Thinking about emigrating? If you’re after the perks of EU membership, a warm Mediterranean climate and genuine work opportunities, moving to Malta from Spain has all three, all within a two-hour flight of home. Trade a Barcelona office for a harbourfront one in Sliema, keep every right your Spanish passport already gives you, and step straight into a job market that’s actively hiring Spanish speakers.
Malta has warm summers and mild winters, so it’s rare to put plans on hold because of the weather. Around a fifth of the population is made up of foreign nationals from well over 100 countries, so there’s already a large, mixed international crowd to welcome you from day one.
Moving to Malta from Belgium gives you everything that comes with EU membership (free movement, shared regulations, the euro) alongside a climate and pace of life that Belgium simply can’t offer. It’s a way to stay firmly within Europe while living somewhere that actually feels like a change.
Spanish speakers have a genuine edge in Malta’s iGaming sector, where customer support and compliance teams are built around language coverage, and salaries are competitive. That same demand spills into financial services and tech firms too, where Spanish-speaking hires are sought after.
Malta is small, low-crime and politically stable, and day-to-day life runs at a gentler pace than a big Spanish city, less traffic, less noise, and a lot less distance between everything.
Six Spanish airports run direct flights to Malta, so getting home for a weekend or a family occasion is rarely more than a couple of hours away.
Spain and Malta are both EU member states, so freedom of movement applies without any extra paperwork at the border. A valid Spanish passport or ID card gets you in and lets you live in Malta for up to three months before anything formal is required. Past that point, registering for an eResidence Document with Identità, Malta’s residency agency, is the next step, and which route you take depends on your circumstances below.
You don’t need a work permit to take a job in Malta as an EU citizen. Your Spanish passport lets you arrive and spend up to three months job-hunting with no paperwork required, and once an offer comes through, registering your eResidence Document is the only formality left before you start.
If you’re already self-employed, or dreaming of setting up your own business, you can establish your venture in Malta. You’ll need to show you have enough funds to support yourself during the set-up period, then keep a paper trail of your turnover once you’re up and running. Registering with Jobsplus, and potentially VAT registration, will be on your list too. Once Identità is happy, they’ll grant you an eResidence Document.
Your EU citizenship allows you to retire in Malta. You might also consider applying for the Malta Retirement Programme, which taxes foreign pension income at a flat 15% (provided that pension makes up at least 75% of your chargeable income).To be eligible, you’ll need a qualifying property, full health insurance, and spend an average of at least 90 days a year in Malta over a five-year period. It’s a tax perk rather than a requirement to retire here, so it’s worth a conversation with a tax adviser before applying.
Moving to study is straightforward. You’ll enrol at an institution such as the University of Malta in Msida, show proof of sufficient funds and that’s enough to register for residency as a student.
Your first eResidence Document doesn’t last forever. It’s valid for five years, and Identità asks you to start renewing it about three months before it runs out.
After five years of living in Malta legally and continuously, you can apply for permanent residence instead. That gives you the same long-term status as any other EU national, and you won’t need to renew it the same way.
This is different from the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), even though the name is similar. The MPRP is a paid scheme for non-EU nationals who invest to get residency. It doesn’t apply to Spanish citizens, since you already have the right to live in Malta through free movement.
The same goes for the “golden visa” some sites still advertise. That was Malta’s old citizenship-by-investment scheme, closed since 2025 after a European Court of Justice ruling and replaced with a merit-based route to citizenship. Either way, it was never relevant for EU citizens.
Citizenship is a bigger step. To apply, you need twelve months of continuous residence right before applying, plus four more years within the six years before that. You also need good conduct, a clean record, and proof you’re genuinely settled, through work, paying tax, or ties to the community. Even then, approval isn’t guaranteed. If citizenship is your goal, it’s worth speaking to an immigration adviser early on.
Come and see Malta in person before you commit to moving. A few days is enough to get a feel, as long as you spend them properly: visit more than one town, and book in plenty of house viewings. Take the time to walk around the local area and grab a coffee in a coffee shop or cafe.
Once you’ve got a shortlist of towns in mind, our team can help you match it against our current listings (on the open market and off it). We’ll share our local knowledge to filter out areas, streets or properties that don’t fit with your priorities. And once we have found your new home, we’ll work quickly to secure it for you. We’ll guide you through the lease or buying process, so you understand your next steps.
Start gathering your paperwork like your passport, proof of income or a job contract and your health insurance. Identità will also usually want a registered lease or purchase agreement, plus a Housing Authority confirmation letter, before they’ll process your eResidence Document.
Before you leave Spain, cancel your padrón registration and tell your health insurer you’re moving. It’s easy to forget and a hassle to fix later. Once you’re in Malta, sort out ARMS for your utilities and open a bank account in the first week or two. The rest, a SIM card, a GP, somewhere for check-ups, tends to sort itself out.
A short let is ideal if you are coming for a few weeks to get to know Malta. You can use short stays to get a proper feel for different towns, and they’re straightforward to book across the islands.
Most long leases run for twelve months, with landlords asking for one to two months’ rent as a deposit.
Expect to provide a passport and proof of income or a job contract, plus a deposit and the first month’s rent before keys are handed over. Furnished lets are standard, cutlery drawers included, and ARMS registration for utilities follows once the lease is signed.
Modern apartments in Sliema and Gżira suit anyone working in iGaming, while townhouses and converted farmhouses further inland give you more space and character than a typical Spanish city flat.
See what’s currently available across the islands, from city-centre apartments to village houses with more character.
