the naturalisation timeline with an immigration adviser early on.
Even a short scouting trip gives you a real insight into what it’s like to live in Malta. We’d recommend booking viewings in two or three different towns rather than just one, and try to see them at different times of day. Sliema at 8am on a weekday feels nothing like Sliema on a lazy Sunday afternoon. If you can stretch the trip to five or six days, use the extra time to sit in a café, catch a bus somewhere, and just see how the pace of the place feels before you commit to anything longer-term.
Once you’ve got a shortlist of areas in mind, our team matches what you’re after against our current portfolio, on the market and off it, to find a property that actually fits rather than just the closest available option. Once you’ve found it, we guide you through whichever route you’re taking, renting or buying, so nothing gets missed along the way.
Get your passport, proof of income or employment contract, and health insurance details in order early. A registered lease and a Housing Authority Confirmation Letter are usually needed before Identità will process your eResidence application.
Before you leave the Netherlands, it’s a good idea to deregister your address with your gemeente and let your health insurer know you’re moving abroad. These are easy step to forget and a harder one to fix retroactively once you’ve gone. Once you land, ARMS registration for utilities and opening a Maltese bank account are the two jobs worth tackling first; a local SIM card, a GP, a decent dentist, all of that tends to sort itself out naturally within the first month.
If you need somewhere for the first few weeks while you scout the right area, short-term lets are common and easy to book through us.
Most long-term leases in Malta run for a year, with a deposit of one to two months’ rent paid upfront. If you’re not ready to buy straight away, six to twelve months in a rental is a solid way to get to know an area properly first.
Landlords typically ask for a passport, proof of income or an employment contract, and the deposit plus first month’s rent before handing over keys. Most rental properties come furnished, sometimes down to the cutlery, and you’ll need to register utilities with ARMS once you’ve signed.
See what’s currently available across the islands, from city apartments to village houses of character.
Renting is a great way to get your bearings, and plenty of people are happy to stay that way for years. But if you’ve found an area you love and you’re ready to put down roots, here’s what the buying process actually looks like.
Dutch citizens can buy property in Malta as their main home without an AIP permit. This exemption removes one of the biggest hurdles other foreign buyers face when purchasing property for sale in Malta.
Special Designated Areas (also called Lifestyle Developments), such as Portomaso and Tigné Point, come with fewer restrictions on foreign ownership and are worth a look if you want a managed development with shared amenities, though they carry a premium over standard property elsewhere on the island.
Buying property in Malta is straightforward but has three main phases:
Beyond the purchase price, you’ll need to budget for additional costs like notary fees, property tax, and possibly a mortgage arrangement fee. First-time buyers should speak to their notary about their eligibility for reduced rates on part of the price.
Malta has a wide range of homes for Belgian buyers, from practical apartments to larger family homes and coastal properties. Common options include:
From seaview apartments in Sliema to converted farmhouses inland, see what’s currently on the market across Malta.
Sliema, Gżira and St Julian’s sit right along the water and put you within walking distance of offices, coworking spaces, restaurants and the ferry into Valletta, useful if remote or hybrid work is part of the plan.
Gozo trades a short ferry crossing for bigger properties, lower prices and a genuinely rural pace of life, popular with remote workers and retirees alike.
Mellieħa, St Paul’s Bay and Qawra give you a proper seafront lifestyle without an expensive price tag.
Instead of paying into the Netherlands’ Zorgverzekeringswet system, Malta funds its public healthcare through social security contributions, and the system has a genuinely strong international reputation. As in the Netherlands, most residents pair public coverage with a private policy for quicker specialist appointments, so it’s worth building into your budget alongside rent and utilities from the outset.
Malta’s school system starts a little earlier than the Netherlands’: compulsory education runs from age 5 to 16, with a single secondary track rather than the Dutch system’s earlier streaming into VMBO, HAVO or VWO, and SEC exams under the MATSEC board taking the place of those final qualifications.
Dutch schools already teach English to a high standard, so children usually arrive well placed for lessons taught in English from day one, whether that’s in a state school, a church school, or one of Malta’s international schools running British or IB curricula.
