Finland 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
| Finland | Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 54 624 | $ 37 554 |
| Citizenship | 8 years | 7 years |
| Partner can work | yes | — |
| Parents | no | difficult |
| Pets | difficult | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | $ 853 | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 627 | $ 1 792 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 39,9 | $ 36,2 |
| Life expectancy | 82.34 | 82.96 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.93 | 0.93 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 2.5 | 1.8 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Finland — 70, Malta — 58. Types present in both: work, study, family, startup, talent, repatriation and working holiday. Finland adds: job seeking. Malta adds: remote work, investment and retirement.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Finland: fees range from 53 to 800 EUR. Routes with no fee: 4. Routes stating an income threshold: 32; the lowest is 340 EUR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 43; the shortest is 14 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: Finland after 6 years, Malta after 5 years. Citizenship: Finland after 8 years, Malta after 7 years. Both allow a second citizenship. Parents cannot be brought to either country.
Finland in brief
A stable, safe EU country with a fast visa for specialists, dual citizenship allowed and very low corruption. Winters are long and cold and tech salaries moderate. Parent reunification is not provided for. The eastern land border is closed and some visa categories are suspended.
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: Finland · 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.