Questions - Thinking of Moving to Malta

Last activity 14 April 2011 by ricky

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miuMember13 April 2011 23:08:04

Hello,

I am a Canadian citizen living in Canada and have been seriously considering moving to Malta and was hoping to get some thoughts and feedback on a few things. To give you some background, I am self employed (a booking agent) and will not be looking for employment in Malta, as I will be earning from my business which I conduct mostly via email. I'm not looking (right away) for permanent residency or to purchase property ... but to rent for one year and then decide after that whether i stay or not.

- permit -- what type of living permit should i get for this? and as a Canadian citizen is this relatively easy to get?

- apartment rentals -- i am looking for a 2 bedroom furnished apartment on the sea (that view is a must) ... and have heard that i can find this for 250 to 550 EUR, depending on the area ... is this true? and i was told to stick to the south side of the island. I do not need to be right in the hustle and bustle, but I would like to be a walk or short cab ride away from the main area (shops, restaurants and nightlife). would love some suggestions on neighbourhoods ... and if you can give me rental quotes that would be IDEAL!

- car insurance -- what is the (general) cost for this (i am 35)?

- buying a car -- at some point i will want to purchase a vehicle, but will not need a new one or anything too fancy. aprox how much would a second hand compact car cost?

- health insurance -- what is the cost for this and is it easy to get as a foreigner?

- groceries -- not surprisingly, I heard that food is expensive. is there anyone who's recently lived in Toronto and can provide some general comparisons?

- phone -- i also heard that this is relatively expensive ... ???

- banking -- is opening a bank account in Malta (business act and personal) a difficult process?

I'm sure there are many many more questions that I'll need answers for, but I figured this was a good start!!

Thanks to anyone with any comments, thoughts and feedback!!!

YudViP14 April 2011 06:22:40

7031

Hello miu, Welcome on Expat-Blog,

For your health insurance, I will suggest you to contact our Insurance specialist partner: Expatriate health insurance Malta who will give you a free quote and lot of professional tips.

https://www.expat.com/en/insurance/europe/malta/

Regards

rickyViP14 April 2011 14:51:58

3522

Hi miu,

Welcome to the forum. I'm a bit late replying but I was out for a long walk with the Ramblers.

You have a lot of questions but I think you need to focus on the residence issue.

Here is the link to the residence requirements for third-country nationals:
http://www.foreign.gov.mt/Library/Cit/CEA8-URP.pdf

I have been told that self-employment is never allowed for third-country nationals as that would just about apply to anyone and everyone. So that leaves the economic self-sufficiency in your case. That means you will have to show them your income or funds. I would not recommend saying that you work from home as, technically, that is working in Malta even if the income is non-maltese.

You can come on a tourist visa ( Canadians get the Schengen visa automatically when they enter the area through a date stamp in the passport). It is valid for 3 months and is generally not extendable.

If you do not get a residence permit within the 3 months you would have to leave the Schengen area again.

There is a Permanent Residence Scheme which is based on high-income foreigners being granted (tax)residency under certain conditions but it is suspended at the moment and no one knows when it will be re-installed and with what changes.

You will need health insurance as part of the permit requirements. You should be able to get enough private coverage for under 600 /year but any pre-existing condition will not be included.

I'm not sure whether it is good idea to open up a business account under your circumstances unless you really open up your own company which is a whole different procedure. The Maltese banks will not let you open a bank account here before you have an ID card and you won't get your ID card before you have received your residence permit and sticker in your passport.

So really focus on the residency as it will be very difficult and make sure that you have all the documents and requirements when you apply as the 3 months timeline will be running.

Regards
Ricky

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