Places at the more sought-after international schools go quickly, so it’s worth applying as soon as your move date is confirmed.
The switch from driving on the right in the Netherlands to driving on the left in Malta takes a bit of getting used to, and Malta’s roads tend to be narrower, given how densely built the island is. Bringing your own car means arranging local registration and a roadworthiness test, though with distances so short across Malta, many people find it’s just as easy to sell up at home and buy something once they’ve settled in.
This is one of the bigger adjustments for Dutch nationals compared with some other EU relocators. The Netherlands is largely secular today, while Malta’s Catholic tradition still shapes daily life: church bells, village festas and a slower Sunday rhythm are all part of the fabric here. It’s not a difficult adjustment, just a genuinely different one, and most people find the trade-off worth it once they’ve settled in.
Numbers alone don’t tell the whole story when working out living costs, but they’re a useful starting point. We’ve benchmarked Amsterdam against Sliema below, since both attract a similar international, socially active crowd. Bear in mind, though, that Sliema is one of Malta’s pricier addresses, so don’t assume these figures apply island-wide.
Expense | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Sliema, Malta |
3-bed apartment rent (monthly) | €3,534.89 | €2,762.22 |
Utilities (monthly, 85m² flat) | €271.54 | €91.63 |
Cinema ticket | €15.00 | €9.00 |
Cappuccino | €4.03 | €2.42 |
Mid-range dinner for two | €80.00 | €75.00 |
Private full-day preschool (monthly per child) | €2,461.81 | €327.80 |
International primary school (annual tuition) | €16,237.22 | €9,941.75 |
Figures are based on data supplied from Numbeo. Actual costs vary depending on personal spending habits, school choice and the area you choose in Malta.
EU and EEA citizens can move to Malta visa-free. Once you’re in Malta and registered as a resident, you have the same standing as any other employee. Companies across iGaming, financial services, tourism and technology regularly hire from EU countries, and with English an official language alongside Maltese, there’s rarely a language barrier.
Salaries in Malta are taxed and paid the same way for you as for a Maltese national, and since travel between the Netherlands and Malta is visa-free and quick, it’s easy to fly out for an interview before you commit to the move.
Malta taxes residents on a progressive scale running from 0% up to 35%, with the first €9,100 of income tax-free for single filers and €12,700 for married couples, plus wider bands for parents with qualifying children. Certain senior professionals in specific sectors may also qualify for the Highly Qualified Persons rules, a flat 15% rate rather than the standard progressive bands, and it’s worth checking if your role fits, alongside The Residence Programme mentioned earlier if passive foreign income applies to you.
How the Malta–Netherlands double taxation treaty applies to your specific situation depends on where your income is coming from, so it’s worth getting advice from a tax professional before you move rather than assuming a default position.
As an EU citizen, you don’t need a job secured before you move, as freedom of movement covers job-seeking as well as employment itself. You’d register under the self-sufficiency route while you look, showing proof of funds and health insurance, then switch over to the employment route once you’ve signed a contract.
Dutch citizens don’t need a Nomad Residence Permit to work remotely from Malta. That permit exists specifically for non-EU nationals who wouldn’t otherwise have the right to live in Malta, and it caps their onward Schengen travel at 90 days in any 180-day period. As an EU citizen, freedom of movement already covers you, and you’d register under the self-sufficiency route instead.
If you are a couple or family with different citizenships, moving to Malta will work, but via two different routes.
As the Dutch/EU partner, you move under standard freedom of movement and register an eResidence Document once you’re settled.
Since Brexit, your UK partner counts as a non-EU national, but they can join you as a family member of an EU national rather than applying as a standalone third-country national, which is considerably simpler than most non-EU routes. If they’d rather work independently, options include a Single Permit tied to a specific job, the Key Employment Initiative or Highly Qualified Persons scheme for senior roles, or a Nomad Residence Permit if they’re working remotely for a non-Maltese employer. With several moving parts, it’s worth getting tailored advice from an immigration specialist.
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Start browsing today, or get in touch and our team will help you narrow down the right area and property type for your move from the Netherlands.
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