Spain or Malta
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Spain | Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 70 556 | $ 37 554 |
| Citizenship | 10 years | 7 years |
| Partner can work | yes | — |
| Parents | difficult | difficult |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 935 | $ 1 792 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 39,3 | $ 36,2 |
| Life expectancy | 83.89 | 82.96 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.73 | 0.93 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 3.9 | 1.8 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Spain — 61, Malta — 58. Types present in both: work, remote work, study, family, startup and talent. Spain adds: job seeking. Malta adds: investment, repatriation, retirement and working holiday.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Spain: fees range from 7.31 to 203.84 EUR. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 41,356.36 EUR a year. Routes with a published decision deadline: 52; the shortest is 10 days. Malta: fees range from 27.5 to 60,000 EUR. Routes with no fee: 14. Routes stating an income threshold: 4; the lowest is 18,940 EUR a year. Routes with a published decision deadline: 18; the shortest is 7 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 5 years. Citizenship: Spain after 10 years, Malta after 7 years. Malta allows a second citizenship, Spain does not. Bringing your own parents: Spain — yes, Malta — no.
Spain in brief
A large economy with developed tech hubs (Madrid, Barcelona), good healthcare and low violence. Held back by citizenship after 10 years requiring you to give up the previous one — dual citizenship is allowed only with a limited set of countries — compulsory Spanish, difficult parent reunification and high rent in the major cities.
Malta in brief
Malta is an English-speaking member of the EU and the eurozone with a fast KEI track for the highly qualified (about 5 working days) and a Single Permit tied to the employer. Permanent residence comes after 5 years and dual citizenship is allowed, but naturalisation is discretionary. Reunification covers a spouse and minor children, not parents. Pets come in under the EU limit with no quarantine (dogs additionally need tapeworm treatment). Held back by water scarcity, hot summers and IT salaries below the big EU hubs (median ~€33k per Payscale).
Other comparisons
More on each: Spain · Malta. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.