Moving from South Africa

Hi,

First of all , welcome to the forum .

I'm sorry to say that a Canadian passport will not help.If you do not hold an EU passport you will be a third-country national.

That means that you only stay longer than 3 months in Malta if you arrive with a work permit,can get a Maltese company to apply for a work permit for you within the 3 months,are economically self-sufficient and don't need to work or are going to open your own company ( investment amount in excess of 100.000 €).

If you plan to start your own business there are plenty of Maltese companies to give you advice but it will boil down to you having the capital required to start a business as a non-EU citizen.

Feel free to ask further questions or send me a private message to discuss your options in Malta.

Regards and good luck.

Ricky

Hi ricky

Thanks for the post.

You explained a bit about opening a company in Malta - but what if we have an existing business, that can sustain us there - mainly international clients? What is the monthly income needed for a family of three?

Another option is looking for work - do you know of any IT companies or placement compnies dealing in IT specifically?

Also just a quick question obtaining a work permit - where can one apply for something like that? Also I presume you don;t need a job before entering Malta to get a work permit?

Any info would be great;}

Wow seems to be alot of interest from South Africa these days? I guess with the media soon becoming a state owned enterprise and freedom of the press out the window, its best to consider other options.

Most of the questions have been answered before on this forum, you would need to search through it, or try using google to search through as it gets better hits.

Two things which should not be confused are the Residence Permit and Work Permit.

As a Non EU, you would require both and they are raising the requirements on this, there is also something called the Permanent residence scheme which is specifically for Non-EUs and I think is being marketed in SA at the moment.

The principal benefits on becoming a permanent residence permit holder include:

    * Income tax rate at 15% with a minimum tax liability, after double taxation relief, of Euro 4,192 per annum. Tax is only charged on income and capital gains arising in Malta and on overseas income remitted to Malta.
    * No tax on capital gains arising out of, and remitted to, Malta.
    * Relief from double taxation by virtue of Malta's treaty network or through unilateral provisions.
    * No inheritance tax.
    * Free repatriation of funds.
    * No duty/VAT on importing household goods and furniture.

A permanent residence permit holder must have an annual income of at least Euro 23,000 or a proven capital of at least Euro 349,000. This amount does not have to be brought into Malta, except for the amount needed to purchase or lease property and live in Malta.

The minimum annual income to be remitted to Malta by a permanent residence permit holder is Euro 13,950 plus Euro 2,300 for each dependent, including the spouse.

So that bit is for the Permanent residence scheme, with this you WILL NOT be entitled to work in Malta, you can run any business outside of the country but not work in a job in Malta.

So to get a work permit in Malta is tough for a NON EU as the company has to be willing to do the application for you and there are posts on that scattered on the forum.

Forming your own company is straightforward however still doesnt give you the work permit as it is a very and endurance testing separate process and takes approx 3-4 months to resolve if at all.

Dont let it discourage you, it is a bureaucratic
merry-go-round at times, but very possible and definitely worth it.

If you are interested in any further info on this let me know, and I can see what I can do to help , Good luck

jackieb wrote:

Another option is looking for work - do you know of any IT companies or placement compnies dealing in IT specifically?

good resources to see what is happening and the latest scandals political or otherwise :-)
timesofmalta.com, classifieds tends to have some jobs

Jobs for IT they tend to call it ICT here
muovo.eu
crossroads.com.mt
reedglobal.com.mt/home.php

only a few... host of others
use google.com.mt and then specify only results from Malta should get you going,

good resource as well is
maltainsideout.com/ has some nicely researched articles on daily life, things to do etc

Hi Jackieb,

As Eagle already said there is the Residence Permit and the Work Permit.

If you have an existing business in SA with adequat income that you would have to prove to the Department of Residence and Citizenship they would grant you a Residence Permit. This would not allow you to work in Malta but you can stay as long as you have the income to support yourself.

The necessary income and rental costs are stated in the appropriate forms and guidelines - please see the info given by Eagle.

You cannot apply for a work permit yourself.You need to find a company that will apply for you.If you fulfill all the requirements you can get a 1 year work permit that is renewable for no more than 3 times.

