To be eligible to submit an application under this programme, applicants must fulfil the below Eligibility Criteria:

– Have attained 18 years of age
– Have a concrete intention to develop and/or expand their business in Malta
– Be the founder or co-founder of an enterprise which has been registered for no more than 7 years and which satisfies the following requirements:

• It has not been formed through a merger
• It has not distributed any profits to date
• It has not taken over the activity of another enterprise

– A co-founder would be one of the first entrepreneurs to have set-up the start-up.
– The founder and/or co-founders need to have a physical and tangible presence in Malta, both in terms of living (physical presence) and business.

• Therefore, beneficiaries must also pay their taxes in Malta.

– Be in possession of a health insurance policy covering all risks in Malta
– Have sufficient financial resources in his/her own bank account to support him/herself and any other dependants.
– Have a clean police conduct and no pending criminal proceedings against them, and not pose any threat to the national security, public policy, public health, or public interest of Malta.
– Not have previously had applications for a residence status or citizenship rejected in Malta or abroad.
– Not be a national of, or have close ties with, Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Venezuela.
– Place a a tangible investment and/or paid up share capital of not less than €25,000

The below General Conditions must also be satisfied:

– The start-up undertaking must be engaged in one of the following industries:

• Manufacturing
• Software development
• Industrial services analogous to manufacturing
• Health, biotechnologies, pharmaceuticals, and life science
• Eco startups
• Other innovative economic activities which are enabled through knowledge and technology

– An eligible business project must meet a minimum of two of the following requirements:

• The proposal of services and/or products which are new, innovative, or substantially improved compared to similar products on the market
• The proposal of services and/or products that have the potential to generate income from various geographical markets
• Use processes which are new or substantially improved compared to those used in current complementary activities

– Collaboration with Malta Enterprise must be present throughout the validity of the residence permit
– All immediate family members must be listed on the application and be eligible for a residence permit with the same validity as the sponsor (further requirements apply)
– A business plan on the template provided by the Authority must be submitted
– The application is also open for core employees who are of importance to the start-up who have specialised skills and earn a minimum salary of €30,000 per year (further requirements apply)
– Payment of the relevant fees which are as follows:o

• €750 for each adult applicant and dependant
• €82.50 towards Identity Malta Agency for each residence permit being issued

Upon success, applicants are issued with a residence permit valid for a period of three years. This may be renewed for a further period of five years should the authority confirm that the start-up continues to operate and the beneficiaries still satisfy the requirements.