Malta or Netherlands
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
| Malta | Netherlands | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 37 554 | $ 106 972 |
| Citizenship | 7 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | — | yes |
| Parents | difficult | no |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | $ 481 |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 792 · estimate | $ 2 390 |
| Basket | $ 36,2 | $ 49,1 |
| Life expectancy | 82.96 | 81.97 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.93 | 0.66 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 1.8 | 5.1 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Malta — 58, Netherlands — 61. Types present in both: work, study, family, startup, repatriation and working holiday. Malta adds: remote work, investment, talent and retirement. Netherlands adds: job seeking.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
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. Netherlands: fees range from 85 to 1,337 EUR. Routes with no fee: 10. Routes stating an income threshold: 21; the lowest is 690 USD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 58; the shortest is 30 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 5 years. Citizenship: Malta after 7 years, Netherlands after 5 years. Malta allows a second citizenship, Netherlands does not. Parents cannot be brought to either country.
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).
Netherlands in brief
High salaries and quality of life. Reuniting with a partner's parents is not provided for. The working language in tech is English.
Other comparisons
More on each: Malta · Netherlands. 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.