Long-term residence after five years: the test, the course, the €500

After five years your permit can stop depending on an employer. Long-term resident status is permanent, the card lasts five years, and from 2027 it is also the line between who keeps free buses and free childcare and who does not. The requirements are strict and published. Start the course in year three.

The five years

Five years of legal, continuous residence in Malta before you apply. No single absence longer than six months, and no more than ten months abroad in total across the five years. Count your trips home. The renewal rules for the years before that are on their own page.

Income

For at least the two years before applying, your income must be no less than the national minimum wage, plus 20% of it for each family member. Proof: recent payslips and your FS3 tax forms. Keep every one from your first day.

The course and the language test

• “I Belong” integration course: 100 hours, with a final exam passed at 75% or better. The certificate must be no older than a year when you submit.
• Maltese language: a certificate at MQF level 2 with at least 65%.

Both certificates are submitted front and back. Foreign documents need a translator registered in Malta. The courses and what you must pass have their own page.

The fee and the wait

€500, paid online at submission. Up to six months for a decision, extendable by another six in exceptional cases. Renewal after five years costs €500 again and is lost if you spend more than twelve consecutive months outside the EU or six years continuously away from Malta.

Apply online with Form L through the Identità portal.

What it changes

• You are no longer tied to one employer or one permit.
• Under the 2027 Budget measures, long-term residents keep free public transport and free childcare; other non-EU residents lose them from 2027. What Budget 2027 changes is on its own page.
• The atypical-hours in-work benefit stays available to long-term residents only.
• Family members become easier to bring and keep.

What it does not change

• You still renew the card every five years.
• It is not citizenship, and it does not give a vote.
• You must still keep the residence conditions above.

The appeal

Refusals go to the Immigration Appeals Board within three working days of notification. Have the papers ready before the decision arrives. How to appeal in time has its own page.

Plan backwards

Year one: keep payslips, FS3s, bank statements. Year three: start Maltese at MQF level 2 and book the I Belong course. Year four: sit both exams; the certificates stay valid long enough. Year five, month one: apply, with the €500.

Check this at the source

• Identità FAQ, long-term residence: five years, absences, income, course, language, fee, timelines, appeal. https://identita.gov.mt/frequently-asked-questions/expatriates/non-eu-non-employment/long-term/
• Identità, long-term residence application page and Form L. https://identita.gov.mt/expatriates-unit-main-page/noneu-nationals/non-employment-permits/long-term-residence/