As the procedure can take more than 3 months you should try to avoid this and find a company to apply for a work permit while you are still in SA. Read the relevant posts on work permits on the forum.

Good luck with your plans.

Ricky

Thanks Eagle

It's not the fredom of press that's easy to handle it's all the blatant corruption and the fact that the people of the country are suffering. Crime, education health care it's all going to shambles - not a place you want your kids to grow up. Not that I want to leave I love the country just looking for better oppurtunities for the kids and something different for us in general.

I will search more through the forums - I did a quick glance.

"A permanent residence permit holder must have an annual income of at least Euro 23,000" does this mean that as a company in South Africa we must generate R215k per annum to be able to apply for permanent residency? and that the minimum of "Euro 13,950 plus Euro 2,300 for each dependent, including the spouse." is this the amount ot be brought into Malta for living expenses etc?

If I do understand the above then it is within reach;}

So under the above circumstances we would be able to apply for perment residency and run our current business - but can;t take on any work within Malta. Would I need to contact the embassy in Malta or are you aware of anyone in SA that may be able to assist?

Dont worry I know , I've been out of SA for about 10 years. As a family only one needs to apply the main income earner,the other comes as a spouse . The kids qualify on the parents. I know its odd but the Maltese are very traditional and main income earner is normally the husband , theres some other interesting posts about that, on some blogs too.

You only need to bring in that amount correct however you need to pay the 4000 Tax bit,  and are taxed at a flat rate of 15%

Example :
if you bring in lets say 20 000 Euros
your tax at 15% would equal 3000 Euros tax, you still need to pay the minimum 4192. Only anything over 28000 and your effective tax increases.

The minimum amount is 13000 which can be used to offset tax, but you would not get by as a family on 9000 a year as the average single income is about 12-14 000.

Also depends on what you want to do on schooling, this is the big expense for private schools, and cars, entertainment, depending on what your idea of fun is, things add up quickly.

You can do it through the government but I wouldnt advise unless you enjoy dealing with bureaucracy, and banging your head against the desk

If you are interested in the permanent residence scheme PM your details or further questions and if you agree I'll get the law firm which helped me to give you a call as they were efficient and quick. I dont think I am allowed to post them here as it is against the rules of the forum , and I would have myself merrily kicked out

Hi Eagle

Thanks for all the info - I also just emailed the Consulate in Cape Town and see what they have to say. I must admit the forms are pretty simple to complete. It all seems pretty simple - although I will read up on the Husband being the main income earner - as the company is registered in my name only.

I guess as soon as the option looks achievable we will probably make a plan to get there to explore a little.

I would love to get into contact with a professional who could assist;}

Thank you once again - you have been very helpfull.

jackieb wrote:

although I will read up on the Husband being the main income earner - as the company is registered in my name only.

Sorry but I think you misunderstood me on the husband being the main earner. Its not necessary , however its sometimes easier for people to understand and it raises less questions.

There are various posts here where women have had to "ask/get" permission to do things which would be considered routine in any other country. I dont know why some things tend to cause an issue here, I only stated this so that you raise as few questions as possible and move it along smoothly.

The forms are deceptively simple like anything else in Malta, its the process which can leave you flabbergasted. By all means do go ahead and get it going by yourself I am not trying to discourage you from that. If you read some of the other posts and read all the back and forth some people have gone through and the months of uncertainty. And these are people which are living here or in Europe. I cant understand why someone would want to endure such pain.

Its always been by method, I know what I do best,for the rest I hire some professional and let them deal with it on my behalf. Its going to cost, but I rather let someone else deal with the headache, and tap into their network of contacts to smooth the process.

Whichever way you decide to go, wish you the best
of luck

Its always been by method, I know what I do best,for the rest I hire some professional and let them deal with it on my behalf. Its going to cost, but I rather let someone else deal with the headache, and tap into their network of contacts to smooth the process.

I totally agree with you here! It would be great if you could mail me the details of the law firm you dealth with.

Sorry but I think you misunderstood me on the husband being the main earner. Its not necessary , however its sometimes easier for people to understand and it raises less questions.

Nope didn;t misunderstand you - I do understand, just want to read up and be the most prepared I can be. Thanks for the heads up;}

Thanks again for all your advice.