Buying Property in Malta

Buying property in Malta follows a broadly similar process regardless of nationality, though foreign buyers face additional eligibility rules depending on where the property is located and their residency status. This page is the hub for the buying process itself - each section below links through to a dedicated guide with the full detail.

Before you start

• Confirm you can buy where you’re looking. Maltese and other EU citizens who’ve lived here five years or more can buy anywhere without restriction. Everyone else - non-EU nationals, and EU citizens under the five-year threshold buying a second property - generally needs an AIP permit, unless the property sits inside a Special Designated Area such as Portomaso or Tigné Point, where that restriction is lifted entirely. See Buying Property in Malta as a Foreigner for which of these applies to you specifically.
• Work out how you’re financing it. If you need a mortgage, get an agreement-in-principle before you start viewing - see Getting a Mortgage in Malta for deposit sizes, loan-to-value ranges and which banks work with non-residents.
• Decide where. Price level and rental demand vary enormously by locality - a national average tells you very little about what you’ll actually pay in Sliema versus Żurrieq. See Malta property prices by locality and the area guides before you start viewing.

What it costs, beyond the price

Malta has no property VAT and no annual council tax, but budget for:

• Stamp duty, the main cost: 5% of the purchase price for most buyers, though first-time buyers, Urban Conservation Area purchases and a few other categories pay substantially less - see Stamp Duty & Buying Costs for the exemptions and current thresholds.
• Notary fees, typically around 1% of the property value.
• AIP permit fee (where one applies) - a few hundred euros, covered in the AIP permit guide.
• Buyers who don’t qualify for any exemption should budget roughly 6% of the purchase price in duty and fees on top of the agreed price.

The process, step by step

1. Search and negotiate a property, typically through a licensed local agent.
2. Sign a promise of sale (konvenju) - a binding preliminary contract, not a casual reservation - usually with a deposit of around 10%, subject to conditions such as an AIP permit or mortgage approval.
3. Due diligence, run mainly by your notary between konvenju and completion: Public Registry title searches, ground rent, and verification of planning history and ODZ status. See the full due diligence checklist for what’s actually being checked and why it matters.
4. Sign the final deed in front of a notary, typically three to six months after the konvenju. Ownership transfers and stamp duty falls due at this point.

Buying a new-build before it’s finished follows a different structure entirely - stage payments, a legally mandated developer bank guarantee, and a construction timeline rather than a resale property’s 3-4 months. See Buying Off-Plan Property in Malta before treating an off-plan purchase like a resale one.

Risks worth knowing about upfront

The issues that most often catch buyers out in Malta aren’t exotic - they’re things a proper due diligence process catches, provided you know to ask:

• Unsanctioned construction. Extensions, pools or converted rooms without a matching planning permit are common and can be expensive to regularise or reverse.
• Ground rent (ċens) - a perpetual or temporary annual payment tied to the property, common on older housing stock, that a title search will surface but a casual viewing won’t.
• Outside Development Zone status, which restricts what can legally be rebuilt or extended.
• Undivided shares, where an inherited property is co-owned and every co-owner needs to agree to the sale - a common source of delay on older properties bought through inheritance.

None of these are reasons to avoid buying in Malta - they’re reasons to use a notary and, for older or character property, a perit for a structural survey, rather than relying on the estate agent’s listing alone.

What buyers commonly misunderstand

Buying a property in Malta does not, by itself, grant residence rights - eligibility to buy and eligibility to live here long-term are governed by entirely separate rules. If residency is part of your plan, see the Global Residence Programme or Permanent Residence Programme guides rather than assuming ownership covers it. Buyers also frequently underestimate how much SDA status affects price: two similarly specified apartments a street apart can differ substantially in price simply because one sits inside an SDA and the other doesn’t.

Buying checklist

• Confirmed whether you need an AIP permit, or whether an SDA removes that requirement
• Mortgage agreement-in-principle secured, if financing (see Getting a Mortgage in Malta)
• Budgeted for stamp duty, notary fees, and any permit fee on top of the price
• Checked the area guide for your target locality’s price level and rental demand
• Engaged a notary before signing a promise of sale, not after
• Worked through the due diligence checklist before completion

What this guide does not cover

This overview does not constitute legal or tax advice. Buyers should engage a licensed notary and, where relevant, independent legal counsel before signing a promise of sale.