Malta or Slovenia
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 | Slovenia | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 37 554 | $ 54 624 |
| Citizenship | 7 years | 10 years |
| Partner can work | — | yes |
| Parents | difficult | difficult |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 792 · estimate | $ 1 354 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 36,2 | $ 40,8 |
| Life expectancy | 82.96 | 82.29 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.93 | 0.71 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 1.8 | 3.3 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Malta — 58, Slovenia — 27. Types present in both: work, remote work, study and family. Malta adds: investment, startup, talent, repatriation, retirement and working holiday. Slovenia 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. Slovenia: fees range from 9.1 to 70 EUR. Routes with a published decision deadline: 4; the shortest is 20 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 5 years. Citizenship: Malta after 7 years, Slovenia after 10 years. Malta allows a second citizenship, Slovenia does not. Bringing your own parents: Slovenia — yes, Malta — no.
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).
Slovenia in brief
A compact member of the EU, Schengen and the eurozone with a developed tech sector in Ljubljana, low crime and a high quality of life; permanent residence after 5 years. Held back by citizenship at 10 years requiring you to give up the previous one (dual is difficult), notable natural hazards (the catastrophic floods of 2023 and seismic activity), IT salaries below Western European levels and a small labour market with vacancies concentrated in the capital.
Other comparisons
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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.