Renting is a good way to find your bearings, and plenty of people are happy staying that way for years. But once an area feels right and you’re ready to commit, here’s how the buying process actually works.
Spanish citizens can buy a home in Malta without an AIP permit, as long as it’s their main residence. That exemption removes one of the bigger hurdles non-EU buyers face when looking at properties for sale in Malta. A second property outside a Special Designated Area is a different matter, worth checking with a notary before you commit to anything.
Special Designated Areas (also known as lifestyle developments) like Portomaso and Tigné Point, come with fewer restrictions on foreign ownership and shared amenities like pools or gyms. However they carry a price premium over comparable property elsewhere on the island.
Buying in Malta has three main stages:
As well as the purchase price itself, you should budget for notary fees, property tax of around 5%, and possibly a mortgage arrangement fee if you’re financing the purchase. First-time buyers should ask their notary about eligibility for a reduced rate on part of the price.
Malta’s market covers a genuine range for Spanish buyers:
From sea-view apartments in Sliema to converted farmhouses inland, see what’s currently on the market across the islands.
Sliema, Gżira and St Julian’s cluster right along the waterfront, close enough to offices, coworking spots and evening venues to skip the commute entirely, ideal if iGaming or hybrid work is the reason you’re here.
Trade the short ferry crossing for Gozo’s bigger plots, lower prices and a genuinely rural feel, a draw for retirees and remote workers in equal measure.
Mellieħa, St Paul’s Bay and Qawra deliver the seafront lifestyle at a noticeably lower price point than Sliema.
Healthcare in Malta works a bit differently to Spain’s Sistema Nacional de Salud, which is tax-funded and split across 17 regional health departments. Malta runs it through social security contributions instead, and manages the whole country as a single system rather than region by region. Once you’re a registered resident, the end result feels familiar as care is free when you need it. Plenty of people still take out private insurance on top, mostly to skip the queue for specialist appointments.
Malta’s school calendar starts primary a little earlier than Spain’s: six years from age 5, then five years of secondary through to 16, with SEC exams under the MATSEC board marking roughly the same milestone as finishing ESO, followed by further study for those continuing on, similar in spirit to Bachillerato. Classes run in English alongside Maltese from the start, which is more of an adjustment for Spanish children than for nationalities that already speak English at home, though most will have picked up some grounding from studying it as a foreign language in Spain. Apply early to the more sought-after international schools, since places fill quickly.
Malta drives on the left, opposite to Spain, so expect a short adjustment period behind the wheel on top of noticeably narrower roads than you’re used to. Registering an imported car and passing a roadworthiness check both take some organising, which is why plenty of arrivals just sell up before leaving and buy fresh once they’ve found their feet.
This is one of the gentler cultural adjustments. Spain and Malta share a Catholic tradition and a broadly similar rhythm to the year, village festas here aren’t far removed from Spain’s own local fiestas, and the Mediterranean approach to socialising, eating late, spending time outdoors, translates easily.
Numbers don’t tell you everything, but they’re a useful place to start. We’ve used Barcelona and Sliema here since both draw a similar international, professional crowd, though Sliema is one of the pricier spots in Malta, so think of these figures as the top end rather than a typical island-wide price.
Expense | Barcelona, Spain | Sliema, Malta |
3-bed apartment rent, city centre (monthly) | €2,334.78 | €2,762.22 |
Utilities (monthly, 85m² flat) | €154.76 | €91.63 |
Cinema ticket | €10.00 | €9.00 |
Cappuccino | €2.74 | €2.42 |
Mid-range dinner for two | €57.50 | €75.00 |
Private full-day preschool (monthly per child) | €794.91 | €327.80 |
International primary school (annual tuition) | €14,628.00 | €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.
Sliema comes out cheaper for rent and eating out, Barcelona wins on utilities, childcare and schooling, and pays higher average salaries besides, so the honest answer is that it depends what your budget leans on most.
As an EU citizen, you don’t need a visa or a work permit to get a job in Malta. You just need to register as a resident and you’re on the same footing as any Maltese employee. iGaming, financial services, tourism and tech all hire heavily from abroad, and with English an official language alongside Maltese, you’re unlikely to hit a language barrier at work.
Malta taxes income on a progressive scale that tops out at 35%, with the first €9,100 tax-free if you’re single, or €12,700 for married couples, plus extra allowances if you have children. If you’re a senior specialist in certain sectors, the Highly Qualified Persons scheme might apply instead, a flat 15% rather than the standard bands. There’s also a Malta–Spain double taxation agreement, in place since 2007, which stops you being taxed twice on the same income, though exactly how it works depends on where that income comes from. Best to check with a tax professional before you move rather than guess.
Malta’s climate is close to what you’d find on Spain’s own coast, Mediterranean, hot summers, mild winters, but it runs more consistent islandwide since there’s no inland or mountain climate to speak of. Anyone moving from somewhere like Madrid, with its colder winters, will notice more of a difference than someone coming from Barcelona or the south.
Bringing a pet from Spain to Malta is straightforward, since both are EU countries. Dogs, cats and ferrets need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and an EU pet passport, and there’s no quarantine required for pets moving between EU member states.
Malta’s small scale and low crime rate make day-to-day life feel safer than in a big Spanish city, where opportunistic theft and pickpocketing are well-known issues in busy tourist areas of Barcelona in particular. That’s not the same as saying Spain is unsafe, just that Malta’s size works in its favour here.
As an EU citizen, you don’t need a job secured before moving, freedom of movement covers job-seeking as much as employment itself. You’d register under the self-sufficiency route in the meantime, showing proof of funds and health insurance, then switch to the employment route once you’ve signed a contract.
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